1 Chronicles 13
1 And David consulted with the officers of the thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.
[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 David said unto all the congregation of Israel, if it seem good unto you, and if it be of the Lord our God, let us send widely about unto our brethren who are left in all the lands of Israel, and with them unto the priests and Levites who are in their cities and open districts, that they may gather themselves together unto 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 round the ark of our God to us; for we have inquired not at it 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 all the congregation said that this should be done; for the king was right 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 David assembled all Israel together, from Shichor of Egypt even unto the entrance of Chemath, to bring the ark of God from Kiryath-ye'arim.
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 went up, with all Israel, to Ba'alah, [that is] to Kiryath-ye'arim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the Lord, that dwelleth between the cherubim, whose name is called [on it].
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 conveyed the ark of God in a new wagon out of the house of Abinadab: and 'Uzza and Achyo guided the wagon.
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 David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and on harps, and on psalteries, and on tambourines, and with cymbals, 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 as far as the threshing-floor of Kidon, 'Uzza put forth his hand to take hold of the ark; for the oxen shook 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 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against 'Uzza, and he smote him, because he had put forth his hand toward the ark: and 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 And it was grievious to David, because the Lord had suddenly taken away 'Uzza; and he called that place Perez-'uzza [[Breach of 'Uzza]] until 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 David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring home to me the ark 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 So David removed not the ark unto himself into the city of David, but had it carried round 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 And the ark of God remained in the house of 'Obed-edom, in his house, three months. And the Lord blessed the house of 'Obed-edom, and all that belonged to him.
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.
