2 Samuel 6:1-17

Contemporary English Version

David Brings the Sacred Chest Back to Jerusalem

(1 Chronicles 13.1-14; 15.1—16.3,43)

6 David brought together 30,000 of Israel's best soldiers and ²^(A) led them to Baalah in Judah, which was also called Kiriath-Jearim. They were going there^[a] to get the sacred chest and bring it back to Jerusalem. The throne of the Lord All-Powerful is above the winged creatures^[b] on top of this chest, and he is worshiped there.^[c]

³^(B) They put the sacred chest on a new ox cart and started bringing it down the hill from Abinadab's house. Abinadab's sons Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the ox cart, ⁴with Ahio^[d] walking in front of it. ⁵Some of the people of Israel were playing music on small harps and other stringed instruments, and on tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. David and the others were happy, and they danced for the Lord with all their might.

⁶But when they came to Nacon's threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled, so Uzzah reached out and took hold of the sacred chest. ⁷The Lord God was very angry with Uzzah for doing this, and he killed Uzzah right there beside the chest.

⁸David got angry with God for killing Uzzah. He named that place “Bursting Out Against Uzzah,”^[e] and that's what it's still called.

⁹David was afraid of the Lord and thought, “Should I really take the sacred chest to my city?” ¹⁰He decided not to take it there. Instead, he turned off the road and took it to the home of Obed Edom, who was from Gath.^[f]

^11-12^(C) The chest stayed there for three months, and the Lord greatly blessed Obed Edom, his family, and everything he owned. Then someone told King David, “The Lord has done this because the sacred chest is in Obed Edom's house.”

At once, David went to Obed Edom's house to get the chest and bring it to David's City. Everyone was celebrating. ¹³The people carrying the chest walked six steps, then David sacrificed an ox and a choice cow. ¹⁴He was dancing for the Lord with all his might, but he wore only a linen cloth.^[g] ¹⁵He and everyone else were celebrating by shouting and blowing horns while the chest was being carried along.

¹⁶Saul's daughter Michal looked out her window and watched the chest being brought into David's City. But when she saw David jumping and dancing for the Lord, she was disgusted.

¹⁷They put the chest inside a tent that David had set up for it. David worshiped the Lord by sacrificing animals and burning them on an altar,^[h]

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Footnotes

6.2 to Baalah … there: The Dead Sea Scrolls and 1 Chronicles 13.6; the Standard Hebrew Text “from Baalah in Judah. They had gone there.”
6.2 winged creatures: Two golden statues of winged creatures were on top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the Lord's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18).
6.2 he is worshiped there: Or “the chest belongs to him.”
6.3,4 Ahio … Ahio: Or “his brother … his brother.”
6.8 Bursting … Uzzah: Or “Perez-Uzzah.”
6.10 Gath: Or perhaps, “Gittaim.”
6.14 only a linen cloth: The Hebrew word is “ephod,” which can mean either a piece of clothing like a skirt that went from the waist to the knee or a garment like a vest or a jacket that only the priests wore.
6.17 sacrificing … altar: The Hebrew mentions two kinds of sacrifices. In one kind of sacrifice, the whole animal was burned on the altar. In the other kind, only part was burned, and the worshipers ate the rest, as in verse 19 (see Leviticus 1.2-17; 3.1-17).

1 Chronicles 13:5-14

Contemporary English Version

⁵David gathered everyone from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo-Hamath in the north. ⁶^(A) Then he led them to Baalah in Judah, which was also called Kiriath-Jearim. They went there to get the sacred chest and bring it to Jerusalem, because it belonged to the Lord God, whose throne is above the winged creatures^[a] on the lid of the chest.

⁷The sacred chest was still at Abinadab's house,^[b] and when David and the crowd arrived there, they brought the chest outside and placed it on a new ox cart. Abinadab's sons^[c] Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart, ⁸while David and the crowd danced and sang praises to the Lord with all their might. They played music on small harps and other stringed instruments, and on tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹But when they came to Chidon's threshing place, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the chest to stop it from falling. ¹⁰The Lord God was very angry with Uzzah for doing this, and he killed Uzzah right there beside the chest.

¹¹David then got angry with God for killing Uzzah. So he named that place “Attack on Uzzah,”^[d] and it's been called that ever since.

¹²David was afraid what the Lord might do to him, and he asked himself, “Should I really be the one to take care of the sacred chest?” ¹³So instead of taking it to Jerusalem, David decided to take it to the home of Obed-Edom, who lived in the town of Gath.

¹⁴^(B) The chest stayed there for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom, his family, and everything he owned.

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Footnotes

13.6 winged creatures: Two golden statues of winged creatures were on top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the Lord's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18).
13.7 The sacred chest … Abinadab's house: See 1 Samuel 6.19—7.2.
13.7 Abinadab's sons: These words are not in the Hebrew text, but see 2 Samuel 6.3.
13.11 Attack on Uzzah: Or “Perez-Uzzah.”

1 Chronicles 15:25-16:1

Contemporary English Version

The Sacred Chest Is Brought to Jerusalem

(2 Samuel 6.12-22)

²⁵David, the leaders of Israel, and the army commanders were very happy as they went to Obed-Edom's house to get the sacred chest. ²⁶God gave the Levites the strength they needed to carry the chest, and so they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

²⁷David, the Levites, Chenaniah the music director, and all the musicians were wearing linen robes, and David was also wearing a linen cloth.^[a] ²⁸While the sacred chest was being carried into Jerusalem, everyone was celebrating by shouting and playing music on horns, trumpets, cymbals, harps, and other stringed instruments.

²⁹Saul's daughter Michal^[b] looked out her window and watched the chest being brought into David's City. But when she saw David jumping and dancing in honor of the Lord, she was disgusted.

16 They put the sacred chest inside the tent that David had set up for it, then they offered sacrifices to please the Lord^[c] and sacrifices to ask his blessing.^[d]

Footnotes

15.27 a linen cloth: The Hebrew word is “ephod,” which can mean either a piece of clothing like a skirt that went from the waist to the knee or a garment like a vest or jacket that only the priests wore.
15.29 Michal: One of David's wives.
16.1 sacrifices to please the Lord: These sacrifices have traditionally been called “whole burnt offerings” because the whole animal was burned on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the Lord with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called “sacrifices to please the Lord.”
16.1 sacrifices to ask his blessing: These sacrifices have traditionally been called “peace offerings” or “offerings of well-being.” A main purpose was to ask for the Lord's blessing, and so in the CEV they are sometimes called “sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing.”

Exodus 38:1-7

Contemporary English Version

The Altar for Offering Sacrifices

(Exodus 27.1-8)

38 Bezalel built an altar of acacia wood for offering sacrifices. It was 2.25 meters square and 1.34 meters high ²with each of its four corners sticking up like the horn of a bull, and it was completely covered with bronze. ³The equipment for the altar was also made of bronze—the pans for the hot ashes, the shovels, the bowls, the meat forks, and the fire pans. ⁴About halfway up the altar he built a ledge around it and covered the bottom half of the altar with a decorative bronze grating. ⁵Then he attached a bronze ring beneath the ledge at the four corners to put the poles through. ⁶He covered two acacia wood poles with bronze and ⁷put them through the rings for carrying the altar, which was shaped like an open box.