The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

1David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.  2And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.  3And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart,  4with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.

Uzzah and the Ark

5And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.  6And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.  7And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.  8And David was angry because the Lord had burst forth against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day.  9And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”  10So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.  11And 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 household.

12And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.  13And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal.  14And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.  15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

David and Michal

16As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.  17And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.  18And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts  19and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.

20And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”  21And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will make merry before the Lord.  22I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.”  23And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.