1
And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of 1Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD.
2
From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
Samuel Judges Israel
3
And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, 2"If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then 3put away the foreign gods and the 4Ashtaroth from among you and 5direct your heart to the LORD 6and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."
4
So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.
6
So they gathered at 8Mizpah 9and drew water and poured it out before the LORD 10and fasted on that day and said there, 11"We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.
7
Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8
And the people of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines."
9
So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And 12Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.
10
As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. 13But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel.
11
And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
12
Then Samuel 14took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shena and called its name Ebenezer;b for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us."
13
15So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14
The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.
16
And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)