1 Samuel 7

¹Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord

²So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord

³Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord

⁴So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord

⁵And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord

⁶So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord

⁷Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

⁸So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord

⁹And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord

¹⁰Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord

¹¹And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord

¹³So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord

¹⁴Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

¹⁶He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places.

¹⁷But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord