2 Samuel 6

₁David called all the important men in the land_of_Israel to come together. ₂He and all the leaders went to the town of Baalah in Judah to get the covenant box of God which had the name of God, the name of the Lord who rules over all. His throne is between the cherub-angels on top of the covenant box. ₃They took the covenant box of God from the house of Abinadab on the hill and they put it on a new wagon. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, led the oxen that pulled the wagon. ₄Ahio walked in front of the covenant box. ₅David and all the leaders_of_Israel sang and played musical_instruments before the Lord. They played musical_instruments made of cypress wood, lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles and cymbals. ₆When they came to the threshing-floor of Nakon, the oxen almost fell and then Uzzah put out his hand to hold up the covenant box of God. ₇It was wrong. The Lord was angry with Uzzah and He killed Uzzah. Uzzah died there next to the covenant box of God. ₈David was very shocked and upset because the Lord had killed Uzzah. David said the name of that place was Perez-Uzzah and today it is still the name of that place. ₉On that day David became afraid of the Lord. David said: ‘I can not let the covenant box of the Lord come to me.’

₁₀Then David did not let the covenant box come to him into the City of David. He said they must take the covenant box to the house of Obed-Edom in the town of Gath. ₁₁The covenant box of the Lord was in the house of Obed-Edom for 3 months. The Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family. ₁₂They told King David that the Lord had blessed the family of Obed-Edom and everything he had, because the covenant box of God was with him. David then went and he took the covenant box of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David and he was very happy. ₁₃The men who carried the covenant box walked 6 steps and then David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. He did it every time after they had walked 6 steps. ₁₄David turned_around and around and he danced before the Lord. He was wearing a linen shoulder-cloth. ₁₅While David and the leaders_of_Israel were bringing the covenant box of God, they shouted and blew trumpets.

₁₆When the covenant box of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked out of the window. When she saw King David jumping and dancing before the Lord, she was upset and she no longer respected David.

₁₇David put up a tent for the covenant box of the Lord. They put the covenant box in its place in the tent. David sacrificed burnt-offerings and meal-offerings to the Lord. ₁₈Then he blessed the people and said the Lord Almighty would bless them. ₁₉He gave every woman and every man a loaf of bread and a cake of dates and a cake of raisins. He gave food to everyone and then all of them went home.

₂₀When David went home to bless his family, Michal, daughter of Saul, came to him and said: ‘Today the king_of_Israel did something bad. You looked like a fool when you were almost naked and danced in front of your officials and the slave girls of your servants.’

₂₁David said to Michal: ‘I was before the Lord and danced before Him who chose me to be the king of his people, Israel. He did not choose your father's descendants. ₂₂I will humble myself even more and I will show how unimportant I am. Those slave girls you talk about will keep on respecting me.’

₂₃Michal, daughter of Saul, did not have a baby to the day that she died.