1 Samuel 7:2-17
New American Standard Bible
2 From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the [a]time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel [b]mourned after the Lord.
3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “(A)If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then (B)remove the foreign gods and the (C)Ashtaroth from among you, and (D)direct your hearts to the Lord and (E)serve Him alone; and He will save you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served the Lord alone.
5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to (F)Mizpah and (G)I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and (H)poured it out before the Lord, and (I)fasted on that day and said there, “(J)We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.
7 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, (K)they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “(L)Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines!” 9 Samuel took (M)a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and (N)the Lord answered him. 10 Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines advanced to battle Israel. But (O)the Lord thundered with a great [c]thunder on that day against the Philistines and (P)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 (Q)took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it [d]Ebenezer, saying, “[e]So far the Lord has helped us.” 13 (R)So the Philistines were subdued, and (S)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. 14 The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel [f]recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and (T)the Amorites.
Samuel’s Ministry
15 Now Samuel (U)judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he used to go annually on a circuit to (V)Bethel, (W)Gilgal, and (X)Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would make his return to (Y)Ramah, because his house was there, and there he also judged Israel; and there he (Z)built an altar to the Lord.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 7:2 Lit days increased
- 1 Samuel 7:2 Or followed after
- 1 Samuel 7:10 Lit voice
- 1 Samuel 7:12 I.e., the stone of help
- 1 Samuel 7:12 Lit As far as here
- 1 Samuel 7:14 Lit saved
1 Samuel 7:2-17
Living Bible
2 The Ark remained there for twenty years, and during that time all Israel was in sorrow because the Lord had seemingly abandoned them.
3 At that time Samuel said to them, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your Ashtaroth idols. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
4 So they destroyed their idols of Baal and Ashtaroth and worshiped only the Lord.
5 Then Samuel told them, “Come to Mizpah, all of you, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
6 So they gathered there and, in a great ceremony, drew water from the well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went without food all day as a sign of sorrow for their sins. So it was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.
7 When the Philistine leaders heard about the great crowds at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelis were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching.
8 “Plead with God to save us!” they begged Samuel.
9 So Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering and pleaded with him to help Israel. And the Lord responded. 10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle, but the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and they were thrown into confusion, and the Israelis routed them 11 and chased them from Mizpah to Beth-car, killing them all along the way. 12 Samuel then took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer (meaning, “the Stone of Help”), for he said, “The Lord has certainly helped us!” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again at that time because the Lord was against them throughout the remainder of Samuel’s lifetime. 14 The Israeli cities between Ekron and Gath, which had been conquered by the Philistines, were now returned to Israel, for the Israeli army rescued them from their Philistine captors. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days.
15 Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the remainder of his life. 16 He rode circuit annually, setting up his court first at Bethel, then Gilgal, and then Mizpah, and cases of dispute were brought to him in each of those three cities from all the surrounding territory. 17 Then he would come back to Ramah, for his home was there, and he would hear cases there too. And he built an altar to the Lord at Ramah.
Read full chapterNew American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.