1David again brought together all the able young men of Israel – thirty thousand.2He and all his men went to Baalah[1] in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name,[2] the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. (1Ch 13:6)3They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart4with the ark of God on it,[3] and Ahio was walking in front of it.5David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,[4] harps, lyres, tambourines, rattles and cymbals. (1Ch 13:8)6When they came to the threshing-floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.7The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.8Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.[5]9David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, ‘How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?’10He was not willing 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 the Gittite.11The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.12Now King David was told, ‘The Lord has 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.13When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.14Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might,15while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.16As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.17They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord.18After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty.19Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.20When 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 in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’21David said to Michal, ‘It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel – I will celebrate before the Lord.22I 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 honour.’23And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
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.