1 Samuel 7

1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and they brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill; and they set apart Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the covenant of the Lord. [a] 2 And from the day the ark was in Kiriath-jearim the days grew many, and they came to twenty years; and the whole house of Israel looked to the Lord.

3 And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are turning back to the Lord with your whole heart, put away the foreign gods from among you, and the sacred groves, and make your hearts ready for the Lord, and serve him only; and he will rescue you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 And the children of Israel put away the Baals and the sacred groves of Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only. [b] 5 And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 And they were gathered together to Mizpah, and they drew water and poured it out on the ground before the Lord, and they went without food that day, and they said, “We have sinned before the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.

7 And the Philistines heard that all the children of Israel had gathered together to Mizpah, and the rulers of the Philistines went up against Israel. And the children of Israel heard of it, and they were afraid before the Philistines. 8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not fall silent on us — do not stop crying out to the Lord your God for us — and he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.” 9 And Samuel took one lamb still at the teat and offered it up to the Lord as a whole burnt offering along with all the people; and Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord listened to him.

10 Samuel was offering up the whole burnt offering, and the Philistines were drawing near for battle against Israel. And the Lord thundered with a great sound that day over the Philistines, and they were thrown into confusion and were beaten down before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and chased the Philistines and struck them down as far as below Beth-car. 12 And Samuel took one stone and set it up between Mizpah and the old city, and he called its name Ebenezer, Stone of the Helper, and he said, “The Lord has helped us this far.” [c]

13 So the Lord brought the Philistines low, and they did not come into the border of Israel again; and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 And the cities the Philistines had taken from the children of Israel were given back — they gave them back to Israel, from Ashkelon to Azob — and they took the border of Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. [d]

15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went year by year and made his round of Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel at all these holy places. 17 And his return was to Ramathaim, because his house was there; and there he judged Israel, and he built an altar there to the Lord.