3 The Israelite army returned to their camp, and the leaders said, “Why did the Lord let us lose to the Philistines today? Let's get the sacred chest where the Lord's agreement with Israel is kept. Then the Lord will help us and rescue us from our enemies.”
4 The army sent some soldiers to bring back the sacred chest from Shiloh, because the Lord All-Powerful has his throne on the winged creatures on top of the chest.As Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas,
5 brought the chest into camp, the army cheered so loudly that the ground shook.
6 The Philistines heard the noise and said, “What are those Hebrews shouting about?”When the Philistines learnt that the sacred chest had been brought into the camp,
7 they were scared to death and said:The gods have come into their camp. Now we're in real trouble! Nothing like this has ever happened to us before.
8 We're in big trouble! Who can save us from these powerful gods? They're the same gods who made all those horrible things happen to the Egyptians in the desert.
9 Philistines, be brave and fight hard! If you don't, those Hebrews will rule us, just as we've been ruling them. Fight and don't be afraid.