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The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

¹ David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel—thirty thousand of them. ² Then he and all his people went to Baalah in Judah^[a] to bring back the Ark of God. The Ark is called by the Name, the name of the Lord All-Powerful, whose throne is between the gold creatures with wings. ³ They put the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of Abinadab's house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, led the new cart ⁴ which had the Ark of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of it. ⁵ David and all the Israelites were celebrating in the presence of the Lord. They were playing wooden instruments: lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles, and cymbals.

⁶ When David's men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark of God. ⁷ The Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him because of what he did. So Uzzah died there beside the Ark of God. ⁸ David was angry because the Lord had killed Uzzah. Now that place is called the Punishment of Uzzah.

⁹ David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, "How can the Ark of the Lord come to me now?" ¹⁰ So David would not move the Ark of the Lord to be with him in Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom, a man from Gath. ¹¹ The Ark of the Lord stayed in Obed-Edom's house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.

¹² The people told David, "The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because the Ark of God is there." So David went and brought it up from Obed-Edom's house to Jerusalem with joy. ¹³ When the men carrying the Ark of the Lord had walked six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. ¹⁴ Then David danced with all his might before the Lord. He had on a holy linen vest. ¹⁵ David and all the Israelites shouted with joy and blew the trumpets as they brought the Ark of the Lord to the city.

¹⁶ As the Ark of the Lord came into the city, Saul's daughter Michal looked out the window. When she saw David jumping and dancing in the presence of the Lord, she hated him.

¹⁷ David put up a tent for the Ark of the Lord, and then the Israelites put it in its place inside the tent. David offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David finished offering the whole burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. ¹⁹ David gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins to every Israelite, both men and women. Then all the people went home.

²⁰ David went back to bless the people in his home, but Saul's daughter Michal came out to meet him. She said, "With what honor the king of Israel acted today! You took off your clothes in front of the servant girls of your officers like one who takes off his clothes without shame!"

²¹ Then David said to Michal, "I did it in the presence of the Lord. The Lord chose me, not your father or anyone from Saul's family. The Lord appointed me to be over Israel. So I will celebrate in the presence of the Lord. ²² Maybe I will lose even more honor, and maybe I will be brought down in my own opinion, but the girls you talk about will honor me!"

²³ And Saul's daughter Michal had no children to the day she died.