1 Chronicles 15

¹ David built houses for himself in the City of David, then he prepared a place for the ark of God and set up a tent for it.

² Then David said, 'No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before him forever.'

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

⁴ David summoned the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

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

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

⁷ from the descendants of Gershon: Joel the chief, and 130 of his relatives;

⁸ from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the chief, and 200 of his relatives;

⁹ from the descendants of Hebron: Eliel the chief, and 80 of his relatives;

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

¹¹ David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

¹² He said to them, 'You are the heads of the Levitical families. Consecrate yourselves, you and your relatives, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.'

¹³ 'Because you Levites did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not seek him according to the prescribed way.'

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

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

¹⁶ David told the heads of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to play joyful songs on musical instruments — lyres, harps, and cymbals.

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

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

¹⁹ The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to sound the bronze cymbals;

²⁰ Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the lyres tuned to alamoth;

²¹ Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music on the harps tuned to sheminith.

²² Chenaniah, the head Levite, was in charge of the singing; he trained the singers because he was skilled.

²³ Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁴ Shebaniah, 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 doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵ So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom, with rejoicing.

²⁶ Because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.

²⁷ Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Chenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.

²⁸ So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of rams' horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

²⁹ As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.