The Attempt to Bring the Ark to Jerusalem

13 David consulted with the commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds, with every leader. ² David said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and receives approval from the Lord our God, we should send word everywhere to our brothers who remain in the whole land of Israel and get together with them. We will also send word to the priests and to the Levites in their cities with their pasturelands that they should assemble with us. ³ We will bring the Ark of our God back to us, because we did not seek it during the days of Saul.” ⁴ The whole assembly agreed to do it because it was the right thing to do in the view of all the people. ⁵ David gathered all Israel from the Shihor River in Egypt to the entrance of Hamath,^[a] to bring the Ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.

⁶ David and all Israel went up to Baalah in Judah (that is, Kiriath Jearim) to bring up the ark from there, the Ark of God the Lord, who is seated above the cherubim and who is called by the Name.^{[b] 7} They transported God’s ark on a new cart from the house of Abinadab. Uzzah and Ahio^[c] were leading the cart. ⁸ David and all Israel were celebrating enthusiastically before God with songs, lyres, harps, hand drums, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon,^[d] Uzzah reached out to grab the ark because the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰ The anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and the Lord struck him down because Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark. He died there in the presence of God. ¹¹ David was angry because the Lord had burst out against Uzzah. That place is called Perez Uzzah^[e] to this day. ¹² David was afraid of God on that day. He said, “How can I bring the Ark of God to me?”

¹³ David did not take the ark along with him into the City of David. He set it aside in the house of Obed Edom the Gittite. ¹⁴ The Ark of God stayed in the house of Obed Edom for three months, and the Lord blessed the house of Obed Edom and all that belonged to him.