The First Book of the Chronicles

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- Chapter 13 -

(2 Samuel 6:1–4)

One day David talked with all his army officers. Some of them were commanders of one hundred soldiers and some were commanders of one thousand soldiers.

Then he summoned the other Israelite 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 us send a message to our fellow Israelites in all the areas of our country, including the priests and descendants of Levi who are living among them in their towns and in the nearby pasturelands, to come and join us,

because we want to bring the sacred chest of our God back to us. While Saul was the king, we did not ask God what we should do.”

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

So David gathered all the Israelite people, from the Shihor River in Egypt to the city of Lebo Hamath in the north, and told them that he wanted them to help bring the sacred chest of God back to Jerusalem from the city of Kiriath Jearim.

David went with all the Israelite people to the city of Baalah, 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, and the sacred chest belongs to Yahweh.

The people put the sacred chest on a new cart and carried it from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the oxen that were pulling the cart.

Uzzah Touches the Ark

(2 Samuel 6:5–11)

David and all the Israelite people were celebrating in God’s presence. They were singing with all their strength, and playing lyres, harps, tambourines, and cymbals, and blowing trumpets.

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.

Yahweh immediately became very angry with Uzzah, and as he was watching, he suddently killed Uzzah. This was because Uzziah had put his hand on the sacred chest, although Yahweh had commanded that only the descendants of Levi who help the priests should touch the sacred chest.

David was angry because Yahweh had punished Uzzah. And now that place where Uzzah died is called “The Punishment of Uzzah.”

That day, David was afraid of God. He asked himself, “How can I bring God’s sacred chest to my city?

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 the city of Gath.

The sacred chest stayed with Obed Edom’s family in his house for three months. During that time Yahweh blessed Obed Edom’s family and everything that he owned.

(2 Samuel 6:1–4)

David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader.

David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is of the LORD our God, let’s send word everywhere to our brothers who are left in all the land of Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have pasture lands, that they may gather themselves to us.

Also, let’s bring the ark of our God back to us again, for we didn’t seek it in the days of Saul.”

All the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor River of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, to bring God’s ark from Kiriath Jearim.

David went up with all Israel to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there God the LORD’s ark that sits above the cherubim, that is called by the Name.

They carried God’s ark on a new cart, and brought it out of Abinadab’s house; and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.

Uzzah Touches the Ark

(2 Samuel 6:5–11)

David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs, with harps, with stringed instruments, with tambourines, with cymbals, and with trumpets.

When they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled.

The LORD’s anger burned against Uzza, and he struck him because he put his hand on the ark; and he died there before God.

David was displeased, because the LORD had broken out against Uzza. He called that place Perez Uzza, to this day.

David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring God’s ark home to me?”

So David didn’t move the ark with him into David’s city, but carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house.

God’s ark remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months; and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom’s house and all that he had.