1 Samuel 7:2-17

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Victory at Mizpah

² Time went by until 20 years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel began to seek the Lord. ³ Samuel told them, “If you^(A) are returning to the Lord^(B) with all your heart,^(C) get rid of the foreign gods^(D) and the Ashtoreths that are among you, dedicate yourselves to^[a] the Lord, and worship only Him.^(E) Then He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths^(F) and only worshiped the Lord.

⁵ Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah,^(G) and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.”^{(H) 6} When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence.^(I) They fasted that day,^(J) and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.”^(K) And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

⁷ When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. ⁸ The Israelites said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, so that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines.”

⁹ Then Samuel took a young lamb^(L) and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him.^{(M) 10} Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel. The Lord thundered loudly^(N) against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.^{(O) 11} Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.

¹² Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright^(P) between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[b] explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” ¹³ So the Philistines were subdued^(Q) and^[c] did not invade Israel’s territory again.^(R) The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life. ¹⁴ The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵ Samuel judged Israel throughout his life.^{(S) 16} Every year he would go on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah and would judge Israel at all these locations. ¹⁷ Then he would return to Ramah^(T) because his home was there, he judged Israel there, and he built an altar to the Lord there.