At that time, Yisrael (Israel) went to war against the Pelishtim. They camped at Even-Ha’ezer (Ebenezer), and the Pelishtim camped at Afek. 2 Then the Pelishtim lined up to meet Yisrael and the battle spread. Yisrael was defeated by the Pelishtim and they killed about 4,000 warriors in the battle line in the countryside. 3 As the people[fn] came into the camp, the Israeli elders asked themselves, “Why did Yahweh allow the Pelishtim to slaughter us today? Let’s get the box from Shiloh that contains the stone slabs with Yahweh’s agreement on them. Once it’s amongst us, surely it’ll save us from defeat by our enemies.” 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh and from there they lifted the box containing Yahweh’s agreement and the sacred platform with the winged creatures.[fn][ref] Eli’s two sons, Hofni and Pinhas, were there with the box containing God’s agreement.

5 As the box with Yahweh’s agreement was carried into the camp, all the Israelis shouted so loud that the ground shook. 6 When the Pelishtim heard the noise, they said, “What’s that loud shout in the Ivrim’ (Hebrews) camp?” Then they realised that the box with Yahweh’s covenant had come into their camp 7 and they were afraid saying, “A god has come into the Israeli camp.” Then they said, “This means trouble, because it wasn’t like this yesterday or the previous days. 8 Oh dear! Who will rescue us from these mighty gods? Those are the gods who struck the Mitsrim (Egyptians) with every plague in the wilderness. 9 Now we Pelishtim really need to fight with passion, because if we don’t, we’ll ending up serving the Ivrim just like they’ve had to serve us. Now, gather your courage and fight for your lives.”

10 So the Pelishtim fought hard, and Yisrael (Israel) was defeated. Many warriors fled back to their tents and it was a terrible slaughter—30,000 foot soldiers from Yisrael were killed. 11 As well as that, the box with God’s agreement was taken, and Eli’s two sons Hofni and Pinhas were killed.