Old/New Testament

The Ark of the Covenant Brought from Kiriath-Jearim

13 And David consulted with the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with every leader. ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you^[a] and before Yahweh our God, let us send word abroad^[b] to our brothers who remain in all the land of Israel and to the priests and Levites with them in the cities with their pasturelands that they might be gathered to us. ³ Then let us bring around the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” ⁴ And all the assembly agreed to do so, for the word was pleasing in the eyes of all the people.

⁵ And David summoned all Israel from Shihor of Egypt up to Lebo-Hamath to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-Jearim. ⁶ And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, Kiriath-Jearim of Judah, to bring up from there the ark of Yahweh God who is enthroned between the cherubim, which is called the name. ⁷ And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio were driving the cart.

⁸ Now David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their strength, and with songs, lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. ⁹ And when they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzza reached out his hand to hold the ark because the cattle had stumbled. ¹⁰ And Yahweh was angry^[c] with Uzza, and he struck him down because he reached his hand upon the ark. And he died there before God. ¹¹ And David was angry^[d] because Yahweh had broken out in wrath against Uzza. And that place is called Perez Uzza unto this day. ¹² And David feared God on that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” ¹³ So David did not move the ark to himself into the city of David but diverted it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹⁴ And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And Yahweh blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

David’s Wives and Children

14 And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David and cedar trees, masons,^[e] and carpenters^[f] to build a house for him. ² And David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel. ³ And David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters. ⁴ Now these are the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

⁸ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard and went out from before them. ⁹ Now the Philistines came and carried out a raid in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ Then David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you put them into my hand?” And Yahweh said to him, “Go up. I will put them into your hand.” ¹¹ And he went up to Baal-Perazim, and David struck them there. And David said, “God has burst out against my enemies by my hand like waters burst out.” Therefore they will call the name of this place Baal-Perazim. ¹² And they abandoned their gods there. And David commanded, and they were burnt with fire. ¹³ Then the Philistines carried out another raid^[g] in the valley. ¹⁴ Then David inquired again of God. And God said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Go around from before them and come against them the opposite way of the balsam trees. ¹⁵ And it shall be that when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out into battle, for God goes out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ¹⁶ And David did as God commanded him, and they struck the camp of the Philistines from Gibeon to Gezer. ¹⁷ And the fame of David went out through all the lands. And Yahweh put the fear of him upon all the nations.

David’s Wives and Children

15 And David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he established a place for the ark of God. And he pitched a tent for it. ² Then David ordered that none except the Levites should carry the ark of God, for Yahweh had chosen them to carry the ark of Yahweh and to serve him forever. ³ And David gathered all Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of Yahweh to its place that he had established for it. ⁴ And David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites. ⁵ Of the sons of Kohath: Uriel the chief and one hundred and twenty of his brothers. ⁶ Of the sons of Merari: Asaiah the chief and two hundred and twenty of his brothers. ⁷ Of the sons of Gershom: Joel the chief and one hundred and thirty of his brothers. ⁸ Of the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the chief and two hundred of his brothers. ⁹ Of the sons of Hebron: Eliel the chief and eighty of his brothers. ¹⁰ Of the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab the chief and one hundred and twelve of his brothers. ¹¹ Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² And he said to them, “You are the heads of the families^[h] for the Levites. Sanctify yourselves and your brothers and bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place I have established for it. ¹³ Because the first time you did not, and Yahweh our God burst out against us, for we did not care for it according to the law.” ¹⁴ Then the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the sons of the Levites carried the ark of God according to what Moses commanded, according to the word of Yahweh, on their shoulders with the carrying poles upon them.

¹⁶ Then David ordered the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers with instruments of song, musical instruments, stringed instruments, and cymbals, raising their voices for joy.^{[i] 17} So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, and from his brothers, Asaph the son of Berekiah, and from the sons of Merari, their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; ¹⁸ and with them their brothers of the second rank, Zechariah the son, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-Edom and Jeiel. ¹⁹ Now the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound bronze cymbals; ²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play on harps according to Alamoth; ²¹ and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to play lyres, directing according to the Sheminith. ²² And Kenaniah, chief of the Levites in singing, was to be an instructor in singing because he understood. ²³ And Berekiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. ²⁴ And Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Elizezer the priests sounded the trumpets^[j] before the ark of God. And Obed-Edom and Jehiah were gatekeepers for the ark.

²⁵ And it happened that David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. ²⁶ And it happened that when God helped the Levites carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen; so also all the Levites who were carrying the ark, the singers, and Kenaniah the chief of the singing. And David wore a linen ephod. ²⁸ And all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with shouting, with the sound of a shofar,^[k] and with trumpets and cymbals, making loud music with musical instruments and stringed instruments.

²⁹ And when the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came into the city of David, then Michal the daughter of Saul looked down from the window and saw the king, David, leaping and dancing. And she despised him in her heart.

Jesus’ Brothers Do Not Believe in Him

7 And after these things Jesus was going about in Galilee. For he did not want to go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. ² Now the feast of the Jews—the feast of Tabernacles—was near. ³ So his brothers said to him, “Depart from here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also can see your works that you are doing. ⁴ For no one does anything in secret and yet he himself desires to be publicly recognized.^[a] If you are doing these things, reveal yourself to the world!” ⁵ (For not even his brothers believed in him.)

Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles

⁶ So Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it, that its deeds are evil. ⁸ You go up to the feast. I am not^[b] going up to this feast, because my time is not yet completed.^{[c] 9} And when he^[d] had said these things, he remained in Galilee.

¹⁰ But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not openly, but (as it were) in secret. ¹¹ So the Jews were looking for him at the feast, and were saying, “Where is he?” ¹² And there was a lot of grumbling concerning him among the crowds; some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others were saying, “No, but he deceives the crowd.” ¹³ However, no one was speaking openly about him for fear of the Jews.

¹⁴ Now when the feast was already half over,^[e] Jesus went to the temple courts^[f] and began to teach.^{[g] 15} Then the Jews were astonished, saying, “How does this man possess knowledge,^[h] because he^[i] has not been taught?” ¹⁶ So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not mine, but is from the one who sent me. ¹⁷ If anyone wants to do his will, he will know about my^[j] teaching, whether it is from God or I am speaking from myself. ¹⁸ The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But the one who seeks the glory of the one who sent him—this one is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him. ¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law, and none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”

²⁰ The crowd replied, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” ²¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “I performed one work, and you are all astonished. ²² Because of this Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. ²³ If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses would not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a whole man well^[k] on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Do not judge according to outward appearance, but judge according to righteous judgment!”

Is Jesus the Christ?

²⁵ Then some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem began to say,^[l] “Is this not the one whom they are seeking to kill? ²⁶ And behold, he is speaking openly and they are saying nothing to him! Can it be that the rulers truly know that this man is the Christ? ²⁷ Yet we know where this man is from, but the Christ, whenever he comes—no one knows where he is from!”