Old/New Testament
13 David (after consulting the captain of each army division): 1-2 If you agree, and if the Eternal One our God requires, then let us request the company of our relatives throughout Israel—including the priests and Levites who are among the other eleven tribes in their cities with pasture lands. 3 Let us take the covenant chest of our God from its exile in Kiriath-jearim and return it to our presence, making it our focus, since we did not keep it with us during Saul’s reign.
Having been established as the king over Israel, David’s first act is to ensure proper religious practice for his nation. He decides to make Jerusalem the center of both political and religious power in Israel by moving the chest containing Moses’ covenant there. Since God dwells wherever it is, moving the covenant chest to Jerusalem should move God’s presence to Jerusalem. As long as it remains in Jerusalem, Jerusalem is more than just the average national capital—it is God’s holy city. If anyone chooses to wage war against David and his city, then that person fights God.
4 Everyone agreed with David that this was right: the chest of the covenant should be among the people. 5 So David assembled Israel, from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath in Aram, to take the covenant chest of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6 Everyone went up to Baalah (also known as Kiriath-jearim) in Judah to take the covenant chest of God where the Eternal sits between the winged heavenly creatures and His name is called. 7 They carried the covenant chest of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab; Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8 David and all Israel rejoiced with all their might with songs, lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets as a celebration before God.
9 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Chidon, the oxen tripped, nearly tipping the covenant chest off the cart, so Uzza reached out to steady it. 10 The Eternal was enraged at Uzza because he touched the chest and defiled its sanctity, ignoring God’s instructions never to touch it, so He killed the man in His presence. 11 David was angry at the Eternal’s retribution against Uzza, so the king named that place Perez-uzza, meaning “broken Uzza,” as it still is called today. 12 David feared God and wondered, “How can I bring the covenant chest of God, something with such awesome power, home with me?” 13 Instead of bringing it to the city of David, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, who was from Gath Rammon (a Levitical city). 14 There the covenant chest of God remained three months before David moved it to Jerusalem, and the Eternal blessed Obed-edom’s family in everything.
14 Hiram (king of Tyre) sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters to build a royal palace, acknowledging Israel and David’s political influence in the region. 2 Because of the expanding power of Israel, David realized the Eternal had selected him as king over Israel to provide for His people. 3 At Jerusalem he took more wives and fathered more children. 4 These were the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
David is obviously God’s man. The blessings God pours out on David are apparent: he is experienced in political and military success, his family rapidly expands, and his massive building projects are visible everywhere.
8 When the Philistines heard about David’s ascension to the throne of all Israel, they prepared to attack him. But David heard about their movement and sent his troops to attack them. 9 As the Philistines raided the valley of Rephaim, 10 David asked for God’s guidance.
David: Shall I fight the Philistines? Will You assure me a victory?
Eternal One: Fight them, and I will ensure a victory.
11 David defeated the Philistines at Baal-perazim, so named because “God broke the enemies with my hand as rushing waters break through barriers.” 12 The Philistines abandoned their gods there, so David ordered the idols to be burned.
13 The Philistines raided the valley again. 14 Again David asked for God’s counsel.
Eternal One: This time do not attack them directly. Circle behind their forces and attack from their rear coming out from the balsam trees. 15 When you hear marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to fight. I will have already attacked the Philistine army before you arrive.
16 David obeyed God’s command, and he defeated the army of the Philistines from Gibeon to Gezer. 17 David was famous among his neighboring nations, and the Eternal made all other nations afraid of him.
15 David founded the city of David as his capital and built his palaces there. But in his zeal to rebuild Jerusalem and build his palaces, He prepared a place for the covenant chest of God in a tent adjacent to the palace. 2-3 Then David invited the people of Israel to Jerusalem for a parade celebrating the arrival of the covenant chest of the Eternal.
David (to the assembly): Because of Uzza’s fiasco when we tried to move the chest three months ago, no one but the Levites may carry the covenant chest of God. The Eternal has selected them and them alone to bear it and to serve Him forever.
4 So David gathered the men of Aaron and the other Levites: 5 the men of Kohath (Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives), 6 the men of Merari (Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives), 7 the men of Gershom (Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives), 8 the men of Elizaphan (Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives), 9 the men of Hebron (Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives), and 10 the men of Uzziel (Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives).
11 When they had all gathered together, David summoned Zadok and Abiathar (two priests) and the other Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
David (commissioning them): 12 You are the heads of the households of the Levites. You are the ones whom God wants to carry His covenant chest. Sanctify yourselves and your relatives, so you may deliver the covenant chest of the Eternal One, God of Israel, to the tent I have prepared for it next to my palace in Jerusalem. 13 You did not carry the chest from Kiriath-jearim the first time we moved it, so the Eternal our God was infuriated at us for ignoring His commands. This time, we will bring it to Jerusalem in the way He told us to.
