2 Samuel 5:17-6:11

Holman Christian Standard Bible

¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel,^(A) they all went in search of David, but he heard about it and went down to the stronghold.^{(B) 18} So the Philistines came and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁹ Then David inquired of the Lord:^(C) “Should I go to war against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord replied to David, “Go, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.”

²⁰ So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated them there and said, “Like a bursting flood, the Lord has burst out against my enemies before me.”^(D) Therefore, he named that place the Lord Bursts Out.^{[a] 21} The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.

²² The Philistines came up again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ So David inquired of the Lord, and He answered, “Do not make a frontal assault. Circle around behind them and attack them opposite the balsam trees. ²⁴ When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have marched out ahead of you to attack the camp of the Philistines.”^{(E) 25} So David did exactly as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.

David Moves the Ark

6 David again assembled all the choice men in Israel,^(F) 30,000. ² He and all his troops set out^(G) to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah.^[b] The ark is called by the Name, the name of Yahweh of Hosts who dwells between the cherubim.^{(H) 3} They set the ark of God on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,^[c] sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart^{(I) 4} and brought it with the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark. ⁵ David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all kinds of fir wood instruments,^[d] lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums,^[e] and cymbals.^(J)

⁶ When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah,^(K) and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence,^(L) and he died there next to the ark of God. ⁸ David was angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place an Outburst Against Uzzah,^[f] as it is today. ⁹ David feared the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” ¹⁰ So he was not willing to move the ark of the Lord to the city of David;^(M) instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the Lord remained in his house three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom^(N) and his whole family.