2 Samuel 6-7

Complete Jewish Bible

6 Again David summoned all the picked troops of Isra’el, 30,000 men. ² Then David, taking along the entire force he had with him then, set out for Ba‘alei-Y’hudah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the Name, the name of Adonai-Tzva’ot enthroned above the k’ruvim. ³ They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Avinadav on the hill, with ‘Uzah and Achyo, the sons of Avinadav, driving the new cart. ⁴ They led it from the house of Avinadav on the hill, with the ark of God; Achyo walked in front of the ark. ⁵ David and the whole house of Isra’el celebrated in the presence of Adonai with all kinds of musical instruments made of cypress-wood, including lyres, lutes, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.

⁶ When they arrived at Nakhon’s threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled; and ‘Uzah put out his hand to steady the ark of God. ⁷ But Adonai’s anger blazed up against ‘Uzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his offense, so that he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ It upset David that Adonai had broken out against ‘Uzah; that place has been called Peretz-‘Uzah [breaking-out of ‘Uzah] ever since. ⁹ David was frightened of Adonai that day; he asked, “How can the ark of Adonai come to me?” ¹⁰ So David would not bring the ark of Adonai into the City of David; rather, David took it over to the house of ‘Oved-Edom the Gitti. ¹¹ The ark of Adonai stayed in the house of ‘Oved-Edom the Gitti for three months; and Adonai blessed ‘Oved-Edom and all his household.

¹² King David was told, “Adonai has blessed the house of ‘Oved-Edom and everyone who belongs to him, thanks to the ark of God.” So David went and joyously brought the ark of God up from the house of ‘Oved-Edom into the City of David. ¹³ When those bearing the ark of Adonai had gone only six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened sheep. ¹⁴ Then David danced and spun around with abandon before Adonai, wearing a linen ritual vest. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Isra’el brought up the ark of Adonai with shouting and the sound of the shofar. ¹⁶ As the ark of Adonai entered the City of David, Mikhal the daughter of Sha’ul, watching from the window, saw King David leaping and spinning before Adonai; and she was filled with contempt for him.

¹⁷ They brought the ark of Adonai in and put it in its place inside the tent that David had set up for it. David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Adonai. ¹⁸ When David had finished offering the burnt offering and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Adonai-Tzva’ot. ¹⁹ Then he distributed to all the people of Isra’el, to everyone there, both men and women, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat and a raisin cake, after which the people all left for their homes.

²⁰ When David returned to bless his household, Mikhal the daughter of Sha’ul came out to meet him and said, “Such honor the king of Isra’el earned for himself today — exposing himself before his servants’ slave-girls like some vulgar exhibitionist!” ²¹ David answered Mikhal, “In the presence of Adonai — who chose me over your father and over everyone in his family to make me chief over Adonai’s people, over Isra’el — I will celebrate in the presence of Adonai! ²² I will make myself still more contemptible than that, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes, but those slave-girls you mentioned will honor me!” ²³ Mikhal the daughter of Sha’ul remained childless until the day she died.

7 After the king had been living in his palace awhile and Adonai had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, ² the king said to Natan the prophet, “Here, I’m living in a cedar-wood palace; but the ark of God is kept in a tent!” ³ Natan said to the king, “Go, do everything that is in your heart, for Adonai is with you.”

⁴ But that same night the word of Adonai came to Natan: ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David that this is what Adonai says: ‘You are going to build me a house to live in? ⁶ Since the day I brought the people of Isra’el out of Egypt until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I traveled in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷ Everywhere I traveled with all the people of Isra’el, did I ever speak a word to any of the tribes of Isra’el, whom I ordered to shepherd my people Isra’el, asking, “Why haven’t you built me a cedar-wood house?”’

⁸ “Therefore say this to my servant David that this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I took you from the sheep-yards, from following the sheep, to make you chief over my people, over Isra’el. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you went; I have destroyed all your enemies ahead of you; and I am making your reputation great, like the reputations of the greatest people on earth. ¹⁰ I will assign a place to my people Isra’el; I will plant them there, so that they can live in their own place without being disturbed any more. The wicked will no longer oppress them, as they did at the beginning, ¹¹ and as they did from the time I ordered judges to be over my people Isra’el; instead, I will give you rest from all your enemies.

“‘Moreover, Adonai tells you that Adonai will make you a house. ¹² When your days come to an end and you sleep with your ancestors, I will establish one of your descendants to succeed you, one of your own flesh and blood; and I will set up his rulership. ¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father for him, and he will be a son for me. If he does something wrong, I will punish him with a rod and blows, just as everyone gets punished; ¹⁵ nevertheless, my grace will not leave him, as I took it away from Sha’ul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Thus your house and your kingdom will be made secure forever before you; your throne will be set up forever.’” ¹⁷ Natan told David all of these words and described this entire vision.

¹⁸ Then David went in, sat before Adonai and said, “Who am I, Adonai Elohim; and what is my family, that has caused you to bring me this far? ¹⁹ Yet in your view, Adonai Elohim, even this was too small a thing; so you have even said that your servant’s dynasty will continue on into the distant future. This is [indeed] a teaching for a man, Adonai Elohim — ²⁰ what more can David say to you? For you know your servant intimately, Adonai Elohim. ²¹ It is for the sake of your word and in accordance with your own heart that you have done all this greatness and revealed it to your servant. ²² Therefore, you are great, Adonai, God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you — everything we have heard confirms that. ²³ Who can be compared with your people, with Isra’el? What other nation on earth did God set out to redeem and make into a people for himself? You made yourself a reputation by doing for your land things that even for you are great and terrifying, for the sake of your people whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt and from other nations and from their gods. ²⁴ You set up your people for yourself as your people forever; and you, Adonai, became their God. ²⁵ So now, Adonai, God, establish forever the word you have spoken to your servant and his house; do what you have promised. ²⁶ May your name be magnified forever, so that it will be said, ‘Adonai-Tzva’ot is God over Isra’el, and the dynasty of your servant David will be set up in your presence.’ ²⁷ You, Adonai-Tzva’ot, God of Isra’el, have disclosed to your servant, ‘I will build you a house.’ This is why your servant has the courage to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸ Now, Adonai Elohim, you alone are God; your words are truth; and you have made this wonderful promise to your servant. ²⁹ So may it please you to bless the family of your servant and thereby cause it to continue forever in your presence. For you, Adonai Elohim, have said it. May your servant’s family be blessed forever by your blessing.”