1 Samuel 7:12-17

7:12 Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen. ¹  He named it Ebenezer, ²  saying, “Up to here the Lord has helped us.” 7:13 So the Philistines were defeated; they did not invade Israel again. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

7:14 The cities that the Philistines had captured from Israel were returned to Israel, from Ekron to Gath. Israel also delivered their territory from the control ³  of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites. 7:15 So Samuel led ⁴  Israel all the days of his life. 7:16 Year after year he used to travel the circuit of Bethel, ⁵  Gilgal, and Mizpah; he used to judge Israel in all of these places. 7:17 Then he would return to Ramah, because his home was there. He also judged ⁶  Israel there and built an altar to the Lord there.

[7:12]  ¹ tn Cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT “Jeshanah.”

[7:12]  ² sn The name Ebenezer (אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר) means “stone of help” in Hebrew (cf. TEV); NLT adds the meaning parenthetically after the name.

[7:14]  ³ tn Heb “hand.”

[7:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “judged” (also in v. 17).

[7:16]  ⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:17]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “settled disputes for” (cf. NLT “would hear cases there”; NRSV “administered justice there”).