The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(A)

6 Again David gathered all of the chosen men in Israel, thirty thousand. ² David and all of the people who were with him arose and went from Baalah of Judah to bring up the ark of God, so named for the name of the Lord of Hosts who sits enthroned among the cherubim that are upon it. ³ They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab were driving the new cart. ⁴ They brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on the hill, and Ahio was walking in front of the ark. ⁵ Meanwhile, David and the entire house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all sorts of instruments made of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ The Lord became angry against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence. He died there beside the ark of God.

⁸ David became angry because of the outburst of the Lord against Uzzah; that place is called Perez Uzzah to this day.

⁹ David feared the Lord that day, and he thought, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ So David did not allow the ark of the Lord to be brought to him in the City of David. Instead, David redirected it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the Lord remained at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his entire household.