1 Chronicles 13

1 Then David took counsel with the tribunes, and the centurions, and all the leaders.

[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 entire assembly of Israel: “If it pleases you, and if the words that I speak come from the Lord our God, let us send to the remainder of our brothers, in all the regions of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who live in the suburbs of the cities, so that they may gather to 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 And let us bring back the ark of our God to us. For we did not seek it during 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 the entire multitude responded that it should be done. For the word had pleased all the people.

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

5 Therefore, David gathered all of Israel, from Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, so as 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 And David ascended with all the men of Israel to the hill of Kiriath-jearim, which is in Judah, so that he might bring from there the ark of the Lord God, sitting upon the Cherubim, where his name is invoked.

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 And they placed the ark of God upon a new cart from the house of Abinadab. Then Uzzah and his brother drove 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 Now David and all of Israel were playing before God, with all of their ability, in songs, and with harps, and psalteries, and timbrels, and 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 And when they had arrived at the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out his hand, so that he might support the ark. For indeed, the ox being wanton had caused it to incline a little.

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 so the Lord became angry against Uzzah. And he struck him down because he had touched the ark. And he died there before the Lord.

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 And David was greatly saddened because the Lord had divided Uzzah. And he called that place ‘the Division of Uzzah,’ even to the present day.

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

12 And then he feared God, at that time, saying: “How will I be able to bring in the ark of God to myself?”

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 And for this reason, he did not bring it to himself, that is, into the City of David. Instead, he turned aside to the house of Obededom, 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 Therefore, the ark of God dwelt in the house of Obededom for three months. And the Lord blessed his house and all that he had.

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.