1 Samuel 7

Translated from the Hebrew of the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Tap a verse to see why it reads as it does. Tap a small letter to read its footnote.

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¹So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They brought it to the hilltop house of Abinadab, and they consecrated Eleazar his son to keep watch over the ark of the LORD.

²From the day the ark came to stay in Kiriath-jearim, a long time went by, twenty years in all, and the whole house of Israel mourned and longed for the LORD.

Samuel calls Israel back to the LORD

³Then Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are coming back to the LORD with all your heart, get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth that are among you. Set your hearts firmly on the LORD and serve him alone, and he will rescue you from the power of the Philistines.” ⁴So the Israelites got rid of the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone.

The Philistines routed at Mizpah

⁵Then Samuel said, “Bring all Israel together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” ⁶After gathering at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the presence of the LORD. They fasted that day and confessed there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” It was at Mizpah that Samuel judged the Israelites. ⁷When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines marched up against Israel. The Israelites heard about it and were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸The Israelites said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out for us to the LORD our God, so that he will save us from the power of the Philistines.” ⁹Then Samuel took a young lamb that was still nursing and offered it whole as a burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. ¹⁰Samuel was in the middle of offering up the burnt offering when the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But that day the LORD thundered against the Philistines with a mighty roar and threw them into panic, and they were beaten before Israel. ¹¹The men of Israel went out from Mizpah, chased the Philistines, and struck them down all the way to a place below Beth-car. ¹²Then Samuel took a single stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen. He called it Ebenezer and said, “To this point the LORD has helped us.” ¹³So the Philistines were brought low, and they did not invade Israel’s territory again. The hand of the LORD was against the Philistines throughout the days of Samuel. ¹⁴The towns that the Philistines had taken from Israel were given back to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel freed the land around them from the power of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites. ¹⁵Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶Every year he would make a round of Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, judging Israel at each of these places. ¹⁷Then he would go back to Ramah, since his home was there, and he judged Israel there as well. And he built an altar there to the LORD.