2 Samuel 6
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 6
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem. 1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all. 2 Then he set forth with his entire force to Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.
3 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it forth from the house of Abinadab, which stood on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. 4 Uzzah walked alongside the Ark of God, with Ahio walking in front. 5 David and the entire house of Israel danced joyfully before the Lord with all their might, singing to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
6 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the Ark of God and steadied it because the oxen were stumbling. 7 This aroused the Lord’s anger against Uzzah because of his irreverent act, and he died there beside the Ark of God. 8 David became greatly upset because the Lord had vented his anger against Uzzah, and to this very day that place is called Perez-uzzah.
9 David greatly feared the Lord that day, and he said: “How can the Ark of the Lord be placed in my care?” 10 Therefore, he decided not to take the Ark of the Lord to be in his care in the City of David. Instead he took it to the house of 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 blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.
12 When King David was informed that the Lord had blessed the family of Obed-edom and everything that belonged to him because of the Ark of God, David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David amid great rejoicing.
13 When the bearers of the Ark of the Lord had advanced six steps, David sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. 14 [a]Then, girded with a linen ephod, he danced before the Lord with all his might, 15 as he and all the Israelites brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of trumpets.
16 As the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, watched from a window. When she saw King David leaping and whirling around before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought in the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings in the name of the Lord of hosts. 18 When he had finished making these offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 19 Then he distributed food to all of the people, both men and women, giving to each person in the multitude a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake. Then all the people returned to their homes.
20 When David returned to bless his household, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said: “What an exhibition the king of Israel has made of himself today, exposing himself in the view of the slave girls of his followers like any vulgarian who chooses to shamelessly expose himself before them!”[b]
21 David replied to Michal: “I was dancing in gratitude for the Lord, not for them. The Lord chose me instead of your father and his entire family and appointed me as leader over Israel, the people of the Lord. I shall continue to dance before the Lord in gratitude, 22 and I will demean myself even more. I will be lowly in your esteem, but I will be held in honor by those slave girls of whom you speak.”
23 Saul’s daughter Michal had no children to the day of her death.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 6:14 Amid great pomp and circumstance and wearing a priestly vestment, King David leads the procession that would return the Ark to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 6:20 Saul’s daughter Michal considers King David’s exuberant display of joy undignified, but it does not dissuade him from his unbridled happiness and choice to freely praise God without restraint or fear of judgment.
2 Samuel 6
Good News Translation
The Covenant Box Is Brought to Jerusalem(A)
6 Once more David called together the best soldiers in Israel, a total of thirty thousand men, 2 (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] 3 (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, 4 with Ahio walking in front. 5 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.
6 As they came to the threshing place of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box. 7 At once the Lord God became angry with Uzzah and killed him because of his irreverence.[d] Uzzah died there beside the Covenant Box, 8 and so that place has been called Perez Uzzah[e] ever since. David was furious because the Lord had punished Uzzah in anger.
9 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. 18 When he had finished offering the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty 19 (E)and distributed food to them all. He gave each man and woman in Israel a loaf of bread, a piece of roasted meat,[f] and some raisins. Then everyone went home.
20 Afterward, when David went home to greet his family, Michal came out to meet him. “The king of Israel made a big name for himself today!” she said. “He exposed himself like a fool in the sight of the servant women of his officials!”
21 David answered, “I was dancing to honor the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and his family to make me the leader of his people Israel. And I will go on dancing to honor the Lord, 22 and will disgrace myself even more. You[g] may think I am nothing, but those women will think highly of me!”
23 Michal, Saul's daughter, never had any children.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 6:2 Probable text (see 1 Ch 13.6) to Baalah; Hebrew from Baaley, or from the leaders.
- 2 Samuel 6:2 See Word List.
- 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.
- 2 Samuel 6:7 Probable text his irreverence; Hebrew unclear.
- 2 Samuel 6:8 This name in Hebrew means “Punishment of Uzzah.”
- 2 Samuel 6:19 a piece of roasted meat; or a cake of dates.
- 2 Samuel 6:22 One ancient translation You; Hebrew I.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
