2 Samuel
The ark is brought to Jerusalem
6
1 David gathered together once more all the picked men of Israel, numbering thirty thousand in all. 2 Then he and all the people with him in Baala-Judah set forth to bring up from there the ark of God on which Yahweh of hosts pronounced and put his Name, he who rests on the cherubim. 3 They placed the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abi nadab on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart 4 with the ark of Yahweh, with Ahio walking before it. 5 David and the Israelites were joyfully celebrating before Yahweh, sing ing and playing on lyres, harps, tam bourines, castanets and cymbals. 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah stretched his hand to the ark of God to hold it. 7 Yahweh’s anger burnt against Uzzah and God struck him there; Uzzah died there beside the ark of God. 8 David was angry because Yahweh had struck Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-Uzzah to the present day.
7 Yahweh’s anger burnt against Uzzah and God struck him there; Uzzah died there beside the ark of God. 8 David was angry because Yahweh had struck Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-Uzzah to the present day. 9 David was afraid of Yahweh that day and said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” 10 So David refused to take the ark of Yahweh into the city of David but had it brought, instead, to the house of Obededom the Gittite. 11 Yah weh’s ark remained there for three months and Yahweh blessed Obededom and all his household. 12 King David was told that Yahweh had blessed the family of Obededom and all that belonged to him because of the ark of God, so he went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obededom to the city of David, rejoicing. 13 After those who carried the ark of Yahweh had walked six paces, they sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.
14 David whirled round dancing with all his heart before Yahweh, wearing a linen ephod, 15 for he and all the Israelites brought up the ark of Yahweh, shouting joyfully and sounding the horn. 16 As the ark of Yahweh entered the city of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out of the window; and when she saw King David leaping and whirling round before Yah weh, she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought in the ark of Yahweh and laid it in its place in the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt and peace offerings before Yahweh. 18 Once the offerings had been made, David blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts, 19 and distributed to each of them, to each man and woman of the entire assembly of Israel, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat and a raisin cake. With this, all the people left for their homes. 20 When David returned to bless his household, Michal, Saul’s daugh ter, met him and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, exposing himself before his servants’ maids as uncouth men do!” 21 But David said to Michal, “I did that before Yahweh who chose me instead of your father and his family, making me commander over Israel, Yahweh’s people. By Yahweh’s life I swear that I will dance and whirl again before him. 22 I will humble myself still more and you may look at me, but I will not be rejected by the maids you spoke about.” 23 And Michal, Saul’s daugh ter, had no child to the day she died.