1Samuel 7

7So 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.H582H7157H935H5927H727H3068H935H1004H41H1389H6942H499H1121H8104H727H3068 2The 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.H3117H727H3427H7157H3117H7235H6242H8141H1004H3478H5091H310H3068

Samuel Leads Israel to Victory

3Then 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."H8050H559H1004H3478H559H7725H3068H3824H5493H5236H430H6252H8432H3559H3824H3068H5647H5337H3027H6430 4So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD.H1121H3478H5493H1168H6252H5647H3068 5Then Samuel told them, "Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you."H8050H559H6908H3478H4708H6419H3068 6So 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.)H6908H4709H7579H4325H8210H6440H3068H6684H3117H559H2398H3068H8050H8199H1121H3478H4708 7When 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.H6430H8085H1121H3478H6908H4708H5633H6430H5927H3478H1121H3478H8085H3372H6440H6430 8"Don't stop pleading with the LORD our God to save us from the Philistines!" they begged Samuel.H1121H3478H559H8050H2790H2199H3068H430H3467H3027H6430 9So 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.H8050H3947H259H2461H2924H5927H5930H3632H3068H8050H2199H3068H3478H3068H6030 10Just 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.H8050H5927H5930H6430H5066H4421H3478H3068H7481H1419H6963H3117H6430H2000H5062H6440H3478 11The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way.H582H3478H3318H4709H7291H6430H5221H1033 12Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah

. He named it Ebenezer (which means "the stone of help"), for he said, "Up to this point the LORD has helped us!"H8050H3947H259H68H7760H4709H8129H7121H8034H72H559H3068H5826 13So 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.H6430H3665H935H3254H1366H3478H3027H3068H6430H3117H8050 14The 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.H5892H6430H3947H3478H7725H3478H6138H1661H1366H3478H5337H3027H6430H7965H3478H567 15Samuel continued as Israel's judge for the rest of his life.H8050H8199H3478H3117H2416 16Each 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.H1980H1767H8141H8141H5437H1008H1537H4709H8199H3478H4725 17Then 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.H8666H7414H1004H8199H3478H1129H4196H3068