1 Samuel 7:1-17, NLT
1 Samuel 7
1So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the Lord. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it.
Samuel Leads Israel to Victory
3Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
5Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
7When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching.
10Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them.
12Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.*7:12 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads Shen. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”
13So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again for some time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the Lord’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines.
15Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life.