The Bible

1 Samuel Chapter 7

¹The men of Kiriath Jearim came, and fetched up the ark of ForeverOne, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of ForeverOne.

²From the day that the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim the time was long- for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after ForeverOne.

³Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you do return to ForeverOne with all your heart, and reject the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to ForeverOne, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." ⁴Then the children of Israel rejected the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served ForeverOne only.

⁵Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you to ForeverOne." ⁶They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before ForeverOne, and fasted on that day, and said there, "We have sinned against ForeverOne." Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.

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

⁸The children of Israel said to Samuel, "Don't cease to cry to ForeverOne our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines." ⁹Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt offering to ForeverOne: and Samuel cried to ForeverOne for Israel; and ForeverOne answered him.

¹⁰As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but ForeverOne thundered with a great thunder on that day on the Philistines, and confused them; and they were struck down before Israel.

¹¹The men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and struck them, until they came under Beth Kar.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "ForeverOne helped us until now." ¹³So the Philistines were subdued, and they no longer came within the border of Israel. The hand of ForeverOne was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

¹⁴The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered its border out of the hand of the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

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

¹⁷His return was to Ramah, for his house was there, and he judged Israel there; and he built an altar to ForeverOne there.