2 Samuel 6:1-11

International Standard Version

Troubles in Mishandling the Ark^(A)

6 After this, David gathered together again 30,000 men from all of the choicest men of Israel. ² Then David and all the people with him set out from Baal-judah to bring up from there the Ark of God, who is called the Name, the name of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, and who is enthroned on the cherubim. ³ They mounted the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s home in Gibeah,^[a] with Abinadab’s sons Uzzah and Ahio^[b] driving the new cart. ⁴ As they left Abinadab’s house in Gibeah accompanied by the Ark of God, Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵ David and the entire assembly^[c] of Israel were dancing in the presence of the Lord with all of their strength, accompanied by all sorts of wood instruments,^[d] harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ When they arrived at Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out and grabbed the Ark of God because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ Just then, the anger of the Lord blazed against Uzzah, and God struck him down right there because of his failure, and he died there beside the Ark of God.

⁸ David flew into a rage because the Lord had killed^[e] Uzzah. That’s why that place is called Perez-uzzah^[f] to this day. ⁹ But David feared the Lord that day, and asked, “How can the Ark of God come to me?” ¹⁰ As a result, David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord into his care in the City of David. Instead, David left it at the home of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ So the ark of the Lord remained for three months in the household of Obed-edom the Gittite while the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.