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20 When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house,[a] Michal, Saul’s daughter, came out to meet him.[b] She said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished[c] himself this day! He has exposed himself today before his servants’ slave girls the way a vulgar fool[d] might do!”

21 David replied to Michal, “It was before the Lord! I was celebrating before the Lord, who chose me over your father and his entire family[e] and appointed me as leader over the Lord’s people Israel. 22 I am willing to shame and humiliate myself even more than this.[f] But with the slave girls whom you mentioned, let me be distinguished.” 23 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, had no children to the day of her death.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 6:20 tn Heb “and David returned to bless his house.”
  2. 2 Samuel 6:20 tn Heb “David.” The name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  3. 2 Samuel 6:20 tn Heb “honored.”
  4. 2 Samuel 6:20 tn Heb “one of the foolish ones.”
  5. 2 Samuel 6:21 tn Heb “all his house”; CEV “anyone else in your family.”
  6. 2 Samuel 6:22 tn Heb “and I will shame myself still more than this and I will be lowly in my eyes.”

20 Then David returned to bless his household. But [his wife] Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How glorious and distinguished was the king of Israel today, [a]who uncovered himself and stripped [off his kingly robes] in the eyes of his servants’ maids like one of the riffraff who shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord [that I did this], who chose me above your father and all his house, to appoint me as ruler over Israel, the people of the Lord. Therefore I will celebrate [in pure enjoyment] before the Lord. 22 Yet I will demean myself even more than this, and will be humbled (abased) in my own sight [and yours, as I please], but by the maids whom you mentioned, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 Michal the daughter of Saul had no [b]child to the day of her death.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 6:20 Instead of royal apparel, David dressed himself in a priest’s linen ephod.
  2. 2 Samuel 6:23 At this time being childless was a social stigma and often considered an act of divine judgment. Her failure to produce a child prevented Saul’s line from being continued through David.