1 Chronicles 13

1 [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.

And David took counsel with the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, [even with] every commander.

2 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,

And David said to the whole congregation of Israel, If it [seem] good to you, and it should be prospered by the Lord our God, let us send to our brethren that are left in all the land of Israel, and let the priests the Levites who are with them in the cities of their possession [come], and let them be gathered to us.

3 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.”

And let us bring over to us the ark of our God; for men have not enquired [at] it since the days of Saul.

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

And all the congregation said that they would do thus; for the saying was right in the eyes of all the people.

5 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].

So David assembled all Israel, from the borders of Egypt even to the entering in of Hemath, to bring in the ark of God from the city of Jarim.

6 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].

And David brought it up: and all Israel went up to the city of David, which belonged to Juda, to bring up thence the ark of the Lord God who sits between the cherubim, whose name is called [on it].

7 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].

And they set the ark of God on a new waggon [brought] out of the house of Aminadab: and Oza and his brethren drove the waggon.

8 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.

And David and all Israel [were] playing before the Lord with all their might, and [that] together with singers, and with harps, and with lutes, with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

9 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.

And they came as far as the threshing floor: and Oza put forth his hand to hold the ark, because the bullock moved it from [its place].

10 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].

And the Lord was very angry with Oza, and struck him there, because of his stretching forth his hand upon the ark: and he died there before God.

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

And David was dispirited, because the Lord [had] made a breach on Oza: and he called that place the Breach of Oza until this day.

12 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]

And David feared God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God in to myself?

13 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].

So David brought not the ark home to himself into the city of David, but he turned it aside into the house of Abeddara the Gethite.

14 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.

And the ark of God abode in the house of Abeddara three months: and God blessed Abeddara and all that he had.