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 worshipping 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.
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.