2 Samuel 6

New International Version

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(A)(B)

6 David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand.² He and all his men went to Baalah^[a](C)in Judah to bring up from there the ark^(D)of God, which is called by the Name,^[b](E)the name of theLordAlmighty, who is enthroned^(F)between the cherubim^(G)on the ark.³ They set the ark of God on a new cart^(H)and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.^(I)Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart⁴ with the ark of God on it,^[c]and Ahio was walking in front of it.⁵ David and all Israel were celebrating^(J)with all their might before theLord, with castanets,^[d]harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.^(K)

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of^(L)the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.⁷ TheLord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;^(M)therefore God struck him down,^(N)and he died there beside the ark of God.

⁸ Then David was angry because theLord’s wrath^(O)had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.^[e](P)

⁹ David was afraid of theLordthat day and said, “How^(Q)can the ark of theLordever come to me?”¹⁰ He was not willing to take the ark of theLordto be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom^(R)the Gittite.¹¹ The ark of theLordremained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and theLordblessed him and his entire household.^(S)

¹² Now King David^(T)was told, “TheLordhas blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of theLordhad taken six steps, he sacrificed^(U)a bull and a fattened calf.¹⁴ Wearing a linen ephod,^(V)David was dancing^(W)before theLordwith all his might,¹⁵ while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of theLordwith shouts^(X)and the sound of trumpets.^(Y)

¹⁶ As the ark of theLordwas entering the City of David,^(Z)Michal^(AA)daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before theLord, she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ They brought the ark of theLordand set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it,^(AB)and David sacrificed burnt offerings^(AC)and fellowship offerings before theLord.¹⁸ After he had finished sacrificing^(AD)the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed^(AE)the people in the name of theLordAlmighty.¹⁹ Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins^(AF)to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women.^(AG)And all the people went to their homes.

²⁰ When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked^(AH)in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

²¹ David said to Michal, “It was before theLord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed^(AI)me ruler^(AJ)over theLord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before theLord.²² I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

²³ And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.