6 ¹ After that David again summoned the picked men of Israel, thirty thousand in all, 6 ² vv2-11: cp 1Chr. 13.6-14 and went with the whole army to Baalath-judah to Baalath-judah: prob. rdg, cp 1Chr. 13.6, Heb from the lords of Judah to fetch the Ark of God which bears the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim. 6 ³ They mounted the Ark of God on a new cart and conveyed it from the house of Abinadab on the hill, with Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, guiding the cart. 6 ⁴ They took it with the Ark of God upon it from Abinadab's house on the hill, with Ahio walking in front. 6 ⁵ David and all Israel danced for joy before the LORD without restraint to the sound of singing without ... singing: prob. rdg, cp 1Chr. 13.8; Heb to the beating of batons, of harps and lutes, of tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

6 ⁶ But when they came to a certain threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out to the Ark of God and took hold of it. 6 ⁷ The LORD was angry with Uzzah and struck him down there for his rash act. So he died there beside the Ark of God. 6 ⁸ David was vexed because the LORD's anger had broken out upon Uzzah, and he called the place Perez-uzzah That is Outbreak on Uzzah, the name it still bears. 6 ⁹ David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, 'How can I harbour the Ark of the LORD after this?' 6 ¹⁰ He felt he could not take the Ark of the LORD with him to the City of David, but turned aside and carried it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 6 ¹¹ Thus the Ark of the LORD remained at Obed-edom's house for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his family.

6 ¹² vv12-19: cp 1Chr. 15.25-16.3 When they told David that the LORD had blessed Obed-edom's family and all that was his because of the Ark of God, he went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with much rejoicing. 6 ¹³ When the bearers of the Ark of the LORD had gone six steps he sacrificed an ox and a buffalo. 6 ¹⁴ David, wearing a linen ephod, danced without restraint before the LORD. 6 ¹⁵ He and all the Israelites brought up the Ark of the LORD with shouting and blowing of trumpets.

6 ¹⁶ But as the Ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked down through a window and saw King David leaping and capering before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart. 6 ¹⁷ When they had brought in the Ark of the LORD, they put it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered whole-offerings and shared-offerings before the LORD. 6 ¹⁸ After David had completed these sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Hosts 6 ¹⁹ and gave food to all the people, a flat loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins, to every man and woman in the whole gathering of the Israelites. Then all the people went home.

6 ²⁰ When David returned to greet his household, Michal, Saul's daughter, came out to meet him and said, 'What a glorious day for the king of Israel, when he exposed his person in the sight of his servants' slave-girls like any empty-headed fool!' 6 ²¹ David answered Michal, 'But it was done in the presence of the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and his family and appointed me prince over Israel, the people of the LORD. Before the LORD I will dance for joy, yes, 6 ²² and I will earn yet more disgrace and lower myself still more in your eyes. But those girls of whom you speak, they will honour me for it.' 6 ²³ Michal, Saul's daughter, had no child to her dying day.