2 Samuel 6:1-15

English Standard Version

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

6 ^(A)David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^(B)Baale-judah ^(C)to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts ^(D)who sits enthroned on the cherubim. ³ And they carried the ark of God ^(E)on a new cart and brought it ^(F)out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio,^[a] the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, ⁴ with the ark of God,^[b] and Ahio went before the ark.

Uzzah and the Ark

⁵ And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with ^(G)songs^[c] and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. ⁶ And when they came to the threshing floor of ^(H)Nacon, Uzzah ^(I)put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. ⁷ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and ^(J)God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. ⁸ And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah^[d] to this day. ⁹ And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside ^(K)to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, ^(L)and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹² And 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.” ^(M)So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom ^(N)to the city of David with rejoicing. ¹³ And when ^(O)those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, ^(P)he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. ¹⁴ And David ^(Q)danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was ^(R)wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.