1 Samuel 7 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

The men of Kiriath-jearim came and brought Yahweh's chest up and took it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. They set apart 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 grieved, longing for Yahweh.

Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you're returning to Yahweh with your whole heart, get rid of the foreign gods among you — the Ashtoreths too — and set your hearts firmly on Yahweh. Serve him alone, and he will rescue you from the Philistines' grip."

So the Israelites got rid of the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served Yahweh alone.

Samuel said, "Gather all of Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh on your behalf."

They gathered at Mizpah, drew water and poured it out before Yahweh. They fasted that day and said there, "We have failed Yahweh." And Samuel served as judge over the Israelites at Mizpah.

When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the Philistine warlords marched up against Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were terrified of the Philistines.

The Israelites said to Samuel, "Don't stop crying out 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 whole burnt offering 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 thundered with a massive roar against the Philistines that day and threw them into chaos, 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 Beth-car.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer — "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. Yahweh's hand 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 Ekron all the way to Gath. Israel recovered the surrounding territory from Philistine control. And there was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

Samuel served as judge over Israel for the rest of his life.

Every year he would travel a circuit — Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah — and he judged Israel at all these places.

But he always came back to Ramah, because that was his home. He judged Israel there too, and he built an altar to Yahweh there.