1 Samuel 7
1 Y vinieron los de Cariat-jarim, y trajeron el arca de Jehová, y metiéronla en casa de Abinadab en Gabaa: y santificaron a Eleazar su hijo, para que guardase el arca de Jehová.
[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 Y aconteció que desde el día que llegó el arca a Cariat-jarim pasaron muchos días, veinte años: y toda la casa de Israel lamentaba tras Jehová.
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 Y habló Samuel a toda la casa de Israel, diciendo: Si de todo vuestro corazón os volvéis a Jehová, quitád los dioses ajenos, y a Astarot de entre vosotros, y preparád vuestro corazón a Jehová, y servíd a él solo, y él os librará de mano de los Filisteos.
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 Entonces los hijos de Israel quitaron a los Baales, y a Astarot, y sirvieron a solo Jehová.
So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.
5 Y Samuel dijo: Juntád a todo Israel en Maspa, y yo oraré por vosotros a Jehová.
Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
6 Y juntándose en Maspa, sacaron agua, y derramaron delante de Jehová: y ayunaron aquel día, y dijeron allí: Contra Jehová habemos pecado. Y juzgó Samuel a los hijos de Israel en Maspa.
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 Y oyendo los Filisteos que los hijos de Israel estaban congregados en Maspa, subieron los príncipes de los Filisteos contra Israel. Lo cual como oyeron los hijos de Israel, hubieron temor de los Filisteos.
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 Y dijeron los hijos de Israel a Samuel: No ceses de clamar por nosotros a Jehová nuestro Dios, que nos guarde de mano de los Filisteos.
They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”
9 Y Samuel tomó un cordero de leche, y sacrificóle a Jehová en holocausto entero: y clamó Samuel a Jehová por Israel, y Jehová le oyó.
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 Y aconteció que estando Samuel sacrificando el holocausto, los Filisteos llegaron para pelear con los hijos de Israel. Mas Jehová tronó con gran sonido aquel día sobre los Filisteos, y quebrantólos y fueron vencidos delante de 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 Y saliendo los hijos de Israel de Maspa, siguieron a los Filisteos hiriéndolos hasta abajo de Bet-car.
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 Y Samuel tomó una piedra, y púsola entre Maspa y Sen, y púsole nombre Eben-ezer, diciendo: Hasta aquí nos ayudó Jehová.
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 Y los Filisteos fueron humillados, que no vinieron más al término de Israel: y la mano de Jehová fue contra los Filisteos todo el tiempo de 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 Y fueron tornadas a los hijos de Israel las ciudades, que los Filisteos habían tomado a los Israelitas desde Accarón hasta Get, con sus términos, e Israel las libró de mano de los Filisteos. Y hubo paz entre Israel y el Amorreo.
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 Y juzgó Samuel a Israel todo el tiempo que vivió.
Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.
16 E iba todos los años, y daba vuelta a Bet-el y a Galgal, y a Maspa, y juzgaba a Israel en todos estos lugares:
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 Y volvíase a Rama; porque allí estaba su casa, y allí también juzgaba a Israel, y edificó allí altar a Jehová.
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.
