2 Samuel 6–7

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

6:1–11pp—1Ch 13:1–14 6:12–19pp—1Ch 15:25–16:3

6David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. ²He and all his men went to Baalah^az in Judah to bring up from there the ark^a of God, which is called by the Name,^bb the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned^c between the cherubim^d on the ark. ³They set the ark of God on a new cart^e and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.^f Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart ⁴with the ark of God on it,^c and Ahio was walking in front of it. ⁵David and all Israel were celebrating^g with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,^d harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.^h

⁶When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold ofⁱ the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. ⁷The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;^j therefore God struck him down,^k and he died there beside the ark of God.

⁸Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath^l had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.^em

⁹David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “Howⁿ can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” ¹⁰He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom^o the Gittite. ¹¹The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.^p

¹²Now King David^q was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed^r a bull and a fattened calf. ¹⁴Wearing a linen ephod,^s David was dancing^t before the Lord with all his might, ¹⁵while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts^u and the sound of trumpets.^v

¹⁶As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David,^w Michal^x daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it,^y and David sacrificed burnt offerings^z and fellowship offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸After he had finished sacrificing^a the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed^b the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. ¹⁹Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins^c to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women.^d And all the people went to their homes.

²⁰When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked^e in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

²¹David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed^f me ruler^g over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. ²²I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

²³And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

God’s Promise to David

7:1–17pp—1Ch 17:1–15

7After the king was settled in his palace^h and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemiesⁱ around him,^{j 2}he said to Nathan^k the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house^l of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”^m

³Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind,ⁿ go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

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

⁵“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you^o the one to build me a house to dwell in?^{p 6}I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day.^q I have been moving from place to place with a tent^r as my dwelling.^{s 7}Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites,^t did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd^u my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house^v of cedar?^w” ’

⁸“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock,^x and appointed you ruler^y over my people Israel.^{z 9}I have been with you wherever you have gone,^a and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.^b Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.^{c 10}And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant^d them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.^e Wicked^f people will not oppress them anymore,^g as they did at the beginning ¹¹and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders^ah over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.ⁱ

“ ‘The Lord declares^j to you that the Lord himself will establish^k a house^l for you: ¹²When your days are over and you rest^m with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood,ⁿ and I will establish his kingdom.^{o 13}He is the one who will build a house^p for my Name,^q and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.^{r 14}I will be his father, and he will be my son.^s When he does wrong, I will punish him^t with a rod^u wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. ¹⁵But my love will never be taken away from him,^v as I took it away from Saul,^w whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me^b; your throne^x will be established^y forever.^z’ ”

¹⁷Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

David’s Prayer

7:18–29pp—1Ch 17:16–27

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I,^a Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree,^b Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!^c

²⁰“What more can David say^c to you? For you know^d your servant,^e Sovereign Lord. ²¹For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

²²“How great^f you are,^g Sovereign Lord! There is no one like^h you, and there is no Godⁱ but you, as we have heard with our own ears.^{j 23}And who is like your people Israel^k—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name^l for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders^m by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemedⁿ from Egypt?^{d 24}You have established your people Israel as your very own^o forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.^p

²⁵“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise^q you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, ²⁶so that your name^r will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established^s in your sight.

²⁷“Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy,^t and you have promised these good things to your servant. ²⁹Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing^u the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”