Bringing Back the Box of the Agreement

13 David talked with all the officers of his army. ² Then he called the Israelites together and said, “If you think it is a good idea, and if it is what the Lord our God wants, let us send a message to our brothers in all the areas of Israel. Let’s also send the message to the priests and Levites who live with our brothers in their towns and the fields near those towns. Let the message tell them to come and join us. ³ Let’s bring our God’s Holy Box back to us in Jerusalem. We did not pay attention to it while Saul was king.” ⁴ So all the Israelites agreed with David. They all thought it was the right thing to do.

⁵ So David gathered all the Israelites from the Shihor River in Egypt to the town of Lebo Hamath. They came together to bring the Box of the Agreement back from the town of Kiriath Jearim. ⁶ David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah. (Baalah is another name for Kiriath Jearim.) They went there to bring out the Holy Box of God the Lord, who sits above the Cherub angels. It is the Box that is called by his name.

⁷ The people moved God’s Holy Box from Abinadab’s house and put it on a new wagon. Uzzah and Ahio were driving the wagon.

⁸ David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God. They were praising God and singing songs. They were playing harps, lyres, drums, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ They came to Kidon’s threshing floor. The oxen pulling the wagon stumbled, and the Holy Box almost fell. Uzzah reached out with his hand to catch it. ¹⁰ The Lord became very angry with Uzzah and killed him because he touched the Holy Box. So Uzzah died there before God. ¹¹ And David was angry because the Lord had shown his anger in killing Uzzah. So that place has been called “Perez Uzzah”^[a] ever since then.

¹² That day David began to fear what God might do to him. So he said, “Should I really be the one in charge of God’s Holy Box?” ¹³ So he did not take the Holy Box with him to the City of David. He left it at Obed Edom’s house. Obed Edom was from the city of Gath. ¹⁴ God’s Holy Box stayed with Obed Edom’s family in his house for three months. The Lord blessed Obed Edom’s family and everything Obed Edom owned.

David’s Kingdom Grows

14 Hiram was king of the city of Tyre. He sent messengers to David. He also sent logs from cedar trees, stonecutters, and carpenters to David. Hiram sent them to build a house for David. ² Then David understood that the Lord had really made him king of Israel. And he had made his kingdom large and powerful for the benefit of Israel, his people.

³ David married more women in the city of Jerusalem and had more sons and daughters. ⁴ These are the names of David’s children born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

⁸ The Philistines heard that David had been chosen to be the king of Israel, so all the Philistines went to look for him. When David heard about it, he went out to fight them. ⁹ The Philistines attacked the people living in the Valley of Rephaim and stole their things. ¹⁰ David asked God, “Should I go and fight the Philistines? Will you let me defeat them?”

The Lord answered David, “Go. I will let you defeat the Philistines.”

¹¹ Then David and his men went up to the town of Baal Perazim. There David and his men defeated the Philistines. David said, “Waters break out from a broken dam. In the same way God has broken through my enemies! God has done this through me.” That is why that place is named Baal Perazim.^{[b] 12} The Philistines had left their idols at Baal Perazim. David ordered his men to burn the idols.

Another Victory Over the Philistines

¹³ The Philistines attacked the people living in the Valley of Rephaim again. ¹⁴ David prayed to God again, and God answered his prayer. God said, “David, don’t follow the Philistines up the hill when you attack. Instead, go around them and hide on the other side of the balsam trees. ¹⁵ When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, go out to battle because that is the sign that God has gone out in front of you to defeat the Philistines.” ¹⁶ David did what God told him to do. So David and his men defeated the Philistine army. They killed Philistine soldiers all the way from the town of Gibeon to the town of Gezer. ¹⁷ So David became famous in all the countries. The Lord made all nations afraid of him.

The Box of the Agreement in Jerusalem

15 David built houses for himself in the City of David. Then he built a place to put God’s Holy Box. He set up a tent for it. ² Then he said, “Only the Levites are permitted to carry God’s Holy Box. The Lord chose them to carry it and to serve him forever.”

³ David told all the Israelites to meet together at Jerusalem to see the Lord’s Holy Box carried to the place he had made for it. ⁴ He called together these descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

David Talks to the Priests and Levites

¹¹ Then David asked the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, to come to him. David also asked these Levites to come to him: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² David said to them, “You are the leaders from the tribe of Levi. You and the other Levites must make yourselves holy.^[c] Then bring the Holy Box of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have made for it. ¹³ The first time we tried to bring it, we failed to ask the Lord about the right way to move it. And he punished us because you Levites did not carry it.”

¹⁴ Then the priests and Levites made themselves holy so that they could carry the Holy Box of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The Levites used the special poles to carry God’s Holy Box on their shoulders, the way Moses commanded. They carried the Holy Box just as the Lord had said.

The Singers

¹⁶ David told the Levite leaders to get their brothers, the singers. The singers were to take their lyres, harps, and cymbals and sing happy songs.

¹⁷ Then the Levites got Heman and his brothers, Asaph and Ethan. Heman was Joel’s son. Asaph was Berekiah’s son. Ethan was Kushaiah’s son. These men were from the Merari tribe. ¹⁸ There was also a second group of Levites. They were Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel. These men were the Levite guards.

¹⁹ The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan played bronze cymbals. ²⁰ Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played the alamoth^[d] harps. ²¹ Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played the sheminith harps. This was their job forever. ²² The Levite leader Kenaniah was in charge of the singing. Kenaniah had this job because he was very skilled at singing.

²³ Berekiah and Elkanah were two of the guards for the Holy Box. ²⁴ The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer had the job of blowing trumpets as they walked in front of God’s Holy Box. Obed Edom and Jehiah were the other guards for the Holy Box.

²⁵ David, the elders of Israel, and the generals^[e] went to get the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. They brought it out from Obed Edom’s house. Everyone was very happy! ²⁶ God had helped the Levites who carried the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. So they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams to him. ²⁷ All the Levites who carried the Holy Box wore robes made from fine linen. Kenaniah, the man in charge of the singing, and all the singers had robes made from fine linen. David also wore a robe made from fine linen. He also wore an ephod made of fine linen.

²⁸ So all the Israelites joined in bringing up the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. They shouted, they blew rams’ horns and trumpets, and they played cymbals, lyres, and harps.

²⁹ When the Box of the Lord’s Agreement arrived at the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked through a window. When she saw King David dancing and playing, she lost her respect for him.