Study Desk

There is no one holy like Yahweh, for there is no one besides you, and there is no rock like our God.

Do not increase speaking very proud words! Let no arrogance go forth from your mouth, for Yahweh is a God of knowledge whose deeds are not weighed.

If a man sins against a man, then God can intercede for him. But if a man sins against Yahweh, who can intercede for him?" But they did not obey their father, because Yahweh wanted to kill them.

Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him: "Thus says Yahweh: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to the house of your ancestor when they were in Egypt under the house of Pharaoh?

Therefore,' declares Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘though I solemnly said that your house and the house of your ancestor would walk before me forever, but now,' declares Yahweh, ‘far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me, I will treat with contempt!

and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, Samuel was lying in the temple of Yahweh where the ark of God was.

And he said, "What is the message that he spoke to you? Please do not conceal it from me. May God punish you severely if you conceal anything from me of all the words that he told you."

So the army sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of hosts who sits between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come to the camp." And they said, "Woe to us, for this has never happened before!

Furthermore, the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

When he came, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road watching, because his heart was anxious about the ark of God. Now the man had come to give his report in the city, and all the city cried out.

Then the messenger answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines. There has been a great defeat among the troops. Also, your two sons have died, Hophni and Phinehas, and the ark of God has been captured."

Just as he mentioned the ark of God, he fell from his chair backwards against the side of the gate. He broke his neck and died, because the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news concerning the capture of the ark of God and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she went into labor and gave birth, because her labor pains came upon her.

She called the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel," referring to the capture of the ark of God and concerning her father-in-law and husband.

And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God was captured."

Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the temple of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon.

The men of Ashdod saw that it was so, and they said, "The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, because his hand is harsh on us and on Dagon our god!"

So they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines to them, and they asked, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" And they said, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around toward Gath." So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath.