First Book of Chronicles 13

¹ David conferred with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and with all the leaders.

² To the whole assembly of Israel David said, ‘If this has your approval, and if Yahweh our God wills it so, we will send messengers to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites in their towns and adjacent lands, bidding them join us.

³ We will then recover the ark of our God, for in the time of Saul we neglected it.’

⁴ The whole assembly agreed to this, for in the eyes of all the people it was the right thing to do.

⁵ So David gathered all the people together from the Shihor of Egypt to the Pass of Hamath to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

⁶ Then David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kiriath-jearim in Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which bears the name of Yahweh who is seated on the cherubs.

⁷ At Abinadab’s house they placed the ark of God on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio were leading the cart.

⁸ David and all Israel danced before God with all their might, singing to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, trumpets.

⁹ When they came to the threshing-floor of the Javelin, Uzzah stretched his hand out to hold the ark, as the oxen were making it tilt.

¹⁰ Then the anger of Yahweh blazed out against Uzzah and he struck him down because he had laid his hand on the ark, and he died there in the presence of God.

¹¹ David was displeased that Yahweh had broken out against Uzzah, and that place was called Perez-uzzah as it still is now.

¹² David went in fear of God that day. ‘However can I bring the ark of God to my home?’ he said.

¹³ So David did not take the ark home to the Citadel of David, but took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath.

¹⁴ The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom, in his house, for three months, and Yahweh blessed the family of Obed-edom and everything that belonged to him.