1 Samuel 7
7
1And they did. The men of Kiriath Jearim came and got the Chest of God and delivered it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. They ordained his son, Eleazar, to take responsibility for the Chest of God.
2From the time that the Chest came to rest in Kiriath Jearim, a long time passed—twenty years it was—and throughout Israel there was a widespread, fearful movement toward God.
3Then Samuel addressed the house of Israel: “If you are truly serious about coming back to God, clean house. Get rid of the foreign gods and fertility goddesses, ground yourselves firmly in God, worship him and him alone, and he’ll save you from Philistine oppression.”
4They did it. They got rid of the gods and goddesses, the images of Baal and Ashtoreth, and gave their exclusive attention and service to God.
5Next Samuel said, “Get everybody together at Mizpah and I’ll pray for you.”
6So everyone assembled at Mizpah. They drew water from the wells and poured it out before God in a ritual of cleansing. They fasted all day and prayed, “We have sinned against God.”
So Samuel prepared the Israelites for holy war there at Mizpah.
The Place Where God Helped Us
7When the Philistines heard that Israel was meeting at Mizpah, the Philistine leaders went on the offensive. Israel got the report and became frightened—Philistines on the move again!
8They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray with all your might! And don’t let up! Pray to God, our God, that he’ll save us from the boot of the Philistines.”
9Samuel took a young lamb not yet weaned and offered it whole as a Whole-Burnt-Offering to God. He prayed fervently to God, interceding for Israel. And God answered.
10-12While Samuel was offering the sacrifice, the Philistines came within range to fight Israel. Just then God thundered, a huge thunderclap exploding among the Philistines. They panicked—mass confusion!—and scattered before Israel. Israel poured out of Mizpah and gave chase, killing Philistines right and left, to a point just beyond Beth Car. Samuel took a single rock and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it “Ebenezer” (Rock of Help), saying, “This marks the place where God helped us.”
13-14The Philistines learned their lesson and stayed home—no more border crossings. God was hard on the Philistines all through Samuel’s lifetime. All the cities from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored. Israel also freed the surrounding countryside from Philistine control. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15-17Samuel gave solid leadership to Israel his entire life. Every year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah. He gave leadership to Israel in each of these places. But always he would return to Ramah, where he lived, and preside from there. That is where he built an altar to God.
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1 Samuel 7: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
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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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.