1 Samuel 7:8-12

7:8 The Israelites said to Samuel, “Keep ¹  crying out to the Lord our ²  God so that he may save us ³  from the hand of the Philistines!” 7:9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb ⁴  and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Samuel cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.

7:10 As Samuel was offering burnt offerings, the Philistines approached to do battle with Israel. ⁵  But on that day the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines. He caused them to panic, and they were defeated by ⁶  Israel. 7:11 Then the men of Israel left Mizpah and chased the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth Car.

7:12 Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen. ⁷  He named it Ebenezer, ⁸  saying, “Up to here the Lord has helped us.”

1 Samuel 14:6-10

14:6 Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will intervene ⁹  for us. Nothing can prevent the Lord from delivering, whether by many or by a few.” 14:7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do everything that is on your mind. ¹⁰  Do as you’re inclined. I’m with you all the way!” ¹¹ 

14:8 Jonathan replied, “All right! ¹²  We’ll go over to these men and fight them. 14:9 If they say to us, ‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay ¹³  right there and not go up to them. 14:10 But if they say, ‘Come up against us,’ we will go up. For in that case the Lord has given them into our hand – it will be a sign to us.”

1 Samuel 17:47

17:47 and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”

[7:8]  ¹ tn Heb “don’t stop.”

[7:8]  ² tc The LXX reads “your God” rather than the MT’s “our God.”

[7:8]  ³ tn After the negated jussive, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.

[7:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “a lamb of milk”; NAB “an unweaned lamb”; NIV “a suckling lamb”; NCV “a baby lamb.”

[7:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “approached for battle against Israel.”

[7:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “before.”

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

[7:12]  ⁸ sn The name Ebenezer (אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר) means “stone of help” in Hebrew (cf. TEV); NLT adds the meaning parenthetically after the name.

[14:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “act.”

[14:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in your heart.”

[14:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Look, I am with you, according to your heart.” See the note at 13:14.

[14:8]  ¹² tn Heb “Look!”

[14:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “stand.”