1 Kings 7
7
1And the men of Cariathiarim came and fetched up the ark of the Lord and carried it into the house of Abinadab in Gabaa. And they sanctified Eleazar his son, to keep the ark of the Lord.
2And it came to pass, that from the day the ark of the Lord abode in Cariathiarim days were multiplied (for it was now the twentieth year,) and all the house of Israel rested following the Lord.
3And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying: If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange gods from among you, Baalim and Astaroth. And prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
4Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Astaroth, and served the Lord only.
5And Samuel said: Gather all Israel to Masphath, that I may pray to the Lord for you.
6And they gathered together to Masphath. And they drew water, and poured it out before the Lord; and they fasted on that day, and they said there: We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Masphath.
7And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Masphath; and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard this, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8And they said to Samuel: Cease not to cry to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
9And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it whole for a holocaust to the Lord: and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel. And the Lord heard him.
10And it came to pass, when Samuel was offering the holocaust, the Philistines began the battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and terrified them; and they were overthrown before the face of Israel.
11And the men of Israel going out of Masphath pursued after the Philistines, and made slaughter of them till they came under Bethchar.
12And Samuel took a stone, and laid it between Masphath and Sen: and he called the place, the Stone of Help. And he said: Thus far the Lord hath helped us.
13And the Philistines were humbled, and they did not come any more into the borders of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines, all the days of Samuel.
14And the cities, which the Philistines had taken from Israel, were restored to Israel, from Accaron to Geth, and their borders. And he delivered Israel from the hand of the Philistines; and there was peace between Israel and the Amorrhites.
15And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life:
16And he went every year about to Bethel and to Galgal and to Masphath; and he judged Israel in the aforesaid places.
17And he returned to Ramatha; for there was his house, and there he judged Israel. He built also there an altar to the Lord.
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1 Kings 7: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Samuel 7
7
1 #
2 S 6.2-4; 1 Ch 13.5-7. The people of Kiriath-Jearim got the chest and took it to Abinadab's house, which was on a hill in their town. They chose his son Eleazar to take care of it, 2and it stayed there for 20 years.
During this time everyone in Israel was very sad and begged the Lord for help.#7.2 Israel … help: Or “Israel turned to the Lord and begged him for help.”
The People of Israel Turn Back to the Lord
3One day, Samuel told all the people of Israel, “If you really want to turn back to the Lord, then prove it. Get rid of your foreign idols, including the ones of the goddess Astarte. Turn to the Lord with all your heart and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
4The people got rid of their idols of Baal and Astarte and began worshiping only the Lord.
5Then Samuel said, “Tell everyone in Israel to meet together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
6The Israelites met together at Mizpah with Samuel as their leader. They drew water from the well and poured it out as an offering to the Lord. On that same day they went without eating to show their sorrow, and they confessed they had been unfaithful to the Lord.
The Philistines Attack Israel
7When the Philistine rulers found out about the meeting at Mizpah, they sent an army there to attack the people of Israel.
The Israelites were afraid when they heard that the Philistines were coming. 8“Don't stop praying!” they told Samuel. “Ask the Lord our God to rescue us.”
9-10 #
Si 46.16-18. Samuel begged the Lord to rescue Israel, then he sacrificed a young lamb to the Lord. Samuel had not even finished offering the sacrifice when the Philistines started to attack. But the Lord answered his prayer and made thunder crash all around them. The Philistines panicked and ran away. 11The men of Israel left Mizpah and went after them as far as the hillside below Beth-Car, killing every enemy soldier they caught.
12-13The Philistines were so badly beaten that it was quite a while before they attacked Israel again. After the battle, Samuel set up a monument between Mizpah and the rocky cliffs. He named it “Help Monument”#7.12,13 Help Monument: Or “Ebenezer.” to remind Israel how much the Lord had helped them.
For as long as Samuel lived, the Lord helped Israel fight the Philistines. 14The Israelites were even able to recapture their towns and territory between Ekron and Gath.
Israel was also at peace with the Amorites.#7.14 Amorites: In this verse, the non-Israelite peoples of Canaan.
Samuel Is a Leader in Israel
15Samuel was a leader#7.15 leader: The Hebrew word could mean an army commander, a judge, and a religious leader. in Israel all his life. 16Every year he would go around to the towns of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah where he served as judge for the people. 17Then he would go back to his home in Ramah and do the same thing there. He also had an altar built for the Lord at Ramah.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
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