¹And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and brought up the ark of Yahweh, and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill; and Eleazar his son they set apart to keep the ark of Yahweh.

²And it was, from the day the ark dwelt in Kiriath-jearim, the days multiplied and became twenty years; and all the house of Israel went mourning after Yahweh.

³And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If with all your heart you are returning to Yahweh, remove the foreign gods from your midst, and the Ashtaroth, and fix your heart on Yahweh, and serve him alone; and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines."

⁴And the children of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served Yahweh alone.

⁵And Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray on your behalf to Yahweh."

⁶And they gathered at Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the face of Yahweh, and fasted on that day, and said there, "We have sinned against Yahweh." And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel; and the children of Israel heard and were afraid in the face of the Philistines.

⁸And the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not keep silent on our account, so as to stop crying out to Yahweh our God, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines."

⁹And Samuel took one lamb still on milk and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh; and Samuel cried out to Yahweh on behalf of Israel, and Yahweh answered him.

¹⁰And it was, as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, that the Philistines drew near for battle against Israel; and Yahweh thundered with a great sound on that day over the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were struck down before the face of Israel.

¹¹And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as below Beth-car.

¹²And Samuel took one stone and set it between Mizpah and between Shen, and called its name Eben-ha-ezer, and said, "Up to here Yahweh has helped us."

¹³And the Philistines were humbled, and did not again come into the territory of Israel; and the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

¹⁴And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel came back to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. And there was wholeness between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

¹⁶And he went year by year, going round to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.

¹⁷And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel, and he built there an altar to Yahweh.