1 Samuel 7:3-14
Holman Christian Standard Bible
3 Samuel told them, “If you(A) are returning to the Lord(B) with all your heart,(C) get rid of the foreign gods(D) and the Ashtoreths that are among you, dedicate yourselves to[a] the Lord, and worship only Him.(E) Then He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths(F) and only worshiped the Lord.
5 Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah,(G) and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.”(H) 6 When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence.(I) They fasted that day,(J) and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.”(K) And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 The Israelites said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, so that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
9 Then Samuel took a young lamb(L) and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him.(M) 10 Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel. The Lord thundered loudly(N) against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.(O) 11 Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.
12 Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright(P) between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,[b] explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued(Q) and[c] did not invade Israel’s territory again.(R) The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life. 14 The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 7:3 Lit you and set your hearts on
- 1 Samuel 7:12 = Stone of Help
- 1 Samuel 7:13 LXX reads The Lord humbled the Philistines and they
1 Samuel 7:3-14
Common English Bible
3 Then Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are turning to the Lord with all your heart, then get rid of all the foreign gods and the Astartes you have. Set your heart on the Lord! Worship him only! Then he will deliver you from the Philistines’ power.” 4 So the Israelites got rid of the Baals and the Astartes and worshipped the Lord only.
5 Next Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah. I will pray to the Lord for you.”
6 So they assembled at Mizpah, and they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence. They fasted that same day and confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Samuel served as judge of the Israelites at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah, the Philistine rulers went up to attack Israel. When the Israelites learned of this, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 The Israelites said to Samuel, “Please don’t stop praying to the Lord our God for us, so God will save us from the Philistines’ power!” 9 So Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as an entirely burned offering to the Lord. Samuel cried out in prayer to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.
10 While Samuel was offering the entirely burned offering, the Philistines advanced to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered against the Philistines with a great blast on that very day, throwing the Philistines into such a panic that they were defeated by Israel. 11 The Israelite soldiers came out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines. They struck them down until they reached a place just below Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah.[a] He named it Ebenezer,[b] explaining, “The Lord helped us to this very point.”
13 So the Philistines were defeated, and they stopped coming into Israelite territory. The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines throughout Samuel’s life. 14 The towns the Philistines had captured from Israel, from Ekron to Gath, were returned to Israel. Israel also recovered the territory around those two cities from the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 7:12 LXX, Syr; MT Ha-shen (the tooth)
- 1 Samuel 7:12 Meaning stone of help
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible