2 Samuel 6:1-11

International Children’s Bible

The Ark of the Covenant Is Brought to Jerusalem

6 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel. There were 30,000 of them. ² Then David and all his people went to Baalah in Judah.^[a] They took the Ark of the Covenant of God from Baalah in Judah and moved it to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant is called by the Name, the name of the Lord of heaven’s armies. His throne is between the gold creatures with wings that are on the Ark of the Covenant. ³ David’s men put the Ark of the Covenant of God on a new cart. Then they brought the Ark of the Covenant out of Abinadab’s house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, led the new cart. ⁴ This cart had the Ark of the Covenant of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of it. ⁵ David and all the Israelites were playing all kinds of musical instruments before the Lord. They were made of pine wood. There were lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.

⁶ When David’s men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled. The Ark of the Covenant of God began to fall off the cart. So Uzzah reached out and took hold of it. ⁷ The Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him. Uzzah had not honored God when he touched the Ark of the Covenant. So Uzzah died there beside it. ⁸ David was angry because the Lord had killed Uzzah. So that place is called The Punishment of Uzzah even today.

⁹ David was afraid of the Lord that day. He said, “How can the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord come to me now?” ¹⁰ So David would not move the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to be with him in Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom, a man from Gath. ¹¹ The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stayed in Obed-Edom’s house for three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.