1 Samuel 7
7
1So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and got the ark of the Lord. They brought it up to Abinadab’s house on the hill. They set his son Eleazar apart to guard the ark. 2The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim for a long time. It was there for a full 20 years.
Samuel Brings the Philistines Under Israel’s Control
Then all the Israelites turned back to the Lord. 3So Samuel spoke to all the Israelites. He said, “Do you really want to return to the Lord with all your hearts? If you do, get rid of your false gods. Get rid of your statues of female gods that are named Ashtoreth. Commit yourselves to the Lord. Serve him only. Then he will save you from the power of the Philistines.” 4So the Israelites put away their statues of gods that were named Baal. They put away their statues of female gods that were named Ashtoreth. They served the Lord only.
5Then Samuel said, “Gather all the Israelites together at Mizpah. I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6When the people had come together at Mizpah, they went to the well and got water. They poured it out in front of the Lord. On that day they didn’t eat any food. They admitted they had sinned. They said, “We’ve sinned against the Lord.” Samuel was serving as the leader of Israel at Mizpah.
7The Philistines heard that Israel had gathered together at Mizpah. So the Philistine rulers came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid. 8They said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to the Lord our God to help us. Keep praying that he’ll save us from the power of the Philistines.” 9Then Samuel got a very young lamb. He sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord to help Israel. And the Lord answered his prayer.
10The Philistines came near to attack Israel. At that time Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering. But that day the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines. He threw them into such a panic that the Israelites were able to chase them away. 11The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah. They chased the Philistines all the way to a point below Beth Kar. They killed them all along the way.
12Then Samuel got a big stone. He set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer. He said, “The Lord has helped us every step of the way.”
13So the Philistines were brought under Israel’s control. The Philistines didn’t attack their territory again. The Lord used his power against the Philistines as long as Samuel lived. 14The Philistines had captured many towns between Ekron and Gath. But they had to give all of them back. Israel took back the territories near those towns from the control of the Philistines. During that time Israel and the Amorites were friendly toward each other.
15Samuel continued to lead Israel all the days of his life. 16From year to year he traveled from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah. He served Israel as judge in all those places. 17But he always went back to Ramah. That’s where his home was. He served Israel as judge there too. And he built an altar there to honor the Lord.
Currently Selected:
1 Samuel 7: NIrV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Shemu’ĕl Aleph (1 Samuel) 7
7
1And the men of Qiryath Ye‛arim came and took the ark of יהוה, and brought it into the house of Aḇinaḏaḇ on the hill, and set apart El‛azar his son to guard the ark of יהוה.
2And it came to be, from the day that the ark remained in Qiryath Ye‛arim, that the time increased, it came to be twenty years. And all the house of Yisra’ĕl lamented after יהוה.
3And Shemu’ĕl spoke to all the house of Yisra’ĕl, saying, “If you return to יהוה with all your hearts, then put away the foreign mighty ones and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts for יהוה, and serve Him only, so that He delivers you from the hand of the Philistines.”
4And the children of Yisra’ĕl put away the Ba‛als and Ashtaroth, and served יהוה only.
5And Shemu’ĕl said, “Gather all Yisra’ĕl to Mitspah and let me pray to יהוה for you.”
6And they gathered to Mitspah and drew water, and poured it out before יהוה. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against יהוה.” And Shemu’ĕl rightly ruled the children of Yisra’ĕl at Mitspah.
7And when the Philistines heard that the children of Yisra’ĕl had gathered together at Mitspah, the princes of the Philistines went up against Yisra’ĕl. And the children of Yisra’ĕl heard of it, and were afraid of the Philistines.
8And the children of Yisra’ĕl said to Shemu’ĕl, “Do not cease to cry out to יהוה our Elohim for us, that He would save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
9And Shemu’ĕl took a suckling lamb and offered it as an ascending offering, completely, to יהוה. And Shemu’ĕl cried out to יהוה for Yisra’ĕl, and יהוה answered him.
10And it came to be, as Shemu’ĕl offered up the ascending offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Yisra’ĕl. But יהוה thundered with a great noise on that day on the Philistines, and troubled them, and they were smitten before Yisra’ĕl.
11And the men of Yisra’ĕl went out from Mitspah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them as far as below Bĕyth Kar.
12And Shemu’ĕl took a stone and set it up between Mitspah and Shĕn, and called its name Eḇen Ha‛ĕzer, saying, “Thus far יהוה has helped us.”
13Thus the Philistines were humbled, and no longer came into the border of Yisra’ĕl. And the hand of יהוה was against the Philistines all the days of Shemu’ĕl.
14And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Yisra’ĕl were returned to Yisra’ĕl, from Eqron to Gath. And Yisra’ĕl recovered its border from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Yisra’ĕl and the Amorites.
15And Shemu’ĕl rightly ruled Yisra’ĕl all the days of his life,
16and each year he made the rounds of Bĕyth Ěl, and Gilgal, and Mitspah, and rightly ruled Yisra’ĕl in all those places.
17Then he returned to Ramah, for his home was there. And there he rightly ruled Yisra’ĕl, and there he built a slaughter-place to יהוה.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright© 1993 – 2015 by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR). All rights reserved.