2 Samuel 6

1Once again David gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all.

2David and all the people who were with him set out from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of Yahweh of Armies, who is enthroned above the cherubim.

3They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart.

4So they brought it, with the ark of God, out of the house of Abinadab on the hill, and Ahio was walking in front of the ark.

5David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating before Yahweh with all kinds of instruments made of cypress wood, with lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles, and cymbals.

6When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen stumbled.

7Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverent act, and he died there beside the ark of God.

8David was angry because Yahweh had broken out against Uzzah, and he called that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.

9David was afraid of Yahweh that day and said, “How can the ark of Yahweh ever come to me?”

10So David was not willing to move the ark of Yahweh to be with him in the City of David. Instead, David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

11The ark of Yahweh stayed in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and Yahweh blessed Obed-edom and his whole household.

12King David was told, “Yahweh has blessed the household of Obed-edom and everything he has because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with rejoicing.

13When those carrying the ark of Yahweh had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.

14David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before Yahweh with all his might.

15So David and the whole house of Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh with shouts and the sound of the ram’s horn.

16As the ark of Yahweh was coming into the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked down from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart.

17They brought in the ark of Yahweh and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh.

18When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of Armies.

19Then he distributed to all the people, the whole crowd of Israel, both men and women, to each one a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake. Then all the people went home.

20When David returned to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, exposing himself today in front of his servants’ slave girls, the way a worthless fellow shamelessly exposes himself!”

21David said to Michal, “It was before Yahweh, who chose me over your father and over all his house and appointed me ruler over Yahweh’s people Israel. So I will celebrate before Yahweh.

22I will make myself even less dignified than this, and I will be humble in my own eyes. But by the slave girls you spoke of, by them I will be held in honor.”

23And Michal daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.