1 Chronicles 13

1 Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands.

[One day] David talked with all his army officers. Some of them were commanders of 100 soldiers and some were commanders of 1,000 soldiers.

2 And 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.

Then he summoned the other Israeli leaders and said to all of them, “If it seems to you to be a good thing for us to do, and if it is what Yahweh our God wants, let’s send a message to our fellow Israelis in all the areas of our country, including the priests and [other] descendants of Levi who are living among them in their towns and in the nearby pasturelands, to come and join us,

3 Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in the days of Saul.”

because we want to bring the Sacred Chest of our God back to us. While Saul [was the king], we did not go to God’s presence to ask him what we should do.”

4 And because this proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it.

All the people agreed with David, because they all thought that it was the right thing to do.

5 So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

So David gathered all the Israeli people, from the Shihor [River] in Egypt to Lebo-Hamath [town in the north, and told them that he wanted them] to [help] bring the Sacred Chest of God [back to Jerusalem] from Kiriath-Jearim [city].

6 David 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.

David went with all the Israeli people to Baalah [town], which is [another name for] Kiriath-Jearim, to get the Sacred Chest. [The people believed that] God ruled from between the statues of winged creatures that was above the lid of the Sacred Chest [MTY].

7 So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.

The people put the Sacred Chest on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding [the oxen that were pulling the cart].

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

David and all the Israeli people were celebrating in God’s presence with all their strength. They were singing and [playing] lyres, harps, tambourines, and cymbals, and [blowing] trumpets.

9 When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled.

But when David’s men came to the place where Kidon threshed grain, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out with his hand to prevent the Sacred Chest from falling off the cart.

10 And 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.

Yahweh immediately became very angry with Uzzah, and he caused Uzzah to suddenly die there because he had put his hand on the Sacred Chest, [and Yahweh had commanded that only the descendants of Levi who help the priests should touch the Sacred Chest].

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

David was angry because Yahweh had punished [MTY] Uzzah. And now that place [where Uzzah died] is called ‘The Punishment of Uzzah’.

12 That day David feared God and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”

That day, David was afraid of God. He asked [himself], “(How can I bring God’s Sacred Chest to my [city]?/I am afraid to bring God’s Sacred Chest to my [city].)” [RHQ]

13 So 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.

So the men with David did not take the Sacred Chest to Jerusalem. Instead, they took it to the house of Obed-Edom, who was from Gath [city].

14 Thus 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.

The Sacred Chest stayed with Obed-Edom’s family in his house for three months. And [during that time] Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom’s family and everything that he owned.