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The Covenant Box Is Brought to Jerusalem(A)

Once more David called together the best soldiers in Israel, a total of thirty thousand men, (B)and led them to Baalah[a] in Judah, in order to bring from there God's Covenant Box, bearing the name of the Lord Almighty, whose throne is above the winged creatures.[b] (C)They took it from Abinadab's home on the hill and placed it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart, with Ahio walking in front. David and all the Israelites were dancing and singing with all their might[c] to honor the Lord. They were playing harps, lyres, drums, rattles, and cymbals.

As they came to the threshing place of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box. At once the Lord God became angry with Uzzah and killed him because of his irreverence.[d] Uzzah died there beside the Covenant Box, and so that place has been called Perez Uzzah[e] ever since. David was furious because the Lord had punished Uzzah in anger.

Then David was afraid of the Lord and said, “How can I take the Covenant Box with me now?” 10 So he decided not to take it with him to Jerusalem; instead, he turned off the road and took it to the house of Obed Edom, a native of the city of Gath. 11 (D)It stayed there three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom and his family.

12 King David heard that because of the Covenant Box the Lord had blessed Obed Edom's family and all that he had; so he got the Covenant Box from Obed's house to take it to Jerusalem with a great celebration. 13 After the men carrying the Covenant Box had gone six steps, David had them stop while he offered the Lord a sacrifice of a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing only a linen cloth around his waist, danced with all his might to honor the Lord. 15 And so he and all the Israelites took the Covenant Box up to Jerusalem with shouts of joy and the sound of trumpets.

16 As the Box was being brought into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and jumping around in the sacred dance, and she was disgusted with him. 17 They brought the Box and put it in its place in the Tent that David had set up for it. Then he offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 6:2 Probable text (see 1 Ch 13.6) to Baalah; Hebrew from Baaley, or from the leaders.
  2. 2 Samuel 6:2 See Word List.
  3. 2 Samuel 6:5 One ancient translation (and see 1 Ch 13.8) and singing with all their might; Hebrew with all the fir trees.
  4. 2 Samuel 6:7 Probable text his irreverence; Hebrew unclear.
  5. 2 Samuel 6:8 This name in Hebrew means “Punishment of Uzzah.”

(A)So David assembled the people of Israel from all over the country, from the Egyptian border in the south to Hamath Pass in the north, in order to bring the Covenant Box from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem. (B)David and the people went to the city of Baalah, that is, to Kiriath Jearim, in the territory of Judah, to get the Covenant Box of God, which bears the name of the Lord enthroned above the winged creatures. At Abinadab's house they brought out the Covenant Box and put it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart, while David and all the people danced with all their might to honor God. They sang and played musical instruments—harps, drums, cymbals, and trumpets.

As they came to the threshing place of Chidon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box. 10 At once the Lord became angry with Uzzah and killed him for touching the Box. He died there in God's presence, 11 and so that place has been called Perez Uzzah[a] ever since. David was furious because the Lord had punished Uzzah in anger.

12 (C)Then David was afraid of God and said, “How can I take the Covenant Box with me now?” 13 So David did not take it with him to Jerusalem. Instead, he left it at the house of a man named Obed Edom, a native of the city of Gath. 14 (D)It stayed there three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom's family and everything that belonged to him.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 13:11 This name in Hebrew means “Punishment of Uzzah.”

Troubles with Israel(A)

16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and started to fortify Ramah in order to cut off all traffic in and out of Judah.

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