They set the ark of God on a new cart(A) and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.(B) Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it,[a] and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating(C) with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,[b] harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.(D)

When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of(E) the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;(F) therefore God struck him down,(G) and he died there beside the ark of God.

Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath(H) had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.[c](I)

David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How(J) can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom(K) the Gittite.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 6:4 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text cart and they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill
  2. 2 Samuel 6:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 13:8) songs
  3. 2 Samuel 6:8 Perez Uzzah means outbreak against Uzzah.

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