1 Chronicles 13

David and the Ark

13David consulted with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands. ²Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is from the Lord our God, let us spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands, ^wthat they should gather together with us. ³Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him ^xin Saul’s days.” ⁴Since the proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to do it.

⁵So David assembled all Israel, ^yfrom the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath, ^zato bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. ^b6David ^cand all Israel went to Baalah ^d(that is, Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah) to take the ark of God from there, which is called by the name of the Lord who dwells between the cherubim. ^e7At Abinadab’s house ^fthey set the ark of God on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio ^gwere guiding the cart.

⁸David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before God with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. ^h9When they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, ⁱUzzah reached out to hold the ark because the oxen had stumbled. ¹⁰Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him dead because he had reached out to the ark. ^jSo he died there in the presence of God. ^k

¹¹David was angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uzzah, ^las it is still named today. ¹²David feared God that day and said, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” ¹³So David did not move the ark of God home ^mto the city of David; instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ⁿ¹⁴The ark of God remained with Obed-edom’s family in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his family and all that he had.