1 Chronicles 13

1 [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.

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

2 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,

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 Eretz-Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have pasture lands, that they may gather themselves to us.

3 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.”

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

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

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

5 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].

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.

6 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].

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.

7 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].

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

8 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.

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 shofars.

9 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.

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

10 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].

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

11 David was angry because Yahweh had punished [MTY] Uzzah. And now that place [where Uzzah died] is called ‘The Punishment of Uzzah’.

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

12 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]

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

13 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].

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

14 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.

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.