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 consulted with the captains of thousands, and of hundreds, [and] with every leader.

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 all the congregation of Israel, If [it seemeth] good to you, and [that it is] of the LORD our God, let us send abroad to our brethren every where, [that are] left in all the land of Israel, and with them [also] to the priests and Levites [who are] in their cities [and] suburbs, that they may assemble 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 again to us the ark of our God: for we inquired not at it in 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 so: for the thing 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 Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim.

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 went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, [that is], to Kirjath-jearim, 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].

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 carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.

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 played before God with all [their] might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and 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 when they came to the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.

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 anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died 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 displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzza: wherefore that place is called Perez-uzza to 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 was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God [home] to me?

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 to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

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 remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had.