Jerusalem and the ark · Chronicles: the ark comes to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 6 WEB

¹David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ²David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah, to bring up from there God’s ark, which is called by the Name, even the name of the LORD of Armies who sits above the cherubim. ³They set God’s ark on a new cart, and brought it out of Abinadab’s house that was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. ⁴They brought it out of Abinadab’s house which was in the hill, with God’s ark; and Ahio went before the ark. ⁵David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of cypress wood, with harps, with stringed instruments, with tambourines, with castanets, and with cymbals. ⁶When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached for God’s ark and took hold of it, for the cattle stumbled. ⁷The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by God’s ark. ⁸David was displeased because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah; and he called that place Perez Uzzah to this day. ⁹David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, “How could the LORD’s ark come to me?” ¹⁰So David would not move the LORD’s ark to be with him in David’s city; but David carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house. ¹¹The LORD’s ark remained in Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house three months; and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his house. ¹²King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that belongs to him, because of God’s ark.” So David went and brought up God’s ark from the house of Obed-Edom into David’s city with joy. ¹³When those who bore the LORD’s ark had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. ¹⁴David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was clothed in a linen ephod. ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel brought up the LORD’s ark with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. ¹⁶As the LORD’s ark came into David’s city, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷They brought in the LORD’s ark, and set it in its place in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. ¹⁸When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Armies. ¹⁹He gave to all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to everyone a portion of bread, dates, and raisins. So all the people departed, each to his own house. ²⁰Then David returned to bless his household. Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious the king of Israel was today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will celebrate before the LORD. ²²I will be yet more undignified than this, and will be worthless in my own sight. But the maids of whom you have spoken will honor me.” ²³Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

1 Chronicles 13–15 WEB

^13:1David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader. ²David 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. ³Also, let’s bring the ark of our God back to us again, for we didn’t seek it in the days of Saul.” ⁴All the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. ⁵So 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. ⁶David 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. ⁷They carried God’s ark on a new cart, and brought it out of Abinadab’s house; and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸David 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. ⁹When they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰The LORD’s anger burned against Uzza, and he struck him because he put his hand on the ark; and he died there before God. ¹¹David was displeased, because the LORD had broken out against Uzza. He called that place Perez Uzza, to this day. ¹²David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring God’s ark home to me?” ¹³So David didn’t move the ark with him into David’s city, but carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house. ¹⁴God’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.

^14:1Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters, to build him a house. ²David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, for his kingdom was highly exalted, for his people Israel’s sake. ³David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David became the father of more sons and daughters. ⁴These are the names of the children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet. ⁸When the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went out against them. ⁹Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?” The LORD said to him, “Go up; for I will deliver them into your hand.” ¹¹So they came up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. David said, God has broken my enemies by my hand, like waters breaking out. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim. ¹²They left their gods there; and David gave a command, and they were burned with fire. ¹³The Philistines made another raid in the valley. ¹⁴David inquired again of God; and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Turn away from them, and come on them opposite the mulberry trees. ¹⁵When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then go out to battle; for God has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” ¹⁶David did as God commanded him; and they attacked the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer. ¹⁷The fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him on all nations.

^15:1David made himself houses in David’s city; and he prepared a place for God’s ark, and pitched a tent for it. ²Then David said, “No one ought to carry God’s ark but the Levites. For the LORD has chosen them to carry God’s ark, and to minister to him forever.” ³David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the LORD’s ark to its place, which he had prepared for it. ⁴David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites: ⁵of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and his brothers one hundred twenty; ⁶of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred twenty; ⁷of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and his brothers one hundred thirty; ⁸of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred; ⁹of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and his brothers eighty; ¹⁰of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and his brothers one hundred twelve. ¹¹David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab, ¹²and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both you and your brothers, that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, up to the place that I have prepared for it. ¹³For because you didn’t carry it at first, the LORD our God broke out in anger against us, because we didn’t seek him according to the ordinance.” ¹⁴So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. ¹⁵The children of the Levites bore God’s ark on their shoulders with its poles, as Moses commanded according to the LORD’s word. ¹⁶David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers with instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up their voices with joy. ¹⁷So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; ¹⁸and with them their brothers of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers. ¹⁹So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were given cymbals of bronze to sound aloud; ²⁰and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with stringed instruments set to Alamoth; ²¹and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps tuned to the eight-stringed lyre, to lead. ²²Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the singing. He taught the singers, because he was skillful. ²³Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark. ²⁴Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before God’s ark; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark. ²⁵So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant up out of the house of Obed-Edom with joy. ²⁶When God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the choir master with the singers; and David had an ephod of linen on him. ²⁸Thus all Israel brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant up with shouting, with sound of the cornet, with trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding aloud with stringed instruments and harps. ²⁹As the ark of the LORD’s covenant came to David’s city, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David dancing and playing; and she despised him in her heart.