⁵ So David gathered all Israel from the Shihor River near Egypt to the border of Hamath in order to bring Elohim’s ark from Kiriath Jearim.

⁶ David and all Israel went to Baalah in Kiriath Jearim, which is in Judah, to bring Elohim’s ark to Jerusalem. (Yahweh is enthroned over the angels^[a] on the ark where his name is used.) ⁷ David and his men put Elohim’s ark on a new cart from Abinadab’s home. Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart. ⁸ David and all Israel were celebrating in Elohim’s presence with all their might, with songs, with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ But when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor,^[b] the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out to grab the ark. ¹⁰ Yahweh became angry with Uzzah and killed him for reaching for the ark. He died in Elohim’s presence.

¹¹ David was angry because Yahweh had struck Uzzah so violently. (That place is still called Perez Uzzah [The Striking of Uzzah] today.) ¹² David was afraid of Elohim that day. “How can I bring Elohim’s ark to my city?” he asked. ¹³ So he didn’t bring God’s ark to his home, the City of David. Instead, he rerouted it to the home of Obed Edom, who was from Gath. ¹⁴ Elohim’s ark stayed at the home of Obed Edom with his family for three months, and Yahweh blessed Obed Edom’s family and everything he owned.

²⁵ So David, the leaders of Israel, and the army’s commanders joyfully went to get the ark of Yahweh’s promise from Obed Edom’s house. ²⁶ Because Elohim helped the Levites who carried the ark of Yahweh’s promise, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ David was dressed in a fine linen robe, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, the Levites who were singers, and Chenaniah, the leader of the musicians’ prophetic songs. David also wore a linen ephod.^[a]

²⁸ All Israel brought the ark of Yahweh’s promise with shouts of joy and the sounding of rams’ horns, trumpets, cymbals, harps, and lyres. ²⁹ When the ark of Yahweh’s promise came to the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out of a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, so she despised him.

16 The men carrying the ark set it inside the tent David had put up for it. They presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in Elohim’s presence. ² When David had finished sacrificing burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh. ³ He also distributed to every person in Israel—both men and women—a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.

⁴³ Then all the people went home. David went back to bless his family.