2 Samuel 6

1 And David gathered again every young man of Israel, about seventy thousand. [a] 2 And David rose and went, he and all the people who were with him, from the rulers of Judah, going up to bring up from there the ark of God, over which is called the name of the Lord of armies, who sits on the cherubim upon it. [b]

3 And he set the ark of the Lord on a new wagon and lifted it out of the house of Abinadab on the hill; and Uzzah and his brothers, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the wagon [c] 4 with the ark, and his brothers went in front of the ark. [d] 5 And David and the sons of Israel were playing before the Lord with tuned instruments, with all their strength, and with songs, and with lyres, and with harps, and with hand-drums, and with cymbals, and with pipes.

6 And they came as far as the threshing floor of Nodab; and Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God to steady it, and took hold of it, because the young bull had pulled it aside. [e] 7 And the Lord was angry with Uzzah, and God struck him down there; and he died there beside the ark of the Lord, before God. [f]

8 And David was in low spirits, because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah with a breach; and that place was called the Breach of Uzzah, to this day. [g] 9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How is the ark of the Lord to come in to me?”

10 And David was not willing to turn the ark of the covenant of the Lord aside to himself, into the city of David; and David turned it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. [h] 11 And the ark of the Lord stayed in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed the whole house of Obed-edom and all that was his.

12 And it was reported to King David: “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and everything that is his, because of the ark of God.” And David went and brought up the ark of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. 13 And there were with them, as they carried the ark, seven bands of dancers, and for a sacrifice a young bull and a lamb. [i]

14 And David struck up music on tuned instruments before the Lord; and David was wearing a fine robe. [j] 15 And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet. 16 And as the ark was coming into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul leaned out through the window and saw King David dancing and striking up music before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. [k]

17 And they bring the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David brought up whole burnt offerings before the Lord, and peaceable offerings. 18 And when David had finished bringing up the whole burnt offerings and the peaceable offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of armies. 19 And he shared out to all the people, to the whole army of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, from man to woman, to each one a small loaf of bread, and a cake baked on the hearth, and a thin cake from the pan; and all the people went away, each to his own house. [l]

20 And David went back to bless his house. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and blessed him and said, “How the king of Israel has been honored today — he who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the slave girls of his own slaves, the way one of the dancers uncovers himself and goes uncovered!” [m]

21 And David said to Michal, “Before the Lord I will dance. Blessed be the Lord, who chose me over your father and over all his house, to appoint me leader over his people, over Israel. So I will play and dance before the Lord, 22 and I will uncover myself like this again, and I will be worthless in your eyes — and with the slave girls, by whom you said I would be honored.” [n]

23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death.