Bringing Back the Ark^(A)

13 David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ² He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. ³ Let us bring the ark of our God back to us,^(B) for we did not inquire^(C) of^[a] it^[b] during the reign of Saul.” ⁴ The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

⁵ So David assembled all Israel,^(D) from the Shihor River^(E) in Egypt to Lebo Hamath,^(F) to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.^{(G) 6} David and all Israel went to Baalah^(H) of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim^(I)—the ark that is called by the Name.

⁷ They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s^(J) house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. ⁸ David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.^(K)

⁹ When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰ The Lord’s anger^(L) burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down^(M) because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

¹¹ Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.^[c](N)

¹² David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” ¹³ He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom^(O) the Gittite. ¹⁴ The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household^(P) and everything he had.

Jesus Greater Than Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,^(A) who share in the heavenly calling,^(B) fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge^(C) as our apostle and high priest.^{(D) 2} He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.^{(E) 3} Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,^(F) just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. ⁴ For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.^{(G) 5} “Moses was faithful as a servant^(H) in all God’s house,”^[a](I) bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. ⁶ But Christ is faithful as the Son^(J) over God’s house. And we are his house,^(K) if indeed we hold firmly^(L) to our confidence and the hope^(M) in which we glory.

Warning Against Unbelief

⁷ So, as the Holy Spirit says:^(N)

¹² See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.^{(T) 13} But encourage one another daily,^(U) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.^{(V) 14} We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold^(W) our original conviction firmly to the very end.^{(X) 15} As has just been said:

¹⁶ Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?^{(Z) 17} And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?^{(AA) 18} And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest^(AB) if not to those who disobeyed?^{(AC) 19} So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.^(AD)

1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa^(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,^(B) when Uzziah^(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam^(D) son of Jehoash^[a] was king of Israel.^(E)

² He said:

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

³ This is what the Lord says:

⁶ This is what the Lord says:

⁹ This is what the Lord says:

¹¹ This is what the Lord says:

¹³ This is what the Lord says:

Psalm 142^[a]

A maskil^[b] of David. When he was in the cave.^(A) A prayer.