1 Samuel 7:2 - Plain English Version

² God’s special box stood there at that house for 20 years. All that time the Israel mob felt sad. They thought God left them, so they kept on asking him to help them.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

² And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

² And the ark remained in Kiriath-jearim a very long time [nearly 100 years, through Samuel's entire judgeship, Saul's reign, and well into David's, when it was brought to Jerusalem]. For it was twenty years before all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. [I Chron. 13:5-7.]

American Standard Version (1901)

² And it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after Jehovah.

Common English Bible

² Now a long time passed—a total of twenty years—after the chest came to stay in Kiriath-jearim, and the whole house of Israel yearned for the LORD.

Catholic Public Domain Version

² And it happened that, from that day, the ark of the Lord remained in Kiriath-jearim. And the days were multiplied (for it was now the twentieth year) and all the house of Israel rested, following the Lord.

1 Samuel 7:2 Cross References

Matthew 5:4

Some people are very sad now, and they cry, but God will make them feel better, and they will be really happy.

1 Samuel 7:1

The Kiriath-Jearim mob took God’s special box back to their country, to the house of a man called Abinadab. That house stood on the top of a hill. And they picked his son Eleazar to look after that box.

1 Samuel 7:3

Then Samuel asked them, “Is it true that you mob want to turn back to God? Well, you have to do this. Throw away all those statues made of wood and stone. Throw away those statues of women called Astarti. Those things do not belong to us Israel mob. They are from another place. You mob have to show respect only to God. Turn back to him. Give yourselves only to him. If you do that, he will save you from the Philistia mob.”