1Derefter udvalgte David 30.000 af Israels bedste krigere2og gik i spidsen for dem til Ba’ala[1] i Judas stammeområde for at bringe den almægtige Herres Ark hjem—han, der troner mellem keruberne. (1.Krøn 13,6)3-4Arken, der i lang tid havde stået i Abinadabs hus på højen, blev anbragt på en ny oksekærre, som blev styret af Abinadabs to sønner, Uzza og Ahjo. Uzza gik ved siden af arken og Ahjo foran.5David og Israels øvrige ledere dansede og sang af alle kræfter til Herrens ære til musik fra lyrer, harper, tamburiner, kastagnetter og bækkener.6Men da de nåede til Nakons tærskeplads, snublede okserne, og Uzza rakte hånden ud for at støtte Guds Ark.7Da blev Herren vred og straffede Uzza, fordi han ikke viste ærefrygt for Guds Ark, som ikke måtte røres, og han døde på stedet.8David var oprørt over, at Herren havde straffet Uzza så hårdt. Derfor kaldte han stedet for „Peretz-Uzza”,[2] hvilket det hedder den dag i dag.9Episoden gjorde, at David blev bange for Herren. „Hvordan tør jeg bringe Herrens Ark hjem til mig?” sagde han.10Derfor ombestemte han sig, og i stedet for at føre Herrens Ark ind i Davidsbyen, lod han den indtil videre opbevare hos Obed-Edom fra Gat.11Der stod den i tre måneder, og Herren velsignede Obed-Edom og hans familie.12Da David hørte, at Herrens Ark havde bragt velsignelse til Obed-Edoms familie og ejendom, arrangerede han et festligt optog for at føre arken op til Davidsbyen.13Så snart de, som bar Herrens Ark, havde gået seks skridt, gjorde de holdt, mens der blev ofret en tyr og en fedekalv.14David var begejstret og dansede uhæmmet for Herren, iført en præstedragt.15Sådan førte David og israelitterne under jubelråb og trompetfanfarer Herrens Ark op til Davidsbyen.16Men da processionen nåede ind til Davidsbyen, og Davids kone Mikal, Sauls datter, fra sit vindue så kong David hoppe rundt og danse for Herren, følte hun foragt for ham.17Herrens Ark blev anbragt i det telt, som David havde ladet indrette til den. Derefter ofrede han brændofre og takofre til Herren,18og han velsignede folket i Herren den Almægtiges navn.19Så gav han hver af de tilstedeværende, både mænd og kvinder, en gave bestående af et brød, en daddelkage og en rosinkage, og de gik alle hver til sit.20Da David vendte hjem for at velsigne sin familie, kom Mikal ham i møde og udbrød forarget: „Som Israels konge dog tog sig værdigt ud i dag! Hvad skulle det gøre godt for at danse halvnøgen omkring for øjnene af byens kvinder? Sikken tåbelig opførsel!”21David svarede: „Jeg dansede for Herren, som udvalgte mig til konge i stedet for din far og hans slægt, og som gjorde mig til leder for sit folk Israel.22Og jeg vil blive ved med at danse til Guds ære, også selvom det er ydmygende, og du foragter mig for det. Men de kvinder, du nævnte, respekterer mig faktisk for at vise min glæde!”23Mikal, Sauls datter, forblev barnløs hele sit liv.
1David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. (1.Krøn 13,6)2And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. (2.Mos 25,22; Josva 15,9; Josva 15,60; 1.Sam 4,4; 2.Krøn 1,4; Salm 80,1)3And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio,[1] the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, (1.Sam 6,7; 1.Sam 7,1)4with the ark of God,[2] and Ahio went before the ark.
Uzzah and the Ark
5And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs[3] and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. (1.Krøn 13,8; Salm 150,3)6And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. (4.Mos 4,15; 1.Krøn 13,9; 1.Krøn 15,2)7And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. (1.Sam 6,19)8And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah[4] to this day.9And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”10So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. (1.Krøn 15,25)11And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household. (1.Krøn 26,5)12And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. (1.Kong 8,1; 1.Krøn 15,25)13And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. (4.Mos 4,15; 4.Mos 7,9; Josva 3,3; 1.Kong 8,5; 1.Krøn 15,2; 1.Krøn 15,15)14And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. (2.Mos 15,20; 1.Sam 2,18; Salm 30,11; Salm 150,4)15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
David and Michal
16As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.17And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. (1.Kong 8,5; 1.Kong 8,62; 1.Krøn 15,1; 2.Krøn 1,4; Salm 132,8)18And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts (1.Kong 8,14; 1.Kong 8,55)19and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat,[5] and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house. (1.Krøn 16,43)20And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” (Dom 9,4; 1.Sam 19,24; 2.Sam 6,14; 2.Sam 6,16)21And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince[6] over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. (1.Sam 13,14; 1.Sam 15,28)22I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your[7] eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.”23And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.