¹¹ And the ark of God was taken; and ^(A)the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

The Death of Eli

¹² Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with ^(B)his robes torn and ^[a]dust on his head. ¹³ And he came, and behold, ^(C)Eli was sitting on his seat ^[b]by the road eagerly watching because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. Now the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out. ¹⁴ Then Eli heard the noise of the outcry, and he said, “What does the noise of this commotion mean?” So the man came hurriedly and told Eli. ¹⁵ Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and ^(D)his eyes had set so that he could not see. ¹⁶ And the man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I fled from the battle line today.” And he said, “^(E)How did things go, my son?” ¹⁷ Then the one who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.” ¹⁸ And it happened that when he mentioned the ark of God, ^[c](F)Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.

¹⁷ And ^(A)the king said to the ^[a]guards who were standing by him, “Turn around and put the priests of Yahweh to death because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not reveal it in my ears.” But the ^(B)servants of the king were not willing to send forth their hands to fall upon the priests of Yahweh. ¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn around and ^[b]attack the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and ^[c]attacked the priests, and ^(C)he put to death that day eighty-five men ^(D)who wore the linen ephod. ¹⁹ So ^(E)he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, infants and nursing babies; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.

²⁰ But ^(F)one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, ^(G)escaped and fled after David.