1 Samuel 7

7So the people of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the Lord and took it to Abinadab’s house on the hill.^j They consecrated his son Eleazar to take care of it.

VICTORY AT MIZPAH

²Time went by until twenty years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel longed for the Lord. ³Samuel told them, “If you^k are returning to the Lord^l with all your heart,^m get rid of the foreign godsⁿ and the Ashtoreths that are among you, set your hearts on the Lord, and worship only him.^o Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” ⁴So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths^p and only worshiped the Lord.

⁵Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah,^q and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.”^{r 6}When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence.^s They fasted that day,^t and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.”^u And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

⁷When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. ⁸The Israelites said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, so that he will save us from the Philistines.”

⁹Then Samuel took a young lamb^v and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him.^{w 10}Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines approached to fight against Israel. The Lord thundered loudly^x against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they were defeated by Israel.^{y 11}Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.

¹²Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright^z between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^B explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” ¹³So the Philistines were subdued^aa and^C did not invade Israel’s territory again.^ab The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life. ¹⁴The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵Samuel judged Israel throughout his life.^{ac 16}Every year he would go on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah and would judge Israel at all these locations. ¹⁷Then he would return to Ramah^ad because his home was there, he judged Israel there, and he built an altar to the Lord there.