Βασιλειῶν Αʹ 7

1 καὶ ἔρχονται οἱ ἄνδρες Καριαθιαριμ καὶ ἀνάγουσιν τὴν κιβωτὸν διαθήκης κυρίου καὶ εἰσάγουσιν αὐτὴν εἰς οἶκον Αμιναδαβ τὸν ἐν τῷ βουνῷ καὶ τὸν Ελεαζαρ υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἡγίασαν φυλάσσειν τὴν κιβωτὸν διαθήκης κυρίου

So the people of Kiriath-jearim came and took the Ark of the Lord. They put it in Abinadab's house on the hill. They dedicated his son Eleazar to take care of the Ark of the Lord.

2 καὶ ἐγενήθη ἀφ’ ἧς ἡμέρας ἦν ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐν Καριαθιαριμ ἐπλήθυναν αἱ ἡμέραι καὶ ἐγένοντο εἴκοσι ἔτη καὶ ἐπέβλεψεν πᾶς οἶκος Ισραηλ ὀπίσω κυρίου

The Ark remained there in Kiriath-jearim from that day for a long time, in fact for twenty years. Everyone in Israel mourned and in repentance came back to the Lord.

3 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ πρὸς πάντα οἶκον Ισραηλ λέγων εἰ ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν ὑμεῖς ἐπιστρέφετε πρὸς κύριον περιέλετε τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ ἄλση καὶ ἑτοιμάσατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν πρὸς κύριον καὶ δουλεύσατε αὐτῷ μόνῳ καὶ ἐξελεῖται ὑμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς ἀλλοφύλων

Then Samuel said to all of Israel, “If you sincerely wish to come back to the Lord, then get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreth images you have, and commit yourselves to the Lord and only worship him, and he will save you from the Philistines.”

4 καὶ περιεῖλον οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ τὰς Βααλιμ καὶ τὰ ἄλση Ασταρωθ καὶ ἐδούλευσαν κυρίῳ μόνῳ

The people of Israel got rid of their Baals and Ashtoreth images and worshiped only the Lord.

5 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ ἀθροίσατε πάντα Ισραηλ εἰς Μασσηφαθ καὶ προσεύξομαι περὶ ὑμῶν πρὸς κύριον

Then Samuel said, “Have all the people of Israel gather at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”

6 καὶ συνήχθησαν εἰς Μασσηφαθ καὶ ὑδρεύονται ὕδωρ καὶ ἐξέχεαν ἐνώπιον κυρίου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐνήστευσαν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ εἶπαν ἡμαρτήκαμεν ἐνώπιον κυρίου καὶ ἐδίκαζεν Σαμουηλ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ισραηλ εἰς Μασσηφαθ

Once they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. They fasted that day, and admitted, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Samuel became the leader of the Israelites at Mizpah.

7 καὶ ἤκουσαν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ὅτι συνηθροίσθησαν πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ εἰς Μασσηφαθ καὶ ἀνέβησαν σατράπαι ἀλλοφύλων ἐπὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἀκούουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου ἀλλοφύλων

When the Philistines found out that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers led an attack on Israel. When the Israelites heard about this, they were terrified at what the Philistines might do.

8 καὶ εἶπαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ πρὸς Σαμουηλ μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς ἀφ’ ἡμῶν τοῦ μὴ βοᾶν πρὸς κύριον θεόν σου καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς ἀλλοφύλων

They told Samuel, “Don't stop pleading with the Lord our God for us so he can save us from the Philistines.”

9 καὶ ἔλαβεν Σαμουηλ ἄρνα γαλαθηνὸν ἕνα καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν αὐτὸν ὁλοκαύτωσιν σὺν παντὶ τῷ λαῷ τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἐβόησεν Σαμουηλ πρὸς κύριον περὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐπήκουσεν αὐτοῦ κύριος

Samuel took a young lamb and presented it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out for help to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord responded.

10 καὶ ἦν Σαμουηλ ἀναφέρων τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν καὶ ἀλλόφυλοι προσῆγον εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐβρόντησεν κύριος ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους καὶ συνεχύθησαν καὶ ἔπταισαν ἐνώπιον Ισραηλ

While Samuel was presenting the burnt offering, the Philistines approached to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered extremely loudly against the Philistines that day, which totally confused them, and they were defeated as Israel watched.

11 καὶ ἐξῆλθαν ἄνδρες Ισραηλ ἐκ Μασσηφαθ καὶ κατεδίωξαν τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους καὶ ἐπάταξαν αὐτοὺς ἕως ὑποκάτω τοῦ Βαιθχορ

Then the men of Israel ran out from Mizpah and chased them, killing them all the way to a place near Beth-car.

12 καὶ ἔλαβεν Σαμουηλ λίθον ἕνα καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὸν ἀνὰ μέσον Μασσηφαθ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Αβενεζερ λίθος τοῦ βοηθοῦ καὶ εἶπεν ἕως ἐνταῦθα ἐβοήθησεν ἡμῖν κύριος

After this Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen. He called it Ebenezer, saying, “The Lord helped us right up to here!”

13 καὶ ἐταπείνωσεν κύριος τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους καὶ οὐ προσέθεντο ἔτι προσελθεῖν εἰς ὅριον Ισραηλ καὶ ἐγενήθη χεὶρ κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ Σαμουηλ

In this way the Philistines were kept under control and did not invade Israel again. During Samuel's lifetime the Lord used his power against the Philistines.

14 καὶ ἀπεδόθησαν αἱ πόλεις ἃς ἔλαβον οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ καὶ ἀπέδωκαν αὐτὰς τῷ Ισραηλ ἀπὸ Ἀσκαλῶνος ἕως Αζοβ καὶ τὸ ὅριον Ισραηλ ἀφείλαντο ἐκ χειρὸς ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἦν εἰρήνη ἀνὰ μέσον Ισραηλ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ Αμορραίου

The towns the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, all the way from Ekron to Gath, and Israel also liberated the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

15 καὶ ἐδίκαζεν Σαμουηλ τὸν Ισραηλ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ

Samuel was Israel's leader for the rest of his life.

16 καὶ ἐπορεύετο κατ’ ἐνιαυτὸν ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ ἐκύκλου Βαιθηλ καὶ τὴν Γαλγαλα καὶ τὴν Μασσηφαθ καὶ ἐδίκαζεν τὸν Ισραηλ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις τούτοις

Every year he went around, going to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. At all these places he ruled Israel.

17 ἡ δὲ ἀποστροφὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς Αρμαθαιμ ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἦν ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐδίκαζεν ἐκεῖ τὸν Ισραηλ καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ θυσιαστήριον τῷ κυρίῳ

Then he would return to Ramah because that was where he lived. He ruled Israel from there, and also built an altar to the Lord.