David’s first attempt to move the chest

13 After consulting with the captains of the units of a thousand and a hundred, in fact with every leader, ² David said to the entire Israelite assembly: “If you approve, and if the Lord our God agrees, let’s spread the word to the rest of our relatives in all the regions of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands. Let’s ask them to join us ³ so that we may bring the chest of our God back to us, because we didn’t look for it in Saul’s days.” ⁴ The whole assembly agreed to do so, because all the people thought it was the right thing to do.

⁵ So David assembled all Israel, from the border^[a] of Egypt to Lebo-hamath in order to bring up God’s chest from Kiriath-jearim. ⁶ Then David and all Israel went up toward Baalah, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the chest of God, the Lord, who sits enthroned on the winged creatures, where he is called by name.^{[b] 7} They moved God’s chest on a new cart from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart, ⁸ while David and all Israel celebrated in God’s presence with all their strength, accompanied by songs, zithers, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. ⁹ When they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the chest and grabbed it because the oxen had stumbled. ¹⁰ But the Lord became angry with Uzzah and struck him because he had placed his hand on the chest. He died right there before God. ¹¹ David was angry that the Lord lashed out at Uzzah; and so that place is still called Perez-uzzah today. ¹² David was frightened by God that day. “How will I ever bring God’s chest home to me?” he asked. ¹³ So David didn’t take the chest away with him to David’s City. Instead, he had it put in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹⁴ God’s chest stayed with Obed-edom’s household for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom’s household and all that he had.