14 After the priests and the Levites were consecrated for their duty, David and the Levites organized the city’s processional in honor of the chest of the Eternal, the God of Israel. 15 The Levites picked up the covenant chest of God and carried it by wooden poles on their shoulders as the Eternal commanded them to do through His prophet Moses. 16 David told the leaders of the Levites to select their relatives as musicians and singers in the parade, playing instruments such as lutes, lyres, and cymbals and raising their voices in joy. 17 So the Levites appointed Heman (son of Joel) and his kinsmen, Asaph (son of Berechiah), the sons of Merari, and Ethan (son of Kushaiah). 18 With these men were their assistants: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, along with Obed-edom and Jeiel who were gatekeepers.
19 The celebration began with a parade. The assembled singers (Heman, Asaph, and Ethan) sounded their bronze cymbals; 20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played their lutes tuned to alamoth, 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played their lyres tuned to sheminith. 22 Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, directed the singing because of his musical ability, 23 while Berechia and Elkanah led the gatekeepers. 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer (all priests) blew their clarions at the front of the parade in front of the covenant chest of God, as Obed-edom and Jehiah carried it. 25 In this manner, David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands prepared to move the covenant chest of the Eternal from the house of Obed-edom into its high place in Jerusalem with rejoicing. 26 As God was helping the Levites to carry the heavy covenant chest, they offered seven wild bulls and seven stags to Him. 27 David, all the Levites carrying the chest, the singers, and Chenaniah the song leader were dressed in fine linen robes. The king also wore a linen priestly vest. 28 All Israel celebrated the chest’s journey to its tent, rejoicing with the sound of trumpets, clarions, and cymbals, and worshiping with harps and lyres.
29 When the covenant chest of the Eternal entered the city of David, Michal (the daughter of Saul and David’s wife) gazed out of a window and saw her husband dancing and celebrating in the parade. At that moment, Michal hated David.
7 After these events, it was time for Jesus to move on. He began a long walk through the Galilean countryside. He was purposefully avoiding Judea because of the violent threats made against Him by the Jews there who wanted to kill Him. 2 It was fall, the time of year when the Jews celebrated the Festival of Booths.
On this holiday, everyone camps in temporary quarters, called booths, to remember that God was with their ancestors when they wandered for 40 years without a home.
Brothers of Jesus (to Jesus): 3 Let’s get out of here and go south to Judea so You can show Your disciples there what You are capable of doing. 4 No one who seeks the public eye is content to work in secret. If You want to perform these signs, then step forward on the world’s stage; don’t hide up here in the hills, Jesus.
5 Jesus’ own brothers were speaking contemptuously; they did not yet believe in Him, just as the people in His hometown did not see Him as anything more than Joseph’s son.
Jesus: 6 My time has not yet arrived; but for you My brothers, by all means, it is always the right time. 7 You have nothing to worry about because the world doesn’t hate you, but it despises Me because I am always exposing the dark evil in its works. 8 Go on to the feast without Me; I am not going right now because My time is not yet at hand.
9 This conversation came to an abrupt end, and Jesus stayed in Galilee 10 until His brothers were gone. Then He, too, went up to Jerusalem. But He traveled in secret to avoid drawing any public attention. 11 Some Jewish leaders were searching for Him at the feast and asking the crowds where they could find Him. 12 The crowds would talk in groups: some favored Jesus and thought He was a good man; others disliked Him and thought He was leading people astray. 13 All of these conversations took place in whispers. No one was willing to speak openly about Jesus for fear of the religious leaders.
14 In the middle of the festival, Jesus marched directly into the temple and started to teach. 15 Some of the Jews who heard Him were amazed at Jesus’ ability, and people questioned repeatedly:
Jews: How can this man be so wise about the Hebrew Scriptures? He has never had a formal education.
Jesus: 16 I do not claim ownership of My words; they are a gift from the One who sent Me. 17 If anyone is willing to act according to His purposes and is open to hearing truth, he will know the source of My teaching. Does it come from God or from Me? 18 If a man speaks his own words, constantly quoting himself, he is after adulation. But I chase only after glory for the One who sent Me. My intention is authentic and true. You’ll find no wrong motives in Me.
19 Moses gave you the law, didn’t he? Then how can you blatantly ignore the law and look for an opportunity to murder Me?
Notice how Jesus changes in tone and subject. This shift seems abrupt because the Pharisees’ plotting is yet to be exposed.
Crowd: 20 You must be possessed with a demon! Who is trying to kill You?
Jesus: 21 Listen, all it took was for Me to do one thing, heal a crippled man, and you all were astonished. 22 Don’t you remember how Moses passed down circumcision as a tradition of our ancestors? When you pick up a knife to circumcise on the Sabbath, isn’t that work? 23 If a male is circumcised on the Sabbath to keep the law of Moses intact, how can making one man whole on the Sabbath be a cause for your violent rage? 24 You should not judge by outward appearance. When you judge, search for what is right and just.
Some People of Jerusalem: 25 There is the man they are seeking to kill; surely He must be the one. 26 But here He is, speaking out in the open to the crowd, while they have not spoken a word to stop or challenge Him. Do these leaders now believe He is the Anointed One? 27 But He can’t be; we know where this man comes from, but the true origin of the Anointed will be a mystery to all of us.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.