1 Samuel 4:16-18

New Catholic Bible

¹⁶ The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle. I escaped from the battle today.” He asked, “How did things go, my son?” ¹⁷ The messenger answered, “Israel has fled from before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the Ark of God has been captured.” ¹⁸ At the mention of the Ark of God, he fell over backwards off his seat beside the gate, and he broke his neck and died, for he was a very old man and quite heavy. He had been a judge^[a] of Israel for forty years.