2 Samuel 6
6
God’s chest is brought to Jerusalem
1Once again David assembled the select warriors of Israel, thirty thousand strong. 2David and all the troops who were with him set out for Baalah, which is Kiriath-jearim of Judah,#6.2 DSS (4QSama), 1 Chron 13:6; MT from Baale-judah to bring God’s chest up from there—the chest that is called by the name#6.2 MT repeats name, but 1 Chron 13:6 omits one of these and LXX reads the first as there. of the LORD of heavenly forces, who sits enthroned on the winged creatures. 3They loaded God’s chest on a new cart and carried it from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were driving the new cart. 4#6.4 LXX, DSS (4QSama), 1 Chron 13:7; MT repeats they carried it from the house of Abinadab on the hill; Uzzah has dropped out and must be restored.Uzzah was beside God’s chest while Ahio was walking in front of it. 5Meanwhile, David and the entire house of Israel celebrated in the LORD’s presence with all their strength, with songs,#6.5 LXX, DSS (4QSama), 1 Chron 13:8; MT with all sorts of pine instruments zithers, harps, tambourines, rattles, and cymbals.
6When they approached Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to God’s chest and grabbed it because the oxen had stumbled.#6.6 Heb uncertain 7The LORD became angry at Uzzah, and God struck him there because of his mistake,#6.7 Heb uncertain; LXX lacks this phrase; cf Targ, Syr, 1 Chron 13:10 because he had placed his hand on the chest. and he died there next to God’s chest. 8Then David got angry because the LORD’s anger lashed out against Uzzah, and so that place is called Perez-uzzah today.#6.8 Perez-uzzah means Uzzah-outbreak; cf 2 Sam 5:20.
9David was frightened by the LORD that day. “How will I ever bring the LORD’s chest to me?” he asked. 10So David didn’t take the chest away with him to David’s City. Instead, he had it put in the house of Obed-edom, who was from Gath. 11The LORD’s chest stayed with Obed-edom’s household in Gath for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom’s household and all that he had.
12King David was told, “The LORD has blessed Obed-edom’s family and everything he has because of God’s chest being there.”#6.12 Heb lacks being there. So David went and brought God’s chest up from Obed-edom’s house to David’s City with celebration. 13Whenever those bearing the chest advanced six steps, David sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf. 14David, dressed in a linen priestly vest,#6.14 Heb ephod danced with all his strength before the LORD. 15This is how David and the entire house of Israel brought up the LORD’s chest with shouts and trumpet blasts.
16As the LORD’s chest entered David’s City, Saul’s daughter Michal was watching from a window. She saw King David jumping and dancing before the LORD, and she lost all respect for him.#6.16 Or despised him for it
17The LORD’s chest was brought in and put in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered entirely burned offerings in the LORD’s presence in addition to well-being sacrifices. 18When David finished offering the entirely burned offerings and the well-being sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of heavenly forces. 19He distributed food among all the people of Israel—to the whole crowd, male and female—each receiving a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. Then all the people went back to their homes.
20David went home to bless his household, but Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How did Israel’s king honor himself today?” she said. “By exposing himself in plain view of the female servants of his subjects like any indecent person would!”
21David replied to Michal, “I was celebrating before the LORD, who chose me over your father and his entire family, and who appointed me leader over the LORD’s people, over Israel—and I will celebrate before the LORD again! 22I may humiliate myself even more, and I may be humbled in my own eyes, but I will be honored by the female servants you are talking about!”
23Michal, Saul’s daughter, had no children to the day she died.
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2 Samuel 6: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
2 Samuel 6
6
David Brings the Sacred Chest Back to Jerusalem
(1 Chronicles 13.1-14; 15.1—16.3,43)
1David brought together 30,000 of Israel's best soldiers and 2#Ex 25.22. led them to Baalah in Judah, which was also called Kiriath-Jearim. They were going there#6.2 to Baalah … there: The Dead Sea Scrolls and 1 Chronicles 13.6; the Standard Hebrew Text “from Baalah in Judah. They had gone there.” to get the sacred chest and bring it back to Jerusalem. The throne of the Lord All-Powerful is above the winged creatures#6.2 winged creatures: Two golden statues of winged creatures were on top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the Lord's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18). on top of this chest, and he is worshiped there.#6.2 he is worshiped there: Or “the chest belongs to him.”
3 #
1 S 7.1,2. They put the sacred chest on a new ox cart and started bringing it down the hill from Abinadab's house. Abinadab's sons Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the ox cart, 4with Ahio#6.3,4 Ahio … Ahio: Or “his brother … his brother.” walking in front of it. 5Some of the people of Israel were playing music on small harps and other stringed instruments, and on tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. David and the others were happy, and they danced for the Lord with all their might.
6But when they came to Nacon's threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled, so Uzzah reached out and took hold of the sacred chest. 7The Lord God was very angry with Uzzah for doing this, and he killed Uzzah right there beside the chest.
8David got angry with God for killing Uzzah. He named that place “Bursting Out Against Uzzah,”#6.8 Bursting … Uzzah: Or “Perez-Uzzah.” and that's what it's still called.
9David was afraid of the Lord and thought, “Should I really take the sacred chest to my city?” 10He decided not to take it there. Instead, he turned off the road and took it to the home of Obed Edom, who was from Gath.#6.10 Gath: Or perhaps, “Gittaim.”
11-12 #
1 Ch 26.4,5. The chest stayed there for three months, and the Lord greatly blessed Obed Edom, his family, and everything he owned. Then someone told King David, “The Lord has done this because the sacred chest is in Obed Edom's house.”
At once, David went to Obed Edom's house to get the chest and bring it to David's City. Everyone was celebrating. 13The people carrying the chest walked six steps, then David sacrificed an ox and a choice cow. 14He was dancing for the Lord with all his might, but he wore only a linen cloth.#6.14 only a linen cloth: The Hebrew word is “ephod,” which can mean either a piece of clothing like a skirt that went from the waist to the knee or a garment like a vest or a jacket that only the priests wore. 15He and everyone else were celebrating by shouting and blowing horns while the chest was being carried along.
16Saul's daughter Michal looked out her window and watched the chest being brought into David's City. But when she saw David jumping and dancing for the Lord, she was disgusted.
17They put the chest inside a tent that David had set up for it. David worshiped the Lord by sacrificing animals and burning them on an altar,#6.17 sacrificing … altar: The Hebrew mentions two kinds of sacrifices. In one kind of sacrifice, the whole animal was burned on the altar. In the other kind, only part was burned, and the worshipers ate the rest, as in verse 19 (see Leviticus 1.2-17; 3.1-17). 18then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. 19#1 Ch 16.43. He gave all the men and women in the crowd a small loaf of bread, some meat, and a handful of raisins, then everyone went home.
Michal Talks to David
20David went home so he could ask the Lord to bless his family. But Saul's daughter Michal went out and started yelling at him. “You were really great today!” she said. “You acted like a dirty old man, dancing around half-naked in front of your servants' slave-girls.”
21David told her, “The Lord didn't choose your father or anyone else in your family to be the leader of his people. The Lord chose me, and I was celebrating in honor of him. 22I'll show you just how great I can be! I'll even be disgusting to myself. But those slave-girls you talked about will still honor me!”
23Michal never had any children.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.