2 Samuel 6:10-23

English Standard Version

¹⁰ So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside ^(A)to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, ^(B)and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹² And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” ^(C)So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom ^(D)to the city of David with rejoicing. ¹³ And when ^(E)those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, ^(F)he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. ¹⁴ And David ^(G)danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was ^(H)wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

David and Michal

¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ^(I)in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. ^(J)And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, ^(K)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts ¹⁹ and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat,^[a] and a cake of raisins to each one. ^(L)Then all the people departed, each to his house.

²⁰ And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, ^(M)uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the ^(N)vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹ And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^(O)who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince^[b] over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. ²² I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your^[c] eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” ²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.