2Sa 6-7 | ESV | STEP | David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel , thirty thousand .

bj[See ver. 14 above]

bk 1 Sam. 15:23, 28; [1 Kgs. 11:13, 34]

bl ver. 13; Ps. 89:36, 37; [Luke 1:33]

bn ver. 13; Ps. 89:36, 37; [Luke 1:33]

bo[Gen. 32:10]

bp ver. 12, 13; 1 Chr. 17:17

bqSee Ps. 139:1-4

br 1 Chr. 16:25; 2 Chr. 2:5

bs Ex. 15:11; Deut. 3:24; Ps. 86:8; 89:6, 8; Isa. 45:5; Jer. 10:6

bt Deut. 4:7, 34; 33:29; Ps. 147:20

bu Deut. 10:21

bx Deut. 9:26; Neh. 1:10

by ver. 13, 16, 26; Deut. 26:18

bz John 17:17

ca ch. 22:51; Ps. 89:28, 29

2 Samuel 6

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

1 ^aDavid again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^bBaale-judah ^cto bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts ^dwho sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God ^eon a new cart and brought it ^fout of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, ^{▼▼Or and his brother; also verse 4} the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, ^{▼▼Compare Septuagint; Hebrew the new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill} 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.

Uzzah and the Ark

5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with ⁱsongs ^{▼▼Septuagint, 1 Chronicles 13:8; Hebrew fir trees} and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of ^kNacon, Uzzah ^lput out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and ^mGod struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah ^{▼▼ Perez-uzzah means the breaking out against Uzzah} to this day. 9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside ^oto the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, ^pand the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

12 And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” ^qSo David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom ^rto the city of David with rejoicing. 13 And when ^sthose who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, ^the sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David ^udanced before the Lord with all his might. And David was ^vwearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

David and Michal

16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. 17 And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ^win its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. ^xAnd David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, ^yhe blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, ^{▼▼Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew term is uncertain} and a cake of raisins to each one. ^aaThen all the people departed, each to his house.

20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, ^abuncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the ^acvulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^adwho chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince ^{▼▼Or leader} over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew my} eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

2 Samuel 7

The Lord’s Covenant with David

1 ^agNow when the king lived in his house and the Lord ^ahhad given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to ^aiNathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell ^ajin a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells ^akin a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, ^al“Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^amWould you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house ^ansince the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about ^aoin a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where ^apI have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with ^aqany of the judges ^{▼▼Compare 1 Chronicles 17:6; Hebrew tribes} of Israel, whom I commanded ^asto shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^atI took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince ^{▼▼Or leader} over my people Israel. 9 ^avAnd I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel ^awand will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place ^axand be disturbed no more. ^ayAnd violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 ^azfrom the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And ^baI will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that ^bbthe Lord will make you a house. 12 ^bcWhen your days are fulfilled and ^bdyou lie down with your fathers, ^beI will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 ^bfHe shall build a house for my name, and ^bgI will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 ^bhI will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, ^biI will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 ^bjbut my steadfast love will not depart from him, ^bkas I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 ^blAnd your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew you} ^bnYour throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer of Gratitude

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ^bo“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. ^bpYou have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! 20 And what more can David say to you? ^bqFor you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 22 ^brTherefore you are great, O Lord God. ^bsFor there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 ^btAnd who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name ^buand doing for them ^{▼▼With a few Targums, Vulgate, Syriac; Hebrew you} great and awesome things by driving out ^{▼▼Septuagint (compare 1 Chronicles 17:21); Hebrew for your land} before your people, whom ^bxyou redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24 ^byAnd you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. 25 And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and ^bzyour words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, ^caand with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”