1 Samuel 4:3

King James Version (KJV)

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

Translations

1 Samuel 4:3 - Amplified Bible

When the troops had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that He may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.

1 Samuel 4:3 - American Standard Version

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath Jehovah smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.

1 Samuel 4:3 - Bible in Basic English

And when the people came back to their tents, the responsible men of Israel said, Why has the Lord let the Philistines overcome us today? Let us get the ark of the Lord's agreement here from Shiloh, so that it may be with us and give us salvation from the hands of those who are against us.

1 Samuel 4:3 - Darby Bible

And the people came into the camp; and the elders of Israel said, Why has Jehovah smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch ourselves the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.

1 Samuel 4:3 - English Standard Version

And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies."

1 Samuel 4:3 - King James Version

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

1 Samuel 4:3 - La Biblia de las Americas

Cuando el pueblo volviò al campamento, los ancianos de Israel dijeron: ¿Por qué nos ha derrotado hoy el SEÑOR delante de los filisteos? Tomemos con nosotros, de Silo, el arca del pacto del SEÑOR, para que vaya en medio de nosotros y nos libre del poder de nuestros enemigos.

1 Samuel 4:3 - The Message

1 Samuel 4:3 - New American Standard Bible

When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies."

1 Samuel 4:3 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Cuando el pueblo volviò al campamento, los ancianos de Israel dijeron: "¿Por qué nos ha derrotado hoy el SEÑOR delante de los Filisteos? Tomemos con nosotros, de Silo, el arca del pacto del SEÑOR, para que vaya en medio de nosotros y nos libre del poder de nuestros enemigos."

1 Samuel 4:3 - World English Bible

When the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Yahweh struck us today before the Philistines? Let us get the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.

1 Samuel 4:3 - Young's Living Translation

And the people cometh in unto the camp, and the elders of Israel say, `Why hath Jehovah smitten us to-day before the Philistines? we take unto us from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and it cometh into our midst, and He doth save us out of the hand of our enemies.`

1 Samuel 4:3 - Additional Comments

Jerusalem did not become the capital of Israel until David's reign. At this point, Shiloh was where the ark was kept.
It is interesting to see the Israelites realize that, no matter how poorly they were obeying God, they knew that God was active in their lives and in their nation. They saw their defeat as from God, as He certainly could have turned the battle the other way.
They were thinking it was the ark that would give them blessing in battle, rather than obedience to God. We see how wrong this belief is, as even with the ark they suffer a terrible defeat (4:10). God wants our hearts, not our pictures, trinkets, crosses. How sad that so much of the world has relied on misguided yearnings for help in objects rather than in purifying the heart and the devotion to God.
Is it wrong to have trinkets, objects, to display your faith? No, just as long as those are merely reminders of your faith, and not some sort of good luck charm for help and success.
This is similar to how people fawn over images of Jesus, thinking that can bring help or success. Once again, misguided faith.

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