The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
1David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand strong. 2David and all the troops with him set out from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the Name — the name of Yahweh of Hosts, who is enthroned above the cherubim. 3They set the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from the house of Abinadab on the hill, with Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, guiding the new cart. 4They carried it from the house of Abinadab on the hill alongside the ark of God, and Ahio walked in front of the ark. 5David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating before Yahweh with all kinds of instruments of cypress wood — lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles, and cymbals. 6When they reached the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. 7Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8David was angry that Yahweh had broken out against Uzzah, and he called that place Perez-uzzah, as it is still called today. 9David was afraid of Yahweh that day and said, “How can the ark of Yahweh ever come to me?” 10So David was unwilling to move the ark of Yahweh to be with him in the city of David; instead he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11The ark of Yahweh stayed in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and Yahweh blessed Obed-edom and his whole household. 12King David was told, “Yahweh has blessed the house of Obed-edom and everything he owns, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. 13When those carrying the ark of Yahweh had taken six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. 14David danced before Yahweh with all his strength, wearing a linen ephod. 15So David and the whole house of Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh with shouts of joy and the sound of the horn. 16As the ark of Yahweh entered the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked down from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart. 17They brought the ark of Yahweh in and set it in its place inside the tent David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh. 18When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of Hosts, 19and he gave out to all the people, to the whole crowd of Israel, both men and women, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake to every one of them. Then all the people went home, each to his own house. 20David went back to bless his own household, and Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has honoured himself today, exposing himself today before the eyes of the slave girls of his servants, as any vulgar man might shamelessly expose himself!” 21David said to Michal, “It was before Yahweh — who chose me over your father and his whole house, to appoint me ruler over Yahweh’s people, over Israel — that I danced before Yahweh. 22I will make myself even more undignified than this, and humble in my own eyes; but by the slave girls you speak of, I will be held in honour.” 23And Michal daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
