Chapter 13

David Fetches the Ark

2 Samuel 6:1–4

¹Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands. ²And he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers in all the land of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands, so that they may join us. ³Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him^a in the days of Saul.”

⁴And because this proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it. ⁵So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor^b in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

⁶David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.^{c 7}So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.

Uzzah Touches the Ark

2 Samuel 6:5–11

⁸David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon,^d Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled. ¹⁰And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

¹¹Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah,^e as it is called to this day.

¹²That day David feared God and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” ¹³So he did not move the ark with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹⁴Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.