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God's Holy Box Is Moved to Jerusalem

¹ David again gathered all the best soldiers in Israel. There were 30,000 men. ² Then David and all his men went to Baalah in Judah^[a] to take God's Holy Box there. The Holy Box is like God's throne—people go there to call on the name of the Lord All-Powerful who sits as king above the Cherub angels that are on that Box. ³ David's men brought the Holy Box out of Abinadab's house on the hill. Then they put God's Holy Box on a new wagon. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were driving the new wagon.

⁴ So they carried the Holy Box out of Abinadab's house on the hill. The sons of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio, drove the new wagon. Ahio was walking in front of the Holy Box. ⁵ David and all the Israelites were dancing in front of the Lord and playing all kinds of musical instruments. There were lyres, harps, drums, rattles, instruments made from cypress wood, and cymbals. ⁶ When David's men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and God's Holy Box began to fall off the wagon. Uzzah caught the Holy Box. ⁷ But the Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him for that mistake. Uzzah showed he did not honor God when he touched the Holy Box, so he died there by God's Holy Box. ⁸ David was upset because the Lord had killed Uzzah. David called that place "Perez Uzzah."^[b] It is still called Perez Uzzah today.

⁹ David became afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, "How can I bring God's Holy Box here now?" ¹⁰ So David would not move the Lord's Holy Box into the City of David. He put the Holy Box at the house of Obed Edom from Gath.^{[c] 11} The Lord's Holy Box stayed in Obed Edom's house for three months. The Lord blessed Obed Edom and all his family.

¹² Later people told David, "The Lord has blessed the family of Obed Edom and everything he owns, because God's Holy Box is there." So David went and brought God's Holy Box from Obed Edom's house. David was very happy and excited. ¹³ When the men who carried the Lord's Holy Box had walked six steps, they stopped and David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. ¹⁴ David was dancing in front of the Lord. He was wearing a linen ephod.

¹⁵ David and all the Israelites were excited—they shouted and blew the trumpet as they brought the Lord's Holy Box into the city. ¹⁶ Saul's daughter Michal was looking out the window. While the Lord's Holy Box was being carried into the city, David was jumping and dancing before the Lord. Michal saw this, and she was upset at David.

¹⁷ David put up a tent for the Holy Box. The Israelites put the Lord's Holy Box in its place under the tent. Then David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord.

¹⁸ After David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. ¹⁹ He also gave a share of bread, a raisin cake, and some date bread to every man and woman of Israel. Then all the people went home.

Michal Scolds David

²⁰ David went back to bless his house, but Saul's daughter Michal came out to meet him. She said, "The king of Israel did not honor himself today! You took off your clothes in front of your servants' girls. You were like a fool who takes off his clothes without shame!"

²¹ Then David said to Michal, "The Lord chose me, not your father or anyone from his family. The Lord chose me to be leader of his people, the Israelites. So I will continue dancing and celebrating in front of the Lord. ²² I might do things that are even more embarrassing! Maybe you will not respect me, but the girls you are talking about are proud of me!"

²³ Saul's daughter Michal never had a child. She died without having any children.