²And David arose and went, with all the people that were with him of the men of Juda to fetch the ark of God, upon which the name of the Lord of Hosts is invoked, who sitteth over it upon the cherubims.

³And they laid the ark of God upon a new cart: and took it out of the house of Abinadab, who was in Gabaa, and Oza and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.

⁴And when they had taken it out of the house of Abinadab, who was in Gabaa, Ahio having care of the ark of God went before the ark.

⁵But David and all Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of wood, on harps and lutes and timbrels and cornets and cymbals.

⁶And when they came to the floor of Nachon, Oza put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it: because the oxen kicked and made it lean aside.

⁷And the indignation of the Lord was enkindled against Oza, and he struck him for his rashness: and he died there before the ark of God.

⁸And David was grieved because the Lord had struck Oza, and the name of that place was called: The striking of Oza, to this day.

⁹And David was afraid of the Lord that day, saying: How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?

¹⁰And he would not have the ark of the Lord brought in to himself into the city of David: but he caused it to be carried into the house of Obededom the Gethite.

¹¹And the ark of the Lord abode in the house of Obededom the Gethite three months: and the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household.

¹²And it was told king David, that the Lord had blessed Obededom, and all that he had, because of the ark of God. So David went, and brought away the ark of God out of the house of Obededom into the city of David with joy. And there were with David seven choirs, and calves for victims.

¹³And when they that carried the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a ram:

¹⁴And David danced with all his might before the Lord: and David was girded with a linen ephod.

¹⁵And David and all the house of Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet.

¹⁶And when the ark of the Lord was come into the city of David, Michol the daughter of Saul, looking out through a window, saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord: and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷And they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle, which David had pitched for it: and David offered holocausts, and peace offerings before the Lord.

¹⁸And when he had made an end of offering holocausts and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.

¹⁹And he distributed to all the multitude of Israel, both men and women, to every one, a cake of bread, and a piece of roasted beef, and fine flour fried with oil: and all the people departed every one to his own house.

²⁰And David returned to bless his own house: and Michol the daughter of Saul coming out to meet David, said: How glorious was the king of Israel to day, uncovering himself before the handmaids of his servants, and was naked, as if one of the buffoons should be naked.

²¹And David said to Michol: Before the Lord, who chose me rather than thy father, and than all his house, and commanded me to be ruler over the people of the Lord in Israel,

²²I will both play and make myself meaner than I have done: and I will be little in my own eyes: and with the handmaids of whom thou speakest, I shall appear more glorious.

²³Therefore Michol the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

Chapter 7

And it came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,

²He said to Nathan the prophet: Dost thou see that I dwell in a house of cedar, and the ark of God is lodged within skins?

³And Nathan said to the king: Go, do all that is in thy heart: because the Lord is with thee.

⁴But it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

⁵Go, and say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord: Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in?

⁶Whereas I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt even to this day: but have walked in a tabernacle, and in a tent.

⁷In all the places that I have gone through with all the children of Israel, did ever I speak a word to any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

⁸And now thus shalt thou speak to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I took thee out of the pastures from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel:

⁹And I have been with thee wheresoever thou hast walked, and have slain all thy enemies from before thy face: and I have made thee a great man, like unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth.

¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more: neither shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did before,

¹¹From the day that I appointed judges over my people Israel: and I will give thee rest from all thy enemies. And the Lord foretelleth to thee, that the Lord will make thee a house.

¹²And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of the bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³He shall build a house to my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

¹⁴I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and if he commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.

¹⁵But my mercy I will not take away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before my face.

¹⁶And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.

¹⁷According to all these words and according to all this vision so did Nathan speak to David.

¹⁸And David went in, and sat before the Lord, and said: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?

¹⁹But yet this hath seemed little in thy sight, O Lord God, unless thou didst also speak of the house of thy servant for a long time to come: for this is the law of Adam, O Lord God:

²⁰And what can David say more unto thee? for thou knowest thy servant, O Lord God:

²¹For thy word’s sake, and according to thy own heart thou has done all these great things, so that thou wouldst make it known to thy servant.

²²Therefore thou art magnified, O Lord God, because there is none like to thee, neither is there any God besides thee, in all the things that we have heard with our ears.

²³And what nation is there upon earth, as thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for them great and terrible things, upon the earth, before the face of thy people, whom thou redeemedst to thyself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods.

²⁴For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be an everlasting people: and thou, O Lord God, art become their God.

²⁵And now, O Lord God, raise up for ever the word that thou hast spoken, concerning thy servant and concerning his house: and do as thou hast spoken,

²⁶That thy name may be magnified for ever, and it may be said: The Lord of hosts is God over Israel. And the house of thy servant David shall be established before the Lord.

²⁷Because thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, saying: I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer to thee.

²⁸And now, O Lord God, thou art God, and thy words shall be true: for thou hast spoken to thy servant these good things.

²⁹And now begin, and bless the house of thy servant, that it may endure for ever before thee: because thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it, and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

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