1Again David brought together the best soldiers in Israel. The total number was 30,000.2He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah. They wanted to bring the ark of God up to Jerusalem from there. The ark is named after the LORD. He is the LORD who rules over all. He sits on his throne between the cherubim that are on the ark.3The ark of God was placed on a new cart. Then it was brought from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart. They were the sons of Abinadab.4The ark of God was on the cart. Ahio was walking in front of it.5David was celebrating with all his might in front of the LORD. So was the whole community of Israel. All of them were playing castanets, harps, lyres, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.6They came to the threshing-floor of Nakon. The oxen nearly fell there. So Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God.7Then the LORD was very angry with Uzzah. That’s because what Uzzah did showed that he didn’t have any respect for the LORD. So God struck him down. He died there beside the ark of God.8David was angry because the LORD’s great anger had broken out against Uzzah. That’s why the place is still called Perez Uzzah to this day.9David was afraid of the LORD that day. He asked, ‘How can the ark of the LORD ever be brought to me?’10He didn’t want to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom. Obed-Edom was from Gath.11The ark of the LORD remained in Obed-Edom’s house for three months. And the LORD blessed him and his whole family.12King David was told, ‘The LORD has blessed the family of Obed-Edom. He has also blessed everything that belongs to him. That’s because the ark of God is in Obed-Edom’s house.’ So David went down there to bring up the ark. With great joy he brought it up from the house of Obed-Edom. He took it to the City of David.13Those carrying the ark of the LORD took six steps forward. Then David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf.14David was wearing a sacred linen apron. He danced in front of the LORD with all his might.15He did it while he was bringing up the ark of the LORD. The whole community of Israel helped him bring it up. They shouted. They blew trumpets.16The ark of the LORD was brought into the City of David. Saul’s daughter Michal was watching from a window. She saw King David leaping and dancing in front of the LORD. That made her hate him in her heart.17The ark of the LORD was brought into Jerusalem. It was put in its place in the tent David had set up for it. David sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings to the LORD.18After he finished sacrificing those offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD who rules over all.19He gave to each Israelite man and woman a loaf of bread. He also gave each one a date cake and a raisin cake. Then all the people went home.20David returned home to bless his family. Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. She said, ‘You are the king of Israel. You have really brought honour to yourself today, haven’t you? You have gone around half-naked right in front of the female slaves of your officials. You acted like a fool!’21David said to Michal, ‘I did it to honour the LORD. He chose me instead of your father or anyone else in Saul’s family. The LORD appointed me ruler over his people Israel. I will celebrate to honour the LORD.22And that’s not all. I will bring even less honour to myself. I will bring even more shame on myself. But those female slaves you spoke about will honour me.’23Saul’s daughter Michal didn’t have any children as long as she lived.
2 Samuel 6
English Standard Version
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
1David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. (1Ch 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. (Ex 25:22; Jos 15:9; Jos 15:60; 1Sa 4:4; 2Ch 1:4; Ps 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, (1Sa 6:7; 1Sa 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. (1Ch 13:8; Ps 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. (Nu 4:15; 1Ch 13:9; 1Ch 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. (1Sa 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. (1Ch 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. (1Ch 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. (1Ki 8:1; 1Ch 15:25)13And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. (Nu 4:15; Nu 7:9; Jos 3:3; 1Ki 8:5; 1Ch 15:2; 1Ch 15:15)14And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. (Ex 15:20; 1Sa 2:18; Ps 30:11; Ps 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. (1Ki 8:5; 1Ki 8:62; 1Ch 15:1; 2Ch 1:4; Ps 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 (1Ki 8:14; 1Ki 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. (1Ch 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!” (Jud 9:4; 1Sa 19:24; 2Sa 6:14; 2Sa 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. (1Sa 13:14; 1Sa 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.