15
1 David
made himself
houses in David’s
city; and he
prepared a place
for God’s ark, and
pitched a tent for
it.
2 Then
David said, “No
one ought to carry
God’s ark but the
Levites. For the
LORD has chosen
them to carry
God’s ark, and to
minister to him
forever.”
3 David
assembled all
Israel at
Jerusalem, to
bring up the
LORD’s ark to its
place, which he
had prepared for
it.
4 David
gathered together the
sons of Aaron and
the Levites:
5 of
the sons of
Kohath, Uriel the
chief, and his
brothers one
hundred twenty;
6 of
the sons of
Merari, Asaiah the
chief, and his
brothers two
hundred twenty;
7 of
the sons
of Gershom, Joel
the chief, and
his brothers one
hundred thirty;
8 of
the sons
of Elizaphan, Shemaiah
the chief, and
his brothers two
hundred;
9 of
the sons of
Hebron, Eliel the
chief, and his
brothers eighty;
10 of
the sons of
Uzziel, Amminadab
the chief, and
his brothers one
hundred twelve.
11 David
called for Zadok
and Abiathar the
priests, and for
the Levites:
for Uriel, Asaiah,
Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel,
and Amminadab,
12 and said
to them, “You
are the heads
of the fathers’
households of the
Levites. Sanctify
yourselves, both you
and your brothers,
that you may
bring the ark of
the LORD, the
God of Israel,
up to the
place that I
have prepared for
it.
13 For
because you didn’t carry
it at first,
the LORD our
God broke out
in anger against
us, because
we didn’t seek him
according to the
ordinance.”
14 So
the priests and
the Levites
sanctified themselves
to bring up
the ark of the
LORD, the God
of Israel.
15 The
children of the
Levites bore God’s
ark on their
shoulders with its
poles, as Moses
commanded according
to the LORD’s
word.
16 David spoke
to the chief
of the Levites
to appoint
their brothers as
singers with
instruments of
music, stringed instruments,
harps, and cymbals,
sounding aloud and
lifting up their
voices with joy.
17 So
the Levites
appointed Heman
the son of
Joel; and of
his brothers, Asaph
the son of
Berechiah; and of
the sons of
Merari their
brothers, Ethan the
son of Kushaiah;
18 and
with them their brothers
of the second
rank: Zechariah,
Ben, Jaaziel,
Shemiramoth, Jehiel,
Unni, Eliab, Benaiah,
Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu,
Mikneiah, Obed-Edom,
and Jeiel, the
doorkeepers.
19 So
the singers, Heman,
Asaph, and Ethan, were
given cymbals of
bronze to sound
aloud;
20 and
Zechariah, Aziel,
Shemiramoth, Jehiel,
Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah,
and Benaiah,
with stringed instruments set to
Alamoth;
21 and
Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah,
Obed-Edom, Jeiel,
and Azaziah, with
harps tuned to
the eight-stringed lyre,
to lead.
22 Chenaniah,
chief of the
Levites, was over
the singing. He
taught the singers,
because he
was skillful.
23 Berechiah
and Elkanah were
doorkeepers for the ark.
24 Shebaniah,
Joshaphat, Nethanel,
Amasai, Zechariah,
Benaiah, and Eliezer,
the priests, blew
the trumpets
before God’s ark; and
Obed-Edom and
Jehiah were
doorkeepers for
the ark.
25 So
David, the elders
of Israel, and
the captains
over thousands went
to bring the ark
of the LORD’s
covenant up out
of the house
of Obed-Edom with
joy.
26 When
God helped the
Levites who bore
the ark of the
LORD’s covenant,
they sacrificed
seven bulls and
seven rams.
27 David
was clothed with
a robe of fine
linen, as were all
the Levites who
bore the ark, the
singers, and
Chenaniah the choir
master with the
singers; and David
had an ephod
of linen on him.
28 Thus
all Israel brought
the ark of the
LORD’s covenant up
with shouting,
with sound of
the cornet, with
trumpets, and with
cymbals, sounding
aloud with stringed instruments
and harps.
29 As
the ark of the
LORD’s covenant
came to David’s
city, Michal the
daughter of Saul
looked out at
the window, and
saw king David
dancing and
playing; and
she despised him
in her heart.