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Some of the people of Israel were playing music on small harps and other stringed instruments, and on tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. David and the others were happy, and they danced for the Lord with all their might.

But when they came to Nacon's threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled, so Uzzah reached out and took hold of the sacred chest. The Lord God was very angry with Uzzah for doing this, and he killed Uzzah right there beside the chest.

David got angry with God for killing Uzzah. He named that place “Bursting Out Against Uzzah,”[a] and that's what it's still called.

David was afraid of the Lord and thought, “Should I really take the sacred chest to my city?” 10 He decided not to take it there. Instead, he turned off the road and took it to the home of Obed Edom, who was from Gath.[b]

11-12 (A) The chest stayed there for three months, and the Lord greatly blessed Obed Edom, his family, and everything he owned. Then someone told King David, “The Lord has done this because the sacred chest is in Obed Edom's house.”

At once, David went to Obed Edom's house to get the chest and bring it to David's City. Everyone was celebrating. 13 The people carrying the chest walked six steps, then David sacrificed an ox and a choice cow. 14 He was dancing for the Lord with all his might, but he wore only a linen cloth.[c] 15 He and everyone else were celebrating by shouting and blowing horns while the chest was being carried along.

16 Saul's daughter Michal looked out her window and watched the chest being brought into David's City. But when she saw David jumping and dancing for the Lord, she was disgusted.

17 They put the chest inside a tent that David had set up for it. David worshiped the Lord by sacrificing animals and burning them on an altar,[d] 18 then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. 19 (B) He gave all the men and women in the crowd a small loaf of bread, some meat, and a handful of raisins, then everyone went home.

Michal Talks to David

20 David went home so he could ask the Lord to bless his family. But Saul's daughter Michal went out and started yelling at him. “You were really great today!” she said. “You acted like a dirty old man, dancing around half-naked in front of your servants' slave-girls.”

21 David told her, “The Lord didn't choose your father or anyone else in your family to be the leader of his people. The Lord chose me, and I was celebrating in honor of him.

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Footnotes

  1. 6.8 Bursting … Uzzah: Or “Perez-Uzzah.”
  2. 6.10 Gath: Or perhaps, “Gittaim.”
  3. 6.14 only a linen cloth: The Hebrew word is “ephod,” which can mean either a piece of clothing like a skirt that went from the waist to the knee or a garment like a vest or a jacket that only the priests wore.
  4. 6.17 sacrificing … altar: The Hebrew mentions two kinds of sacrifices. In one kind of sacrifice, the whole animal was burned on the altar. In the other kind, only part was burned, and the worshipers ate the rest, as in verse 19 (see Leviticus 1.2-17; 3.1-17).

David and all Israel were celebrating(A) with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,[a] harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.(B)

When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of(C) the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;(D) therefore God struck him down,(E) and he died there beside the ark of God.

Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath(F) had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.[b](G)

David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How(H) can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 10 He 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(I) the Gittite. 11 The 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.(J)

12 Now King David(K) 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. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed(L) a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod,(M) David was dancing(N) before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts(O) and the sound of trumpets.(P)

16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David,(Q) Michal(R) 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.

17 They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it,(S) and David sacrificed burnt offerings(T) and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18 After he had finished sacrificing(U) the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed(V) the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins(W) to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women.(X) And all the people went to their homes.

20 When 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(Y) in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

21 David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed(Z) me ruler(AA) over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 6:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 13:8) songs
  2. 2 Samuel 6:8 Perez Uzzah means outbreak against Uzzah.