Study Desk

But they transgressed against the God of their ancestors, and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of King Pul of Assyria, the spirit of King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria, and he carried them away, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day.

and their kindred the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

But Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, doing all the work of the most holy place, to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

and Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief officer of the house of God;

besides their kindred, heads of their ancestral houses, one thousand seven hundred sixty, qualified for the work of the service of the house of God.

for the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were in charge of the chambers and the treasures of the house of God.

And they would spend the night near the house of God; for on them lay the duty of watching, and they had charge of opening it every morning.

For some time now, even while Saul was king, it was you who commanded the army of Israel. The Lord your God said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over my people Israel."

and said, "My God forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it." Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.

David went out to meet them and said to them, "If you have come to me in friendship, to help me, then my heart will be knit to you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, though my hands have done no wrong, then may the God of our ancestors see and give judgment."

Then the spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said, "We are yours, O David; and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to the one who helps you! For your God is the one who helps you." Then David received them, and made them officers of his troops.

Indeed from day to day people kept coming to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.

David said to the whole assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our kindred who remain in all the land of Israel, including the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasture lands, that they may come together to us.

Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us; for we did not turn to it in the days of Saul."

So David assembled all Israel from the Shihor of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the Lord , who is enthroned on the cherubim, which is called by his name.

They carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart.

David and all Israel were dancing before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.

The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.