1The men of Kirjathjearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill. They set apart his son Eleazar to keep the ark of the LORD.
2The ark stayed in Kirjathjearim a long time. It was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel mourned and longed after the LORD.
3Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel. He said, "If you are coming back to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you. Set your hearts on the LORD, and serve only him. Then he will save you from the hand of the Philistines."
4So the children of Israel put away the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and served only the LORD.
5Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray to the LORD for you."
6So they gathered together at Mizpeh. They drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and they fasted that day. There they said, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpeh.
7When the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8The children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, so that he will save us from the hand of the Philistines."
9So Samuel took a lamb that was still feeding at its mother, and offered it whole as a burnt offering to the LORD. Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.
10While Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines came near to fight against Israel. But that day the LORD thundered with a great thunder against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were struck down before Israel.
11The men of Israel went out from Mizpeh and chased the Philistines, and struck them down, all the way to a place below Bethcar.
12Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpeh and Shen. He called its name Ebenezer, saying, "The LORD has helped us up to now."
13So the Philistines were beaten down, and they did not come into the land of Israel again. The hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were given back to Israel, from Ekron as far as Gath. Israel took back their lands too from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16Every year he went round to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and he judged Israel in all those places.
17Then he would return to Ramah, for his house was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.