10 The Philistines did fight. They killed thirty thousand Israelite soldiers, and all the rest ran off to their homes.
11 Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and the sacred chest was captured.
12 That same day a soldier from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefront to Shiloh. He had torn his clothes and put earth on his head to show his sorrow.
13 He went into town and told the news about the battle, and everyone started crying.Eli was afraid that something might happen to the sacred chest. So he was sitting on his chair beside the road, just waiting.
14-15 He was ninety-eight years old and blind, but he could hear everyone crying, and he asked, “What's all that noise?”The soldier hurried over and told Eli,
16 “I escaped from the fighting today and ran here.”“Young man, what happened?” Eli asked.
17 “Israel ran away from the Philistines,” the soldier answered. “Many of our people were killed, including your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. But worst of all, the sacred chest was captured.”