Exo 25:10-22, 37:1-9, 2Sa 6:2-9 | ESV | STEP | They shall make an ark of acacia wood . Two cubits and a half shall be its length , a cubit and a half its breadth , and a cubit and a half its height .

Exodus 25:10-22

The Ark of the Covenant

10 ^a“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with ^cpure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its ^dfour feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. 15 The ^epoles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 ^fAnd you shall put into the ark the ^gtestimony that I shall give you.

17 ^h“You shall make a mercy seat ^{▼▼Or cover} of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of ^jhammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. ^kOf one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. 20 ^lThe cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. 21 And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 22 ^mThere I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from ⁿbetween the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

Exodus 37:1-9

Making the Ark

1 ^oBezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold for its ^qfour feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. 4 And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold 5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. 6 And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 7 And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat, 8 one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.

2 Samuel 6:2-9

2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^rBaale-judah ^sto bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts ^twho sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God ^uon a new cart and brought it ^vout 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 ^ysongs ^{▼▼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 ^aaNacon, Uzzah ^abput 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 ^acGod 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?”