2 Samuel 6:1-7:17

New American Standard Bible

Peril in Moving the Ark

6 ^(A)Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David ^[a]departed from ^[b](B)Baale-judah, with all the people who were with him, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the ^(C)Name, the very name of the Lord of armies who ^(D)is ^[c]enthroned above the cherubim. ³ They had mounted the ark of God on ^(E)a new cart and moved it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. ⁴ So ^(F)they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵ Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel ^(G)were celebrating before the Lord ^(H)with all kinds of instruments made of juniper wood, and with ^[d]lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ But when they came to the ^(I)threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah ^(J)reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly overturned it. ⁷ And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and ^(K)God struck him down there for ^[e]his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ Then David became angry because ^[f]of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah; and that place has been called ^[g]Perez-uzzah to this day. ⁹ So ^(L)David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ And David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of ^(M)Obed-edom, the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord ^(N)blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

¹² Now it was reported to King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” ^(O)So David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-edom to ^(P)the city of David with joy. ¹³ And so it was, that ^[h]when ^(Q)those carrying the ark of the Lord marched six paces, he sacrificed an ^(R)ox and a fattened steer. ¹⁴ And ^(S)David was dancing before the Lord with all his strength, and David was ^(T)wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with joyful shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶ Then it happened, as the ark of the Lord was coming into the city of David, that ^(U)Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she was contemptuous of him in her heart.

¹⁷ Now they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ^(V)in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and ^(W)David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, ^(X)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of armies. ¹⁹ Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread, one of dates, and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people left, each to his house.

²⁰ But when David returned to bless his own household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel dignified himself today! For ^(Y)he exposed himself today in the sight of his servants’ female slaves, as one of the ^(Z)rabble shamelessly exposes himself!” ²¹ But David said to Michal, “^(AA)I was before the Lord, who preferred me to your father and to all his house, to appoint me as ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. So I will ^[i]celebrate before the Lord! ²² And I might demean myself even more than this and be lowly in my own sight, but with the female slaves of whom you have spoken, with them I am to be held in honor!” ²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

David Plans to Build a Temple

7 ^(AB)Now it came about, when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, ² that the king said to ^(AC)Nathan the prophet, “See now, I live in ^(AD)a house of cedar, but the ark of God ^(AE)remains within the tent.” ³ Nathan said to the king, “^(AF)Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But in the same night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and say to My servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(AG)Should you build Me a house for My dwelling? ⁶ For ^(AH)I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; rather, I have been moving about ^(AI)in a tent, that is, in a dwelling place. ^7 (AJ)Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, ^(AK)whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

God’s Covenant with David

⁸ Now then, this is what you shall say to My servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “^(AL)I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, ^(AM)to be leader over My people Israel. ⁹ And ^(AN)I have been with you wherever you have gone, and ^(AO)have eliminated all your enemies from you; I will also make a great name for you, like the names of the great men who ^[j]are on the earth. ¹⁰ And I will establish a place for My people Israel, and ^(AP)will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, ^(AQ)nor will ^[k]malicious people oppress them anymore as previously, ¹¹ even ^(AR)from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and ^(AS)I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that ^(AT)the Lord will make a house for you. ^12 (AU)When your days are finished and you ^[l](AV)lie down with your fathers, ^(AW)I will raise up your ^[m]descendant after you, who will come from ^[n]you, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (AX)He shall build a house for My name, and ^(AY)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (AZ)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; ^(BA)when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind, ¹⁵ but My favor shall not depart from him, ^(BB)as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from you. ^16 (BC)Your house and your kingdom shall endure before ^[o]Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words and all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.