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.
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.