2 Samuel 6:12-22

Contemporary English Version

^11-12 (A) 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. ¹³ The people carrying the chest walked six steps, then David sacrificed an ox and a choice cow. ¹⁴ He was dancing for the Lord with all his might, but he wore only a linen cloth.^{[a] 15} He and everyone else were celebrating by shouting and blowing horns while the chest was being carried along.

¹⁶ Saul'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.

¹⁷ They 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,^{[b] 18} then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. ^19 (B) He gave all the men and women in the crowd a small loaf of bread, some meat, and a handful of raisins, then everyone went home.

Michal Talks to David

²⁰ David went home so he could ask the Lord to bless his family. But Saul's daughter Michal went out and started yelling at him. “You were really great today!” she said. “You acted like a dirty old man, dancing around half-naked in front of your servants' slave-girls.”

²¹ David told her, “The Lord didn't choose your father or anyone else in your family to be the leader of his people. The Lord chose me, and I was celebrating in honor of him. ²² I'll show you just how great I can be! I'll even be disgusting to myself. But those slave-girls you talked about will still honor me!”