2 Samuel 6

1 And David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

Then David chose 30,000 Israeli men and gathered them together.

2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him, from Baale Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, which is called by the Name, even the name of the LORD of hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim.

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 set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave 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 they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

Uzzah walked alongside the cart, and Ahio walked in front of it.

5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD with all manner of [instruments made of] fir wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with castanets, and with 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 when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled.

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 anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by 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 And David was displeased, because the LORD had broken forth upon Uzzah: and he called that place Perez-uzzah, unto 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 afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, How shall the ark of the LORD come unto 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 So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom 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 remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his house.

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 told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth to him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy.

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 it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

[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 before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

David was wearing [only] a linen cloth wrapped around his waist, and was dancing very energetically to honor Yahweh.

15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

David and the Israeli men took the sacred chest up [to Jerusalem], shouting [loudly] and blowing trumpets.

16 And it was so, as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and 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 brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before 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 David had made an end of offering the burnt offering and the 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 dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a portion [of flesh], and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed every one to his 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 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

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 unto Michal, [It was] before the LORD, which chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.

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 And I will be yet more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: but of the handmaids which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

[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 Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

[As a result, ] Saul’s daughter Michal never gave birth to any children.