2 SamuelChapter 6

Tap any verse to comment or suggest a better wording.

¹Once again David gathered the best men of Israel. There were 30,000 in all. ²He and all his troops set out for Baale in Judah. They went to bring up the ark of God from there. The ark is called by the Name. It is the name of the LORD of Hosts. He sits on his throne between the cherubim that are on the ark. ³They put the ark of God on a new cart. They brought it from Abinadab's house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. ⁴They were bringing the ark of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of the ark. ⁵David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the LORD. They played all kinds of wooden instruments, harps, and lyres. They played tambourines, rattles, and cymbals.a ⁶They came to the threshing floor of Nacon. There the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God. ⁷The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah. God struck him down right there because he did not show respect. Uzzah died there beside the ark of God. ⁸Then David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah. It is still called that today.b ⁹That day David was afraid of the LORD. He asked, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" ¹⁰So David did not want to move the ark of the LORD to the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom from Gath. ¹¹So the ark of the LORD stayed in the house of Obed-edom from Gath for three months. And the LORD blessed him and all his family. ¹²Someone told King David, "The LORD has blessed Obed-edom's family and everything he has. He did it because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from Obed-edom's house. He brought it to the City of David with great joy. ¹³The men carrying the ark of the LORD took six steps. Then David sacrificed an ox and a fat calf. ¹⁴David was wearing a linen ephod. He danced before the LORD with all his strength. ¹⁵He and all the people of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD. They shouted and blew rams' horns. ¹⁶The ark of the LORD was coming into the City of David. Saul's daughter Michal looked down from a window. She saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD. And she looked down on him in her heart. ¹⁷They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place. It was inside the tent David had set up for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. ¹⁸David finished offering the burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Hosts. ¹⁹He gave food to every man and woman in the whole crowd of Israel. Each one got a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. Then all the people went home. ²⁰David went home to bless his own family. Saul's daughter Michal came out to meet him. "How the king of Israel has made himself look great today!" she said. "He uncovered himself today in front of his servants' slave girls. He acted like a shameless fool!" ²¹But David said to Michal, "I was dancing before the LORD. He chose me over your father and all his family. He made me ruler over the LORD's people Israel. So I will celebrate before the LORD. ²²I will make myself even lower than this. I will be humble in my own eyes. But those slave girls you talked about will honor me." ²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no children as long as she lived.