¹¹ And the ark of God was taken; and ^(A)the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

¹² Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with ^(B)his clothes torn and ^[a]dust on his head. ¹³ When he came, behold, ^(C)Eli was sitting on his seat ^[b]by the road eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out. ¹⁴ When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the noise of this commotion mean?” Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli. ¹⁵ Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and ^(D)his eyes were set so that he could not see. ¹⁶ The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.” And he said, “^(E)How did things go, my son?” ¹⁷ Then the one who brought the news replied, “Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.” ¹⁸ When he mentioned the ark of God, ^[c](F)Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for ^[d]he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.

¹⁷ And ^(A)the king said to the ^[a]guards who were attending him, “Turn around and put the priests of the Lord to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not ^[b]reveal it to me.” But the ^(B)servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hands to ^[c]attack the priests of the Lord. ¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn around and ^[d]attack the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and ^[e]attacked the priests, and ^(C)he killed that day eighty-five men ^(D)who wore the linen ephod. ¹⁹ And ^(E)he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.

²⁰ But ^(F)one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, ^(G)escaped and fled after David.