David Has the Ark Brought to Obed Edom’s House^(A)

13 David consulted with every officer who commanded a regiment or battalion. ² Then he told the whole assembly of Israel, “If you approve and if the Lord our God has consented, we will send ⌞an invitation⌟ to the rest of our relatives in every region of Israel and to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands so that they may join us. ³ Then we’ll bring back our God’s ark, which we ignored while Saul was king.”

⁴ The whole assembly agreed to this because the people considered it the right thing to do. ⁵ So David gathered all Israel from the Shihor River near Egypt to the border of Hamath in order to bring God’s ark from Kiriath Jearim.

⁶ David and all Israel went to Baalah in Kiriath Jearim, which is in Judah, to bring God’s ark ⌞to Jerusalem⌟. (The Lord is enthroned over the angels ^[a] ⌞on the ark⌟ where his name is used.) ⁷ David and his men put God’s ark on a new cart from Abinadab’s home. Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart. ⁸ David and all Israel were celebrating in God’s presence with all their might, with songs, with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ But when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor,^[b] the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out to grab the ark. ¹⁰ The Lord became angry with Uzzah and killed him for reaching for the ark. He died in God’s presence.

¹¹ David was angry because the Lord had struck Uzzah so violently. (That place is still called Perez Uzzah [The Striking of Uzzah] today.) ¹² David was afraid of God that day. “How can I bring God’s ark to my ⌞city⌟?” he asked. ¹³ So he didn’t bring God’s ark to his ⌞home⌟, the City of David. Instead, he rerouted it to the home of Obed Edom, who was from Gath. ¹⁴ God’s ark stayed at the home of Obed Edom with his family for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom’s family and everything he owned.

David’s Palace, Wives, and Children in Jerusalem^(B)

14 King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedarwood, masons, and carpenters to build a palace for David. ² So David realized that the Lord had established him as king of Israel and that his kingdom was made famous for the sake of Israel, the Lord’s people.

³ David married more wives in Jerusalem and fathered more sons and daughters. ⁴ These are the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines^(C)

⁸ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, all of them came to attack David. But David heard about it and went out to meet them. ⁹ The Philistines had come and raided the valley of Rephaim.

¹⁰ David asked God, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord answered him, “Attack! I will hand them over to you.”

¹¹ So David ⌞and his men⌟ attacked and defeated the Philistines at Baal Perazim. David said, “Using my power like an overwhelming flood, God has overwhelmed my enemies.” That is why they call that place Baal Perazim [The Lord Overwhelms]. ¹² The Philistines left their gods there, so David ordered that the gods be burned.

¹³ The Philistines again raided the valley. ¹⁴ Once more David asked God.

God answered him, “Don’t go after them. Circle around, and come at them in front of the balsam trees. ¹⁵ As you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out and fight because God has gone ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army.”

¹⁶ David did as God ordered him, and his men defeated the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. ¹⁷ David’s fame spread through all lands, and the Lord made all the nations fear him.

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem^(D)

15 After David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for God’s ark and set up a tent for it. ² Then David insisted that only the Levites carry God’s ark because the Lord had chosen them to carry his ark and to serve him forever.

³ David called together all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the Lord’s ark to the place he had prepared for it. ⁴ David also called together Aaron’s descendants and the Levites. ⁵ Leading Kohath’s descendants was Uriel, who came with 120 of his relatives. ⁶ Leading Merari’s descendants was Asaiah, who came with 220 of his relatives. ⁷ Leading Gershom’s descendants was Joel, who came with 130 of his relatives. ⁸ Leading Elizaphan’s descendants was Shemaiah, who came with 200 of his relatives. ⁹ Leading Hebron’s descendants was Eliel, who came with 80 of his relatives. ¹⁰ Leading Uzziel’s descendants was Amminadab, who came with 112 of his relatives.

¹¹ David called for the priests Zadok and Abiathar and for the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. Then bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I prepared for it. ¹³ Because you weren’t there the first time, the Lord our God struck us. We hadn’t dedicated our lives to serving him in the way ⌞he⌟ designated.”

¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites made themselves holy in order to move the ark of the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁵ The Levites carried God’s ark on their shoulders. They used poles as Moses had commanded according to the Lord’s instructions.

¹⁶ David told the Levite leaders to appoint some of their relatives to serve as musicians. They were expected to play music on harps, lyres, and cymbals to produce joyful music for singing. ¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman, son of Joel, and from his relatives they appointed Asaph, Berechiah’s son. From their own relatives, Merari’s descendants, they appointed Ethan, son of Kushaiah. ¹⁸ In addition, they appointed their relatives from the second division: Zechariah,^[c] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah. Obed Edom and Jeiel were appointed gatekeepers. ¹⁹ The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to play bronze cymbals. ²⁰ Zechariah, Jaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were appointed to play harps according to alamoth.^{[d] 21} Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were appointed to play lyres and to conduct the sheminith.^{[e] 22} Chenaniah, a Levite leader, instructed others how to sing prophetic songs because he was skilled at it. ²³ Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. ²⁴ The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer blew trumpets in front of God’s ark. Obed Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵ So David, the leaders of Israel, and the army’s commanders joyfully went to get the ark of the Lord’s promise from Obed Edom’s house. ²⁶ Because God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ David was dressed in a fine linen robe, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, the ⌞Levites who were⌟ singers, and Chenaniah, the leader of the musicians’ prophetic songs. David also wore a linen ephod.^[f]

²⁸ All Israel brought the ark of the Lord’s promise with shouts of joy and the sounding of rams’ horns, trumpets, cymbals, harps, and lyres. ²⁹ When the ark of the Lord’s promise came to the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out of a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, so she despised him.

16 The men carrying the ark set it inside the tent David had put up for it. They presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in God’s presence. ² When David had finished sacrificing burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ He also distributed to every person in Israel—both men and women—a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.

The Levites Lead the Worship in Jerusalem^(E)

⁴ David appointed some Levites to serve in front of the Lord’s ark by offering prayers, thanks, and praise to the Lord God of Israel. ⁵ Asaph was the head; Zechariah was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel with harps and lyres. Asaph played the cymbals. ⁶ The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel played trumpets all the time in front of the ark of God’s promise. ⁷ For the first time David entrusted Asaph and his relatives with the task of singing songs of thanks to the Lord:

Then all the people said amen and praised the Lord.

³⁷ David left Asaph and his relatives to serve continually in front of the ark of the Lord’s promise, as the daily work required. ³⁸ David also left Obed Edom and 68 of his relatives ⌞to serve there⌟. Obed Edom (Jeduthun’s son) and Hosah were to be gatekeepers. ³⁹ David left Zadok and his priestly relatives to serve in the Lord’s tent at the place of worship in Gibeon. ⁴⁰ They were ordered to sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord. This happened on the altar of burnt offerings continually, morning and evening, as written in the Lord’s Teachings that he gave Israel. ⁴¹ With Zadok and his relatives were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of the Levites who had been selected, chosen by name, to give thanks to the Lord ⌞by singing,⌟ “His mercy endures forever.” ⁴² Also, Heman and Jeduthun played trumpets, cymbals, and the ⌞other⌟ musical instruments that accompany sacred songs. Jeduthun’s sons were stationed at the gate.

⁴³ Then all the people went home. David went back to bless his family.