l gathered them
together to a certain city called Mizpeh, which, in the Hebrew tongue,
signifies a watch-tower; there they drew water, and poured it out to
God, and fasted all day, and betook themselves to their prayers.

2. This their assembly did not escape the notice of the Philistines:
so when they had learned that so large a company had met together, they
fell upon the Hebrews with a great army and mighty forces, as hoping to
assault them when they did not expect it, nor were prepared for it. This
thing affrighted the Hebrews, and put them into disorder and terror;
so they came running to Samuel, and said that their souls were sunk
by their fears, and by the former defeat they had received, and "that
thence it was that we lay still, lest we should excite the power of our
enemies against us. Now while thou hast brought us hither to offer up
our prayers and sacrifices, and take oaths [to be obedient], our enemies
are making an expedition against us, while we are naked and unarmed;
wherefore we have no other hope of deliverance but that by thy means,
and by the assistance God shall afford us upon thy prayers to him, we
shall obtain deliverance from the Philistines." Hereupon Samuel bade
them be of good cheer, and promised them that God would assist them; and
taking a sucking lamb, he sacrificed it for the multitude, and besought
God to hold his protecting hand over them when they should fight with
the Philistines, and not to overlook them, nor suffer them to come
under a second misfortune. Accordingly God hearkened to his prayers,
and accepting their sacrifice with a gracious intention, and such as was
disposed to assist them, he granted them victory and power over their
enemies. Now while the altar had the sacrifice of God upon it, and had
not yet consumed it wholly by its sacred fire, the enemy's army marched
out of their camp, and was put in order of battle, and this in hope that
they should be conquerors, since the Jews [5] were caught in distressed
circumstances, as neither having their weapons with them, nor being
assembled there in order to fight. But things so fell out, that they
would hardly have been credited though they had been foretold by
anybody: for, in the first place, God disturbed their enemies with an
earthquake, and moved the ground under them to such a degree, that
he caused it to tremble, and made them to shake, insomuch that by its
trembling, he made some unable to keep their feet, and made them