David Fetches the Ark (2 Samuel 6:1–4)
1 UDB One day, David talked with all of his army officers. Some of them were commanders of one hundred soldiers, and some of them were commanders of one thousand soldiers. BSB BSB: Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds.
2 UDB 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 BSB BSB: And he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers in all the land of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands, so that they may join us.
3 UDB 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." BSB BSB: Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in the days of Saul.”
4 UDB All the people agreed with David because they all thought that it was the right thing to do. BSB BSB: And because this proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it.
5 UDB 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. BSB BSB: So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
6 UDB 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 were above the lid of the sacred chest, and the sacred chest belongs to Yahweh. BSB BSB: David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.
7 UDB 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. BSB BSB: So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.
Uzzah Touches the Ark (2 Samuel 6:5–11)
8 UDB 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. BSB BSB: David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
9 UDB 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. BSB BSB: When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled.
11 UDB David was angry because Yahweh had punished Uzzah. And now that place where Uzzah died is called "The Punishment of Uzzah." BSB BSB: Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
12 UDB That day, David was afraid of God. He asked himself, "How can I bring God's sacred chest to my city?" BSB BSB: That day David feared God and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”
13 UDB 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. BSB BSB: So he did not move the ark with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
14 UDB 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. BSB BSB: Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.
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