The Ark Brought from Kirjath Jearim^(A)

13 Then David consulted with the ^(B)captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are ^(C)left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; ³ and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, ^(D)for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” ⁴ Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

⁵ So ^(E)David gathered all Israel together, from ^(F)Shihor in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God ^(G)from Kirjath Jearim. ⁶ And David and all Israel went up to ^(H)Baalah,^[a] to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, ^(I)who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed. ⁷ So they ^[b]carried the ark of God ^(J)on a new cart ^(K)from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸ Then ^(L)David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with ^[c]singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.

⁹ And when they came to ^[d]Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen ^[e]stumbled. ¹⁰ Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him ^(M)because he put his hand to the ark; and he ^(N)died there before God. ¹¹ And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called ^[f]Perez Uzza to this day. ¹² David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?”

¹³ So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David, but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ^14 (O)The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed ^(P)the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

²⁵ So ^(A)David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. ²⁶ And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ David was clothed with a robe of fine ^(B)linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. ^28 (C)Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.

²⁹ And it happened, ^(D)as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.

The Ark Placed in the Tabernacle^(E)

16 So ^(F)they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. ² And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, ^(G)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.