Old Testament · History
1 Samuel chapter 7
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The men of came and brought Yahweh’s up and took it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. They his son Eleazar to guard the chest of Yahweh.From the day the chest settled in Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed — twenty years in all. And all the house of Israel Yahweh.Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you’re to Yahweh with your , get rid of the foreign gods among you — the too — and set your hearts firmly on Yahweh. Serve him alone, and he will you from the Philistines’ grip.”So the Israelites got rid of the and the Ashtoreths, and served Yahweh alone.Samuel said, “Gather all of Israel at , and I will to Yahweh on your behalf.”They gathered at Mizpah, before Yahweh. They that day and said there, “We have Yahweh.” And Samuel served as over the Israelites at Mizpah.When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the Philistine marched up against Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were terrified of the Philistines.The Israelites said to Samuel, “Don’t stop to Yahweh our God for us — so that he will rescue us from the Philistines’ grip.”Samuel took a young lamb and offered it as a to Yahweh. Samuel cried out to Yahweh on Israel’s behalf, and Yahweh answered him.While Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines moved in to attack Israel. But Yahweh against the Philistines that day and , and they were crushed before Israel.The men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and chased the Philistines, striking them down all the way to below .Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and . He named it — “The Stone of Help” — saying, “Up to this point, Yahweh has helped us.”So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel’s territory again. was against the Philistines for the rest of Samuel’s life.The towns that the Philistines had taken from Israel were returned to Israel — from all the way to Gath. Israel recovered the surrounding territory from Philistine control. And there was also peace between Israel and the .Samuel served as judge over Israel for the rest of his life.Every year he would travel a — , , and Mizpah — and he judged Israel at all these places.But he always came back to , because that was his home. He judged Israel there too, and he built an to Yahweh there.