2 Samuel 6
The Message
6 1-2 David mustered the pick of the troops of Israel—thirty divisions of them. Together with his soldiers, David headed for Baalah to recover the Chest of God, which was called by the Name God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who was enthroned over the pair of angels on the Chest.
3-7 They placed the Chest of God on a brand-new oxcart and removed it from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were driving the new cart loaded with the Chest of God, Ahio in the lead and Uzzah alongside the Chest. David and the whole company of Israel were in the parade, singing at the top of their lungs and playing mandolins, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, so Uzzah reached out and grabbed the Chest of God. God blazed in anger against Uzzah and struck him hard because he had profaned the Chest. Uzzah died on the spot, right alongside the Chest.
8-11 Then David got angry because of God’s deadly outburst against Uzzah. That place is still called Perez Uzzah (The-Explosion-Against-Uzzah). David became fearful of God that day and said, “This Chest is too dangerous to handle. How can I ever get it back to the City of David?” He refused to take the Chest of God a step farther. Instead, David removed it off the road and to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The Chest of God stayed at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. And God prospered Obed-Edom and his entire household.
12-16 It was reported to King David that God had prospered Obed-Edom and his entire household because of the Chest of God. So David thought, “I’ll get that blessing for myself,” and went and brought up the Chest of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David, celebrating extravagantly all the way, with frequent sacrifices of choice bulls. David, ceremonially dressed in priest’s linen, danced with great abandon before God. The whole country was with him as he accompanied the Chest of God with shouts and trumpet blasts. But as the Chest of God came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, happened to be looking out a window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before God, her heart filled with scorn.
17-19 They brought the Chest of God and set it in the middle of the tent pavilion that David had pitched for it. Then and there David worshiped, offering burnt offerings and peace offerings. When David had completed the sacrifices of burnt and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies and handed out to each person in the crowd, men and women alike, a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. Then everyone went home.
20-22 David returned home to bless his family. Michal, Saul’s daughter, came out to greet him: “How wonderfully the king has distinguished himself today—exposing himself to the eyes of the servants’ maids like some burlesque street dancer!” David replied to Michal, “In God’s presence I’ll dance all I want! He chose me over your father and the rest of our family and made me prince over God’s people, over Israel. Oh yes, I’ll dance to God’s glory—more recklessly even than this. And as far as I’m concerned . . . I’ll gladly look like a fool . . . but among these maids you’re so worried about, I’ll be honored no end.”
23 Michal, Saul’s daughter, was barren the rest of her life.
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2 Samuel 6
Easy-to-Read Version
God’s Holy Box Is Moved to Jerusalem
6 David again gathered all the best soldiers in Israel. There were 30,000 men. 2 Then David and all his men went to Baalah in Judah[a] to take God’s Holy Box there. The Holy Box is like God’s throne—people go there to call on the name of the Lord All-Powerful who sits as king above the Cherub angels that are on that Box. 3 David’s men brought the Holy Box out of Abinadab’s house on the hill. Then they put God’s Holy Box on a new wagon. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were driving the new wagon.
4 So they carried the Holy Box out of Abinadab’s house on the hill. The sons of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio, drove the new wagon. Ahio was walking in front of the Holy Box. 5 David and all the Israelites were dancing in front of the Lord and playing all kinds of musical instruments. There were lyres, harps, drums, rattles, instruments made from cypress wood, and cymbals. 6 When David’s men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and God’s Holy Box began to fall off the wagon. Uzzah caught the Holy Box. 7 But the Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him for that mistake. Uzzah showed he did not honor God when he touched the Holy Box, so he died there by God’s Holy Box. 8 David was upset because the Lord had killed Uzzah. David called that place “Perez Uzzah.”[b] It is still called Perez Uzzah today.
9 David became afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can I bring God’s Holy Box here now?” 10 So David would not move the Lord’s Holy Box into the City of David. He put the Holy Box at the house of Obed Edom from Gath.[c] 11 The Lord’s Holy Box stayed in Obed Edom’s house for three months. The Lord blessed Obed Edom and all his family.
12 Later people told David, “The Lord has blessed the family of Obed Edom and everything he owns, because God’s Holy Box is there.” So David went and brought God’s Holy Box from Obed Edom’s house. David was very happy and excited. 13 When the men who carried the Lord’s Holy Box had walked six steps, they stopped and David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. 14 David was dancing in front of the Lord. He was wearing a linen ephod.
15 David and all the Israelites were excited—they shouted and blew the trumpet as they brought the Lord’s Holy Box into the city. 16 Saul’s daughter Michal was looking out the window. While the Lord’s Holy Box was being carried into the city, David was jumping and dancing before the Lord. Michal saw this, and she was upset at David.
17 David put up a tent for the Holy Box. The Israelites put the Lord’s Holy Box in its place under the tent. Then David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord.
18 After David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. 19 He also gave a share of bread, a raisin cake, and some date bread to every man and woman of Israel. Then all the people went home.
Michal Scolds David
20 David went back to bless his house, but Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. She said, “The king of Israel did not honor himself today! You took off your clothes in front of your servants’ girls. You were like a fool who takes off his clothes without shame!”
21 Then David said to Michal, “The Lord chose me, not your father or anyone from his family. The Lord chose me to be leader of his people, the Israelites. So I will continue dancing and celebrating in front of the Lord. 22 I might do things that are even more embarrassing! Maybe you will not respect me, but the girls you are talking about are proud of me!”
23 Saul’s daughter Michal never had a child. She died without having any children.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 6:2 Baalah in Judah Another name for Kiriath Jearim. See 1 Chron. 13:6.
- 2 Samuel 6:8 Perez Uzzah This name means “The Punishment of Uzzah.”
- 2 Samuel 6:10 Obed Edom from Gath A person from the tribe of Levi who lived near Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 6
New King James Version
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem(A)
6 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And (B)David arose and went with all the people who were with him from [a]Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called [b]by the Name, the Lord of Hosts, (C)who dwells between the cherubim. 3 So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on (D)the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new [c]cart. 4 And they brought it out of (E)the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. 5 Then David and all the house of Israel (F)played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.
6 And when they came to (G)Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his (H)hand to the ark of God and [d]took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his [e]error; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place [f]Perez Uzzah to this day.
9 (I)David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the (J)City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the (K)Gittite. 11 (L)The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord (M)blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.
12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” (N)So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. 13 And so it was, when (O)those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed (P)oxen and fatted sheep. 14 Then David (Q)danced[g] before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing (R)a linen ephod. 15 (S)So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, (T)Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. 17 So (U)they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in (V)its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David (W)offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, (X)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 19 (Y)Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.
20 (Z)Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, (AA)uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the (AB)base fellows [h]shamelessly uncovers himself!”
21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, (AC)who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the (AD)people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. 22 And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.”
23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children (AE)to the day of her death.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 6:2 Baalah, Kirjath Jearim, Josh. 15:9; 1 Chr. 13:6
- 2 Samuel 6:2 LXX, Tg., Vg. omit by the Name; many Heb. mss., Syr. there
- 2 Samuel 6:3 LXX adds with the ark
- 2 Samuel 6:6 held it
- 2 Samuel 6:7 Or irreverence
- 2 Samuel 6:8 Lit. Outburst Against Uzzah
- 2 Samuel 6:14 whirled about
- 2 Samuel 6:20 openly
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
