1 Samuel 4:13-18

4:13 When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair watching by the side of ¹  the road, for he was very worried ²  about the ark of God. As the man entered the city to give his report, ³  the whole city cried out.

4:14 When Eli heard the outcry, ⁴  he said, “What is this commotion?” ⁵  The man quickly came and told Eli. 4:15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead; ⁶  he was unable to see.

4:16 The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle lines! Just today I fled from the battle lines!” Eli ⁷  asked, “How did things go, my son?” 4:17 The messenger replied, “Israel has fled from ⁸  the Philistines! The army has suffered a great defeat! Your two sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead! The ark of God has been captured!”

4:18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli ⁹  fell backward from his chair beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he ¹⁰  was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.

[4:13]  ¹ tc Read with many medieval Hebrew mss, the Qere, and much versional evidence יַד (yad, “hand”) rather than MT יַךְ (yakh).

[4:13]  ² tn Heb “his heart was trembling.”

[4:13]  ³ tn Heb “and the man came to report in the city.”

[4:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “the sound of the cry.”

[4:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “the sound of this commotion.”

[4:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “were set” or “were fixed,” i.e., without vision.

[4:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “before.”

[4:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the man.”