2 Samuel 6
1 Then David again gathered together all the elect men of Israel, thirty thousand.
Then David chose 30,000 Israeli men and gathered them together.
2 And David arose and went away, with the entire people who were with him from the men of Judah, so that they might lead back the ark of God, over which is invoked the name of the Lord of hosts, who sits upon the cherubim above it.
He led them to the place in Judah [formerly] called Baalah, [now called Kiriath-Jearim]. They went in order to bring from there [to Jerusalem] the sacred chest, which had the name of Yahweh, the leader of the armies of [the angels in] heaven, written on it, and which had the [statues of the] winged creatures on top of it. Between those statues was where Yahweh spoke messages about ruling his people [MTY].
3 And they placed the ark of God on a new cart. And they took it from the house of Abinadab, who was in Gibeon. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
The sacred chest was in the house of Abinadab, on top of a hill. They went there, and they put the chest on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, the two sons of Abinadab, were guiding [the oxen that were pulling the cart].
4 And when they had taken it from the house of Abinadab, who was in Gibeon, Ahio preceded the ark as the keeper of the ark of God.
Uzzah walked alongside the cart, and Ahio walked in front of it.
5 But David and all of Israel played before the Lord on every kind of musical instrument made of wood, and on harps, and lyres, and timbrels, and bells, and cymbals.
David and all the Israeli men were celebrating in God’s presence, singing with all their strength and [playing] lyres and harps, and beating tambourines, and clashing castanets and cymbals.
6 And after they had arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah extended his hand to the ark of God, and he touched it, because the oxen were kicking and had caused it to tip.
But when they came to the place where Nacon threshed grain, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah put his hand on the sacred chest to (steady it/prevent it from falling [off the cart]).
7 And the indignation of the Lord was enraged against Uzzah. And he struck him for his temerity. And there he died, beside the ark of God.
Yahweh immediately became very angry with Uzzah, and he killed him right there alongside the sacred chest, because he had touched the chest, [and Yahweh had commanded that only the descendants of Levi who help the priests should touch the sacred chest].
8 Then David was saddened because the Lord had struck Uzzah. And the name of that place was called: the Striking of Uzzah, even to this day.
David was angry because Yahweh had punished Uzzah. So ever since that time, that place has been called ‘The Punishment of Uzzah’.
9 And David was very fearful of the Lord on that day, saying, “How shall the ark of the Lord be brought to me?”
David was [also] afraid of [what else] Yahweh [would do to punish them], so he said, “(How can I take the sacred chest with me [to Jerusalem]?/I am afraid to take the sacred chest with me [to Jerusalem].)” [RHQ]
10 And he was not willing to send the ark of the Lord to himself in the city of David. Instead, he sent it into the house of Obededom, the Gittite.
So he did not want to take the sacred chest to Jerusalem. Instead, they took it to another place; they took it to the house of Obed-Edom, from Gath [city].
11 And the ark of the Lord dwelt in the house of Obededom the Gittite, for three months. And the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household.
They left the sacred chest in the house of Obed-Edom for three months, and [during that time] Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom and his family.
12 And it was reported to king David that the Lord had blessed Obededom, and all that was his, because of the ark of God. Therefore, David went and brought the ark of God, from the house of Obededom, into the city of David with joy. And there were with David seven choirs, and calves for victims.
Later, people told David, “Yahweh has blessed Obed-Edom and his family because [he is taking care] of the sacred chest!” When David heard that, he [and some other men] went to Obed-Edom’s house, and very joyfully brought the sacred chest from there to Jerusalem.
13 And when those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had traveled six steps, he immolated an ox and a ram.
[This time, descendants of Levi] were carrying the sacred chest, but when they had walked only six steps, they stopped, and there David killed a bull and a fat calf, and offered them to Yahweh for a sacrifice.
14 And David danced with all his ability before the Lord. And David was girded with the linen ephod.
David was wearing [only] a linen cloth wrapped around his waist, and was dancing very energetically to honor Yahweh.
15 And David, and all the house of Israel, were leading the ark of the testament of the Lord, with jubilation and the sound of the trumpet.
David and the Israeli men took the sacred chest up [to Jerusalem], shouting [loudly] and blowing trumpets.
16 And when the ark of the Lord had entered into the city of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looking out through a window, saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord. And she despised him in her heart.
While they were carrying the sacred chest into the city, [David’s wife] Michal, who was Saul’s daughter, looked out the window [of her house]. She saw King David leaping and dancing to honor Yahweh. So she was disgusted with him.
17 And they led in the ark of the Lord. And they set it in its place in the middle of the tabernacle, which David had pitched for it. And David offered holocausts and peace offerings in the sight of the Lord.
They brought the sacred chest into the tent that David had erected for it. Then David gave to Yahweh offerings to be completely burned [on an altar], and other offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh.
18 And when he had completed offering holocausts and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
When David had finished offering those sacrifices, he asked Yahweh, the Commander of the armies [of the angels], to bless the people.
19 And he distributed to the entire multitude of Israel, as much to men as to women, to each one: one loaf of bread, and one piece of roasted beef, and fine wheat flour fried with oil. And all the people went away, each one to his own house.
He also distributed food to all the people. To each Israeli man and woman he gave a loaf of bread, some meat, and a raisin cake. Then all the people returned to their homes.
20 And David returned, so that he might bless his own house. And Michal, the daughter of Saul, going out to meet David, said: “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself before the handmaids of his servants, and being unclothed, as if one of the performers were unclothed.”
When David went home to [ask Yahweh to] bless his family, his wife Michal came out to meet him. She said to him, “Maybe you, the king of Israel, [think that you] [IRO] were honoring yourself today, but really, you acted like a fool, uncovering yourself while the female servants of your officials were watching!”
21 And David said to Michal: “Before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father, and rather than his entire house, and who commanded me, that I should be the leader over the people of the Lord in Israel,
David replied to Michal, “[I was doing that] to honor Yahweh, who chose me instead of your father and other members of his family, to be the king of the Israeli people, the people who belong to Yahweh. And I will [continue to] dance to honor Yahweh!
22 I will both play and demean myself, more so than I have done. And I will be little in my own eyes. And with the handmaids, about whom you are speaking, I will appear more glorious.”
[Even though you think that what I did] was disgraceful, I will continue to do it even more. You may despise me [because of what I did], but the women whom you were talking about will honor me!”
23 And so, there was no child born to Michal, the daughter of Saul, even to the day of her death.
[As a result, ] Saul’s daughter Michal never gave birth to any children.
