1 Chronicles 13

1 And Dauid counselled with the captaines of thousandes and of hundreths, and with all the gouernours.

[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 Dauid said to all the Congregation of Israel, If it seeme good to you, and that it proceedeth of the Lord our God, we will sende to and from vnto our brethren, that are left in all the lande of Israel (for with them are the Priests and the Leuites in the cities and their suburbes) that they may assemble them selues vnto vs.

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 we will bring againe the Arke of our God to vs: for we sought not vnto it in the dayes 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 all the Congregation answered, Let vs doe so: for the thing seemed good in the eyes of all the people.

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

5 So Dauid gathered all Israel together from Shihor in Egypt, euen vnto the entring of Hamath, to bring the Arke of God from Kiriath-iearim.

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 Dauid went vp and all Israel to Baalath, in Kiriath-iearim, that was in Iudah, to bring vp from thence the Arke of God the Lord that dwelleth betweene the Cherubims, where his Name is called on.

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 caryed the Arke of God in a newe cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Vzza and Ahio guided 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 And Dauid and all Israel played before God with all their might, both with songes and with harpes, and with violes, and with timbrels and with cymbales and with 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 came vnto the thresshing floore of Chidon, Vzza put forth his hand to holde the Arke, for the oxen did shake it.

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 But the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Vzza, and he smote him, because he layed his hande vpon the Arke: so he dyed 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 And Dauid was angrie, because the Lord had made a breach in Vzza, and he called the name of that place Perez-vzza vnto 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 And Dauid feared God that day, saying, Howe shall I bring in to me the Arke of God?

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 Therefore Dauid brought not the Arke to him into the citie of Dauid, but caused it to turne into 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 So the Arke of God remained in the house of Obed Edom, euen in his house three moneths: and the Lord blessed the house of Obed Edom, 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.