1 Samuel 7

1 The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of YHWH and brought it into the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of YHWH.

[When] the men of Kiriath-Jearim [received that message, they] came to Beth-Shemesh and took the sacred chest of Yahweh. They took it to the house of Abinadab, which was on a hillside. They appointed Abinadab’s son Eleazar to take care of the chest.

2 It happened, from the day that the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after YHWH.

The sacred chest stayed in Kiriath-Jearim for a long time—a total of 20 years. During that time all the people of Israel mourned [because it seemed that] Yahweh [had abandoned them] (OR, [and then they asked] Yahweh [to help them]).

3 Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you do return to YHWH with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to YHWH, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

Then Samuel said to all the Israeli people, “If you truly [IDM] want to act like Yahweh’s people should, you must get rid of your statues of [the goddess] Astarte and the idols/statues of all the other foreign gods. You must decide to serve/worship only Yahweh. If you do that, he will rescue you from [the power of] [MTY] the Philistia people.”

4 Then the children of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served YHWH only.

So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.

5 Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you to YHWH."

Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”

6 They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before YHWH, and fasted on that day, and said, "We have sinned against YHWH." Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.

So they gathered at Mizpah, which was the town where Samuel previously was the leader of the Israeli people. They had a big ceremony there. They drew water [from a well], and poured the water on the ground while Yahweh watched. [To show that they were sorry for having worshiped idols], they did not eat any food on that day, and they confessed that they had sinned against Yahweh.

7 When 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.

When the kings of the Philistia area heard that the Israeli people had gathered at Mizpah, they led their armies there to attack the Israelis. When the Israelis found out that the Philistia army was approaching them, they became very afraid.

8 The children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry to YHWH our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines."

They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”

9 Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt offering to YHWH: and Samuel cried to YHWH for Israel; and YHWH answered him.

So Samuel took a very young lamb [and killed it] and offered it to Yahweh to be a sacrifice that was completely burned [on the altar]. Then he prayed and pleaded that Yahweh [would help] the Israelis, and Yahweh did help them.

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

While Samuel was burning the offering, the Philistia army came near to attack the Israelis. But Yahweh caused it to thunder very loudly. The soldiers of the Philistia army became very frightened, and then they (became confused/did not know what to do). So the Israelis were able to defeat them.

11 The men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and struck them, as far as below Beth Kar.

The Israeli men ran out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistia soldiers almost to Beth-Car [town], and killed many Philistia soldiers while they were trying to run away.

12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Jashan, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "YHWH helped us until now."

After that happened, Samuel took a large stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah [towns]. He named the stone ‘Ebenezer’, [which means ‘stone of help’], because he said “Yahweh has helped us until the present time.”

13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the territory of Israel. The hand of YHWH was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

So the Philistia people were defeated, and for a long time they did not enter the Israeli land [to attack them] again. During the time that Samuel was alive, Yahweh powerfully protected [MTY] [the Israeli people] from [being attacked by] the Philistia army.

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

The Israeli army was able to capture again the Israeli villages between Ekron and Gath that the Philistia army had captured before. The Israelis were also able to take again the other areas around those cities that the Philistia army had taken [from the Israelis] previously. And there was peace between the Israelis and the Amor people-group.

15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.

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

As long as he was alive, every year he traveled back and forth between Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah [cities]. In those cities he listened to disputes between people and made decisions about them.

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

After he listened to disputes and made decisions in each of those towns, he returned to his home at Ramah, and he would listen to people’s disputes there, also, [and make decisions about them]. And he built an altar at Ramah [to offer sacrifices] to Yahweh.