One Year Bible.

David Fetches the Ark

¹David again assembled the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all. ²And he and all his troops set out for Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name— the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on it.

³They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart, ⁴bringing with it the ark of God. And Ahio was walking in front of the ark.

Uzzah Touches the Ark

⁵David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of wood instruments, harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.

⁶When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there beside the ark of God.

⁸Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.

⁹That day David feared the LORD and asked, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” ¹⁰So he was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and all his household.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

¹²Now it was reported to King David, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.”

So David went and had the ark of God brought up from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³When those carrying the ark of the LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.

¹⁴And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD, ¹⁵while he and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sounding of the ram’s horn.

Michal’s Contempt for David

¹⁶As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷So they brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁸When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Hosts. ¹⁹Then he distributed to every man and woman among the multitude of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. And all the people departed, each to his own home.

²⁰When David returned home to bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.”

²¹But David said to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD, ²²and I will humiliate and humble myself even more than this. Yet I will be honored by the maidservants of whom you have spoken.”

²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

David Fetches the Ark

¹Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds. ²And he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers in all the land of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands, so that they may join us. ³Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in the days of Saul.”

⁴And because this proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it. ⁵So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

⁶David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim — the ark that is called by the Name. ⁷So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.

Uzzah Touches the Ark

⁸David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled. ¹⁰And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

¹¹Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.

¹²That day David feared God and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” ¹³So he did not move the ark with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹⁴Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.

Job’s Final Appeal

¹“I have made a covenant with my eyes.

How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?

²For what is the allotment of God from above,

or the heritage from the Almighty on high?

³Does not disaster come to the unjust

and calamity to the workers of iniquity?

⁴Does He not see my ways

and count my every step?

⁵If I have walked in falsehood

or my foot has rushed to deceit,

⁶let God weigh me with honest scales,

that He may know my integrity.

⁷If my steps have turned from the path,

if my heart has followed my eyes,

or if impurity has stuck to my hands,

⁸then may another eat what I have sown,

and may my crops be uprooted.

⁹If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife,

or I have lurked at his door,

¹⁰then may my own wife grind grain for another,

and may other men sleep with her.

¹¹For that would be a heinous crime,

an iniquity to be judged.

¹²For it is a fire that burns down to Abaddon;

it would root out my entire harvest.

¹³If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant

when they made a complaint against me,

¹⁴what will I do when God rises to judge?

How will I answer when called to account?

¹⁵Did not He who made me in the womb also make them?

Did not the same One form us in the womb?

¹⁶If I have denied the desires of the poor

or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,

¹⁷if I have eaten my morsel alone,

not sharing it with the fatherless —

¹⁸though from my youth I reared him as would a father,

and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow —

¹⁹if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing,

or a needy man without a cloak,

²⁰if his heart has not blessed me

for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,

²¹if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless

because I saw that I had support in the gate,

²²then may my arm fall from my shoulder

and be torn from its socket.

²³For calamity from God terrifies me,

and His splendor I cannot overpower.

²⁴If I have put my trust in gold

or called pure gold my security,

²⁵if I have rejoiced in my great wealth

because my hand had gained so much,

²⁶if I have beheld the sun in its radiance

or the moon moving in splendor,

²⁷so that my heart was secretly enticed

and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

²⁸this would also be an iniquity to be judged,

for I would have denied God on high.

²⁹If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin,

or exulted when evil befell him —

³⁰I have not allowed my mouth to sin

by asking for his life with a curse —

³¹if the men of my house have not said,

‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—

³²but no stranger had to lodge on the street,

for my door has been open to the traveler —

³³if I have covered my transgressions like Adam

by hiding my guilt in my heart,

³⁴because I greatly feared the crowds

and the contempt of the clans terrified me,

so that I kept silent

and would not go outside —

³⁵(Oh, that I had one to hear me!

Here is my signature.

Let the Almighty answer me;

let my accuser compose an indictment.

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder

and wear it like a crown.

³⁷I would give account of all my steps;

I would approach Him like a prince.)—

³⁸if my land cries out against me

and its furrows weep together,

³⁹if I have devoured its produce without payment

or broken the spirit of its tenants,

⁴⁰then let briers grow instead of wheat

and stinkweed instead of barley.”

Thus conclude the words of Job.

Elihu Rebukes Job’s Friends

¹So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

²This kindled the anger of Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram. He burned with anger against Job for justifying himself rather than God, ³and he burned with anger against Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.

⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were older than he. ⁵But when he saw that the three men had no further reply, his anger was kindled. ⁶So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite declared:

“I am young in years,

while you are old;

that is why I was timid and afraid

to tell you what I know.

⁷I thought that age should speak,

and many years should teach wisdom.

⁸But there is a spirit in a man,

the breath of the Almighty,

that gives him understanding.

⁹It is not only the old who are wise,

or the elderly who understand justice.

¹⁰Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;

I too will declare what I know.’

¹¹Indeed, I waited while you spoke;

I listened to your reasoning;

as you searched for words,

¹²I paid you full attention.

But no one proved Job wrong;

not one of you rebutted his arguments.

¹³So do not claim, ‘We have found wisdom;

let God, not man, refute him.’

¹⁴But Job has not directed his words against me,

and I will not answer him with your arguments.

¹⁵Job’s friends are dismayed, with no more to say;

words have escaped them.

¹⁶Must I wait, now that they are silent,

now that they stand and no longer reply?

¹⁷I too will answer;

yes, I will declare what I know.

¹⁸For I am full of words,

and my spirit within me compels me.

¹⁹Behold, my belly is like unvented wine;

it is about to burst like a new wineskin.

²⁰I must speak and find relief;

I must open my lips and respond.

²¹I will be partial to no one,

nor will I flatter any man.

²²For I do not know how to flatter,

or my Maker would remove me in an instant.[’’]