The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
1 tDavid again ugathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the vark of God, wwhich is called by the name of the Lord of hosts xwho sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God yon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio,1 the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God,2 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 songs3 and zlyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and atook hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God bstruck him down there because of his error, and he cdied 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-uzzah4 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 to 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, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
12 dAnd 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.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. 13 And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he esacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was fwearing 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, gMichal 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 in its place, inside the htent that David had pitched for it. And David ioffered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 jAnd when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he 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,5 and a cake of raisins to each one. kThen all the people departed, each to his house.
Paul Surrenders His Rights
1 Am I not free? Am I not an iapostle? jHave I not seen Jesus our Lord? kAre not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you lare the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my mdefense to those who would examine me. 4 nDo we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 oDo we not have the right to take along a pbelieving wife,1 as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and qCephas? 6 Or is it only rBarnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? sWho plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
8 Do I say these things ton human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, u“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak vfor our sake? It was written for our sake, because wthe plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 xIf we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, ywe have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an zobstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not know that athose who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, bthe Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
15 But cI have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my dground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. eFor necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still fentrusted with a gstewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel hfree of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a iservant to all, that I might jwin more of them. 20 kTo the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those lunder the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one moutside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the nlaw of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the oweak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become pall things to all people, that by all means I might qsave some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
