Let’s bring the Box of the Agreement {\cf2\super [135]} back to us in Jerusalem. We did not take care of the Box of the Agreement while Saul was king.”
1 Samuel 7:2 - Easy To Read Version The Box stayed at Kiriath Jearim a long time. It stayed there 20 years. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 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 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) 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 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 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. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version And it came to pass, that from the day the ark of the Lord abode in Cariathiarim days were multiplied (for it was now the twentieth year,) and all the house of Israel rested following the Lord. |
Let’s bring the Box of the Agreement {\cf2\super [135]} back to us in Jerusalem. We did not take care of the Box of the Agreement while Saul was king.”
So David gathered all the people of Israel from the Shihor River in Egypt to the town of Lebo Hamath. They came together to bring the Box of the Agreement {\cf2\super [136]} back from the town of Kiriath Jearim.
In the past, there was another man that preached the Lord’s message. His name was Uriah. He was the son of a man named Shemaiah. Uriah was from the city of Kiriath Jearim. Uriah preached the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did.
But you must recognize your sin.\par You turned against the Lord your God.\par That is your sin.\par You worshiped the idols of people\par from other nations.\par You worshiped those idols\par under every green tree.\par You did not obey me.’”\par This message was from the Lord.\par
Those people will come back crying.\par But I will lead them and comfort them.\par I will lead those people by streams of water.\par I will lead them on an easy road,\par so that they will not stumble.\par I will lead them in that way\par because I am Israel’s father.\par And Ephraim {\cf2\super [250]} is my firstborn son.\par
What great blessings there are for the people that are sad now!\par God will comfort them.\par
So the people of Israel went to the place where those men lived. On the third day the people of Israel came to the cities of Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.
After the angel gave the people of Israel this message from the Lord, the people cried loudly.
The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the Lord’s Holy Box. [82] They took the Lord’s Box up the hill to the house of {the priest,} Abinadab. They did a special ceremony to prepare Abinadab’s son, Eleazar, to guard the Lord’s Box.
Samuel told the people of Israel, “If you are really coming back to the Lord—with all your heart—then you must throw away your foreign gods. You must throw away your idols of Ashtoreth. [83] And you must give yourselves fully to the Lord. You must serve only the Lord! Then the Lord will save you from the Philistines.”