1 Samuel 7
Chapter 7
1 So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the LORD. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it.
2 The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the LORD had abandoned them.
Samuel Leads Israel to Victory
3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the LORD, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the LORD; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
4 So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD.
5 Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.”
6 So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the LORD. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the LORD. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.)
7 When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching.8 “Don’t stop pleading with the LORD our God to save us from the Philistines!” they begged Samuel.
9 So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the LORD as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the LORD to help Israel, and the LORD answered him.
10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them.
11 The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way.
12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.t He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the LORD has helped us!”
13 So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again for some time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the LORD’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines.
14 The Israelite villages near Ekron and Gath that the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel, along with the rest of the territory that the Philistines had taken. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days.
15 Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life.16 Each year he traveled around, setting up his court first at Bethel, then at Gilgal, and then at Mizpah. He judged the people of Israel at each of these places.
17 Then he would return to his home at Ramah, and he would hear cases there, too. And Samuel built an altar to the LORD at Ramah.
1 SAMUEL 7
1 t The people of Kiriath-Jearim got the chest and took it to Abinadab's house, which was on a hill in their town. They chose his son Eleazar to take care of it,
2 and it stayed there for 20 years.
During this time everyone in Israel was very sad and begged the [Lord] for help.tThe People of Israel Turn Back //to the [Lord]
3 One day, Samuel told all the people of Israel, “If you really want to turn back to the [Lord], then prove it. Get rid of your foreign idols, including the ones of the goddess Astarte. Turn to the [Lord] with all your heart and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
4 The people got rid of their idols of Baal and Astarte and began worshiping only the [Lord].
5 Then Samuel said, “Tell everyone in Israel to meet together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the [Lord] for you.”
6 The Israelites met together at Mizpah with Samuel as their leader. They drew water from the well and poured it out as an offering to the [Lord]. On that same day they went without eating to show their sorrow, and they confessed they had been unfaithful to the [Lord].The Philistines //Attack Israel
7 When the Philistine rulers found out about the meeting at Mizpah, they sent an army there to attack the people of Israel.
The Israelites were afraid when they heard that the Philistines were coming.
8 “Don't stop praying!” they told Samuel. “Ask the [Lord] our God to rescue us.”
9-10 t Samuel begged the [Lord] to rescue Israel, then he sacrificed a young lamb to the [Lord]. Samuel had not even finished offering the sacrifice when the Philistines started to attack. But the [Lord] answered his prayer and made thunder crash all around them. The Philistines panicked and ran away.
11 The men of Israel left Mizpah and went after them as far as the hillside below Beth-Car, killing every enemy soldier they caught.
12-13 The Philistines were so badly beaten that it was quite a while before they attacked Israel again. After the battle, Samuel set up a monument between Mizpah and the rocky cliffs. He named it “Help Monument”t to remind Israel how much the [Lord] had helped them.
For as long as Samuel lived, the [Lord] helped Israel fight the Philistines.
14 The Israelites were even able to recapture their towns and territory between Ekron and Gath.
Israel was also at peace with the Amorites.tSamuel Is a Leader //in Israel
15 Samuel was a leadert in Israel all his life. 16 Every year he would go around to the towns of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah where he served as judge for the people. 17 Then he would go back to his home in Ramah and do the same thing there. He also had an altar built for the [Lord] at Ramah.
