1 The people of Kiriath-Jearim got the chest and took it to Abinadab's house, which was on a hill in their town. They chose his son Eleazar to take care of it, 2 and it stayed there for 20 years.
During this time everyone in Israel was very sad and begged the Lord for help.
The People of Israel Turn Back to the Lord
3 One day, Samuel told all the people of Israel, “If you really want to turn back to the Lord, then prove it. Get rid of your foreign idols, including the ones of the goddess Astarte. Turn to the Lord with all your heart and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
4 The people got rid of their idols of Baal and Astarte and began worshiping only the Lord.
5 Then Samuel said, “Tell everyone in Israel to meet together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
6 The Israelites met together at Mizpah with Samuel as their leader. They drew water from the well and poured it out as an offering to the Lord. On that same day they went without eating to show their sorrow, and they confessed they had been unfaithful to the Lord.
The Philistines Attack Israel
7 When the Philistine rulers found out about the meeting at Mizpah, they sent an army there to attack the people of Israel.
The Israelites were afraid when they heard that the Philistines were coming. 8 “Don't stop praying!” they told Samuel. “Ask the Lord our God to rescue us.”
9-10 Samuel begged the Lord to rescue Israel, then he sacrificed a young lamb to the Lord. Samuel had not even finished offering the sacrifice when the Philistines started to attack. But the Lord answered his prayer and made thunder crash all around them. The Philistines panicked and ran away. 11 The men of Israel left Mizpah and went after them as far as the hillside below Beth-Car, killing every enemy soldier they caught.
12-13 The Philistines were so badly beaten that it was quite a while before they attacked Israel again. After the battle, Samuel set up a monument between Mizpah and the rocky cliffs. He named it “Help Monument” to remind Israel how much the Lord had helped them.
For as long as Samuel lived, the Lord helped Israel fight the Philistines. 14 The Israelites were even able to recapture their towns and territory between Ekron and Gath.
Israel was also at peace with the Amorites.
Samuel Is a Leader in Israel
15 Samuel was a leader in Israel all his life. 16 Every year he would go around to the towns of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah where he served as judge for the people. 17 Then he would go back to his home in Ramah and do the same thing there. He also had an altar built for the Lord at Ramah.
1 On ge Kirjat-Jearims khoena hā tsî ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb disa ū tsî ǁîsa Abinadab oms, ǃnâus ai mâs tawa ge sī-ū. Tsîn ge ǁîb di ôab Eleasara ǁîsab nî ǃûise ge khai.
Samueli ge ra Israelǁîn ǂgaeǂgui-ao kai
2 ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb dis ge Kirjat-Jearims ǃnâ ǂomxa ǁaeba ge hâ, ǀgamdisi kuriga. Tsîn ge Israelǁîn hoana ǃKhūba huib ǃaroma gere ǂgaiǀî.
3 Ob ge Samuela Israelǁîn ǃoa ge mî: “Sadu ǂgaob hoab ǀkha du ga ǃKhūb ǃoa ǃhobaseno, o du ge īgu, ǃhao elogu tsî ǁgôa-elos Astartes digu tsîna sadu ǁaeguba xu nî dībē. Sadu ǂâisa ǃKhūb ǀguib ai ǂnûi, î ǁîb ǀguiba ǃoaba, ob ge ǁîba Filisteǁîn di ǀgaiba xu nî huiǂui du.” 4 On ge Israelǁîna Baali tsî Astartes tsîn di īga dībē tsî ǃKhūb ǀguiba gere ǃoaba.
5 Ob ge Samuela Israelǁîn hoana ge haisiba: “Israelǁîdu hoado Mispas tawa ǀhao, o ta ge sado ǁnāpa ǃKhūb ǃoa nî ǀgoreba.” 6 On ge Mispas tawa ge ǀhao. ǁÎn ge ǁgam-e xuri tsî ǃKhūb aiǃâ ǁguibas ase gere ǂnâǂui. ǁNā tsēs hoasan ge ǂûtama* hâ tsî ge mî: “Sida ge ǃKhūb ǃoagu ge ǁore.” Samueli ge Israelǁîna Mispas tawa mâ xūn a ǂhanu tsî mân ǂhanu tama ǃkhaisa gere ǁkhāǁkhā.
7 Filisteǁîn ge Israelǁîn Mispas tawa ǀhao hâ ǃkhaisa a ǁnâu, o gu Filisteǁîn di ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǁîna gu nî ǁnāǂamse ge ǂhomisen. Israelǁîn ge nēsan ge ǁnâuo, o Filisteǁîn xa gere ǃao 8 tsî Samueli ǃoa ge mî: “Tā ǀû re, ǃKhūb sida Elob ai ǂganba dasa, îb ǁîba Filisteǁîn di ǀgaiba xu huiǂui da.” 9 Ob ge Samuela dai ra ǁkhaoba ǂā tsî hoaba khauǁguibase ǃKhūba ge ǁguiba. ǁKhātib ge Samuela ǃKhūba ge ǂgaiǀî, îb Israelǁaesa hui, tsîb ge ǃKhūba ǀgores âba ge ǁnâu-am. 10 Samueli noxopa ǁguibas ǀkha a ǀhabe hîan ge Filisteǁîna Israelǁîn ǃoagun nî ǃkhamse ge hā. Ob ge ǃKhūb di domma Filisteǁîna ǀgaisa ǃgurub khami ge hāǂam. ǃKhūb ge ǁîna ge ǃaoǃao tsîn ge Israela xu ge ǃhū. 11 Israelǁîn ge Filisteǁîna Mispasa xu Bet-Kars ǀgūses kōse ǃgôaǃgon tsî ǁîna daob ai garu gere ǃgam.
12 Ob ge Samuela ǀuisa ū tsî Mispas tsî Sens tsîra ǁaegu ǂgōse ge ǂnûi. Tsîb ge ǁîsa Ebeneser ti ge ǀonǂgai, mîb ge xui-ao: “Nēs kōseb ge ǃKhūba go hui da.” 13 ǁNātin ge Filisteǁîna ge ǃgamǃgamhe tsîb ge ǃKhūba Samueli ûi hâs kōse, Filisteǁîn nî Israelǁîn di ǃhūba ū ǃkhaisa ge ǁkhae. 14 Filisteǁîn ge Israelǁîna xu a ū ǃāden ge Israelǁîna ǁkhawa ge hō-oa, Ekronsa xu Gats kōse. Israelǁîn ge ǁîn di ǀkharib hoaba Filisteǁîn di ǀgaiba xu ge ǃnoraǃnora. ǁKhātib ge ǂkhîba Israelǁîn tsî Kanaanǁîn tsîn ǁaegu ge hâ i.
15 Samueli ge ûib hâs kōse Israelǁîn di ǁhōga gere ǀgoraǃgâ. 16 ǁÎb ge mâ kurib hoaba Betels tsî Gilgals tsî Mispas tsîde ǃgûǃnâ tsî ǁnā ǃādi hoadi ǃnâ Israelǁîn ǁaegu gere ǀgoraǃgâ. 17 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǁkhawa Ramas ǃoa, oms âb ǁga gere oa, ǁnāpa xub Israela gere ǂgaeǂgui xui-ao. ǁÎb ge Ramas ǃnâ ǃKhūba altarsa ge ǂnubiba.
