1 Chronicles 15

1David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

2Then David said, “No one is to carry the ark of God except the Levites, for Yahweh chose them to carry the ark of Yahweh and to serve him forever.”

3David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of Yahweh to its place, which he had prepared for it.

4David gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

5of the descendants of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and 120 of his relatives;

6of the descendants of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and 220 of his relatives;

7of the descendants of Gershom, Joel the chief, and 130 of his relatives;

8of the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his relatives;

9of the descendants of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his relatives;

10of the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and 112 of his relatives.

11Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

12He said to them, “You are the heads of the families of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your relatives, and bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.

13Because you did not carry it the first time, Yahweh our God broke out against us, for we did not seek him in the way he prescribed.”

14So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

15The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of Yahweh.

16David told the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, playing loudly and raising their voices with joy.

17So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from their relatives the descendants of Merari, Ethan son of Kushaiah.

18With them were their relatives of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.

19The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound bronze cymbals;

20Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth;

21and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to the Sheminith.

22Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in the music, directed the music, because he was skilled at it.

23Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark.

24Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also gatekeepers for the ark.

25So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the house of Obed-edom with joy.

26When God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

27David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.

28So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with shouting, with the sound of the ram’s horn, with trumpets and cymbals, and playing loudly on harps and lyres.

29As the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.