1Sa 7:2 | NET2full | STEP | It was quite a long time —some 20 years in all — that the ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim . All the people of Israel longed for the Lord .

‏ 1 Samuel 7:2

Further Conflict with the Philistines

2 It was quite a long time—some 20 years in all—that the ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim. All the people ^{▼▼tn Heb “house” (also in the following verse).} of Israel longed for ^{▼▼tn Heb “mourned after”; NIV84 “mourned and sought after”; NIV11 “turned back to”; KJV, NRSV “lamented after”; NAB “turned to”; NCV “began to follow…again.”} the Lord.