1 Chronicles 13
1 And David consulteth with the heads of the thousands, and of the hundreds, 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 saith to all the assembly of Israel, 'If unto you it be good, and from Jehovah our God it hath broken forth — we send unto our brethren, those left in all the lands of Israel, and with them the priests and the Levites, in the cities of their suburbs, and they are gathered 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 we bring round the ark of our God unto us, for we sought Him not 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 assembly say to do so, for the thing is 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 And David assembleth all Israel from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering in of Hamath, to bring in the ark of God from Kirjath-Jearim,
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 goeth up, and all Israel, to Baalah, unto Kirjath-Jearim that [is] to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God Jehovah, inhabiting the cherubs, where the 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 place the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio are leading 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 David and all Israel are playing before God, with all strength, and with songs, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, 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 they come in unto the threshing-floor of Chidon, and Uzza putteth forth his hand to seize the ark, for the oxen were released,
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 Jehovah is kindled against Uzza, and He smiteth him, because that he hath put forth his hand on the ark, and he dieth 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 is displeasing to David, because Jehovah hath made a breach upon Uzza, and one calleth that place 'Breach of Uzza' unto 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 feareth God on that day, saying, 'How do I bring in unto 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 And David hath not turned aside the ark unto himself, unto the city of David, and turneth it aside unto 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 dwelleth with the household of Obed-Edom, in his house, three months, and Jehovah blesseth the house of Obed-Edom, and all that he hath.
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.
