David and the Ark

13 David consulted with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands. ² Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is from the Lord our God, let’s spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands,^(A) that they should gather together with us. ³ Then let’s bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of him^[a](B) in Saul’s days.” ⁴ Since the proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to do it.

⁵ So David assembled all Israel,^(C) from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath,^[b](D) to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.^{(E) 6} David^(F) and all Israel went to Baalah^(G) (that is, Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah) to take from there the ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord who is enthroned between the cherubim.^{(H) 7} At Abinadab’s house^(I) they set the ark of God on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio^[c] were guiding the cart.

⁸ David and all Israel were dancing with all their might before God with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.^{(J) 9} When they came to Chidon’s threshing floor,^(K) Uzzah reached out to hold the ark because the oxen had stumbled. ¹⁰ Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had reached out to the ark.^(L) So he died there in the presence of God.^(M)

¹¹ David was angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uzzah,^[d] as it is still named today. ¹² David feared God that day and said, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” ¹³ So David did not bring the ark of God home^[e] to the city of David; instead, he diverted it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath.^{(N) 14} The ark of God remained with Obed-edom’s family in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his family and all that he had.

²⁵ David,^(A) the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom.^{(B) 26} Because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with God’s help, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.^(C)

²⁷ Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the music leader of the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. ²⁸ So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, the sound of the ram’s horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and the playing of harps and lyres. ²⁹ As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping^[a] and dancing, and she despised him in her heart.

16 They^(D) brought the ark of God and placed it inside the tent David had pitched for it.^(E) Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in God’s presence.