1 Samuel 7:5-12

Christian Standard Bible

⁵ Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah,^(A) and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.”^{(B) 6} When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence.^(C) They fasted that day,^(D) and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.”^(E) And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

⁷ When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. ⁸ The Israelites said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, so that he will save us from the Philistines.”

⁹ Then Samuel took a young lamb^(F) and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him.^{(G) 10} Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines approached to fight against Israel. The Lord thundered loudly^(H) against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they were defeated by Israel.^{(I) 11} Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.

¹² Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright^(J) between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[a] explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.”