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.
2 Samuel 6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem
6 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim.(A) 3 They carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,[a] the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart(B) 4 with the ark of God,[b] and Ahio[c] went in front of the ark.(C) 5 David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs[d] and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.(D)
6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen lurched.(E) 7 The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him there,[e] and he died there beside the ark of God.(F) 8 David was angry because the Lord had burst forth with an outburst upon Uzzah, so that place is called Perez-uzzah[f] to this day. 9 David was afraid of the Lord that day; he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come into my care?” 10 So David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord into his care in the city of David; instead, David took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.(G) 11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.(H)
12 It was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing,(I) 13 and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatted calf. 14 David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod.(J) 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.(K)
16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.(L)
17 They brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord.(M) 18 When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts(N) 19 and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat,[g] and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.
20 David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ maids, as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly uncover himself!”(O) 21 David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me in place of your father and all his household, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—I will dance before the Lord.(P) 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be humbled in my own eyes, but by the maids of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
2 Samuel 6
Complete Jewish Bible
6 Again David summoned all the picked troops of Isra’el, 30,000 men. 2 Then David, taking along the entire force he had with him then, set out for Ba‘alei-Y’hudah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the Name, the name of Adonai-Tzva’ot enthroned above the k’ruvim. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Avinadav on the hill, with ‘Uzah and Achyo, the sons of Avinadav, driving the new cart. 4 They led it from the house of Avinadav on the hill, with the ark of God; Achyo walked in front of the ark. 5 David and the whole house of Isra’el celebrated in the presence of Adonai with all kinds of musical instruments made of cypress-wood, including lyres, lutes, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.
6 When they arrived at Nakhon’s threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled; and ‘Uzah put out his hand to steady the ark of God. 7 But Adonai’s anger blazed up against ‘Uzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his offense, so that he died there by the ark of God. 8 It upset David that Adonai had broken out against ‘Uzah; that place has been called Peretz-‘Uzah [breaking-out of ‘Uzah] ever since. 9 David was frightened of Adonai that day; he asked, “How can the ark of Adonai come to me?” 10 So David would not bring the ark of Adonai into the City of David; rather, David took it over to the house of ‘Oved-Edom the Gitti. 11 The ark of Adonai stayed in the house of ‘Oved-Edom the Gitti for three months; and Adonai blessed ‘Oved-Edom and all his household.
12 King David was told, “Adonai has blessed the house of ‘Oved-Edom and everyone who belongs to him, thanks to the ark of God.” So David went and joyously brought the ark of God up from the house of ‘Oved-Edom into the City of David. 13 When those bearing the ark of Adonai had gone only six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened sheep. 14 Then David danced and spun around with abandon before Adonai, wearing a linen ritual vest. 15 So David and all the house of Isra’el brought up the ark of Adonai with shouting and the sound of the shofar. 16 As the ark of Adonai entered the City of David, Mikhal the daughter of Sha’ul, watching from the window, saw King David leaping and spinning before Adonai; and she was filled with contempt for him.
17 They brought the ark of Adonai in and put it in its place inside the tent that David had set up for it. David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Adonai. 18 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Adonai-Tzva’ot. 19 Then he distributed to all the people of Isra’el, to everyone there, both men and women, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat and a raisin cake, after which the people all left for their homes.
20 When David returned to bless his household, Mikhal the daughter of Sha’ul came out to meet him and said, “Such honor the king of Isra’el earned for himself today — exposing himself before his servants’ slave-girls like some vulgar exhibitionist!” 21 David answered Mikhal, “In the presence of Adonai — who chose me over your father and over everyone in his family to make me chief over Adonai’s people, over Isra’el — I will celebrate in the presence of Adonai! 22 I will make myself still more contemptible than that, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes, but those slave-girls you mentioned will honor me!” 23 Mikhal the daughter of Sha’ul remained childless until the day she died.
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.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.