Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to (A)Mizpah and (B)I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and (C)poured it out before the Lord, and (D)fasted on that day and said there, “(E)We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the governors of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard about it, (F)they were afraid of the Philistines. So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “(G)Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines!” Samuel took (H)a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and (I)the Lord answered him. 10 Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines advanced to battle Israel. But (J)the Lord thundered with a great [a]thunder on that day against the Philistines and (K)confused them, so that they were struck down before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel came out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and killed them as far as below Beth-car.

12 Then Samuel (L)took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it [b]Ebenezer, saying, “[c]So far the Lord has helped us.” 13 (M)So the Philistines were subdued, and (N)they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 7:10 Lit voice
  2. 1 Samuel 7:12 I.e., the stone of help
  3. 1 Samuel 7:12 Lit As far as here

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