¹²And 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.” fSo David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom gto the city of David with rejoicing. ¹³And when hthose who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, ihe sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. ¹⁴And David jdanced before the Lord with all his might. And David was kwearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵So 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

¹⁶As 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. ¹⁷And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it lin its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. mAnd David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, nhe blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts ¹⁹and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat,5 and a cake of raisins to each one. oThen all the people departed, each to his house.

²⁰And 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, puncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the qvulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, rwho chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince6 over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. ²²I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your7 eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” ²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

Expand Chapter