| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. | 1David again assembled the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all. |
| 2He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. | 2And he and all his troops set out for Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name—the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on it. |
| 3They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart | 3They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart, |
| 4that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. | 4bringing with it the ark of God. And Ahio was walking in front of the ark. |
| 5David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. | 5David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of wood instruments, harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals. |
| 6But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. | 6When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. |
| 7Then the LORD’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God. | 7And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there beside the ark of God. |
| 8David was angry because the LORD’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today. | 8Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day. |
| 9David was now afraid of the LORD, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the LORD back into my care?” | 9That day David feared the LORD and asked, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” |
| 10So David decided not to move the Ark of the LORD into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. | 10So he was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. |
| 11The Ark of the LORD remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his entire household. | 11Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and all his household. |
| 12Then King David was told, “The LORD has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. | 12Now it was reported to King David, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and had the ark of God brought up from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing. |
| 13After the men who were carrying the Ark of the LORD had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. | 13When those carrying the ark of the LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. |
| 14And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. | 14And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD, |
| 15So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns. Michal’s Contempt for David | 15while he and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sounding of the ram’s horn. |
| 16But as the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was filled with contempt for him. | 16As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart. |
| 17They brought the Ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. | 17So they brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. |
| 18When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. | 18When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Hosts. |
| 19Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes. | 19Then he distributed to every man and woman among the multitude of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. And all the people departed, each for his own home. |
| 20When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” | 20As soon as David returned home to bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.” |
| 21David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD, so I celebrate before the LORD. | 21But David said to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD, |
| 22Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” | 22and I will humiliate and humble myself even more than this. Yet I will be honored by the maidservants of whom you have spoken.” |
| 23So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life. | 23And Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. |
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