The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(A)(B)

6 David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. ² He and all his men went to Baalah^[a](C) in Judah to bring up from there the ark^(D) of God, which is called by the Name,^[b](E) the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned^(F) between the cherubim^(G) on the ark. ³ They set the ark of God on a new cart^(H) and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.^(I) Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart ⁴ with the ark of God on it,^[c] and Ahio was walking in front of it. ⁵ David and all Israel were celebrating^(J) with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,^[d] harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.^(K)

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of^(L) the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. ⁷ The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;^(M) therefore God struck him down,^(N) and he died there beside the ark of God.

⁸ Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath^(O) had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.^[e](P)

⁹ David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How^(Q) can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” ¹⁰ He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom^(R) the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.^(S)

¹² Now King David^(T) was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed^(U) a bull and a fattened calf. ¹⁴ Wearing a linen ephod,^(V) David was dancing^(W) before the Lord with all his might, ¹⁵ while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts^(X) and the sound of trumpets.^(Y)

¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David,^(Z) Michal^(AA) daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it,^(AB) and David sacrificed burnt offerings^(AC) and fellowship offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ After he had finished sacrificing^(AD) the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed^(AE) the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. ¹⁹ Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins^(AF) to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women.^(AG) And all the people went to their homes.

²⁰ When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked^(AH) in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

²¹ David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed^(AI) me ruler^(AJ) over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. ²² I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

²³ And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

Idolaters Condemned

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.^{(A) 2} Then the word of the Lord came to me: ³ “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts^(B) and put wicked stumbling blocks^(C) before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?^{(D) 4} Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. ⁵ I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted^(E) me for their idols.’^(F)

⁶ “Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent!^(G) Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!^(H)

⁷ “‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner^(I) residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block^(J) before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire^(K) of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. ⁸ I will set my face against^(L) them and make them an example^(M) and a byword.^(N) I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^(O)

⁹ “‘And if the prophet^(P) is enticed^(Q) to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.^{(R) 10} They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. ¹¹ Then the people of Israel will no longer stray^(S) from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people,^(T) and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(U)’”

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

¹² The word of the Lord came to me: ¹³ “Son of man, if a country sins^(V) against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply^(W) and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,^{(X) 14} even if these three men—Noah,^(Y) Daniel^[a](Z) and Job^(AA)—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness,^(AB) declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁵ “Or if I send wild beasts^(AC) through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,^{(AD) 16} as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.^(AE)

¹⁷ “Or if I bring a sword^(AF) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,^{(AG) 18} as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

¹⁹ “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath^(AH) on it through bloodshed,^(AI) killing its people and their animals,^{(AJ) 20} as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.^(AK)

²¹ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments^(AL)—sword^(AM) and famine^(AN) and wild beasts and plague^(AO)—to kill its men and their animals!^{(AP) 22} Yet there will be some survivors^(AQ)—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it.^(AR) They will come to you, and when you see their conduct^(AS) and their actions, you will be consoled^(AT) regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. ²³ You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AU)”