1 Chronicles 15
1 David built houses for himself in the City of David. He prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
2 Then David said, “No one may carry the ark of God except the Levites, because the LORD chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and to serve him forever.”
3 David gathered all Israel in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the LORD up to its place, which he had prepared for it.
4 David assembled the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 From the Kohathites: Uriel the chief, and 120 of his relatives;
6 from the Merarites: Asaiah the chief, and 220 of his relatives;
7 from the Gershonites: 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 summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the ancestral families of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your relatives, and bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, up to the place I prepared for it.
13 The first time, you did not carry it; that is why the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the prescribed way.”
14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, up.
15 The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles resting on them, as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the LORD.
16 David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers, with musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals—to play loudly and raise their voices with joy.
17 The Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, along with his relative Asaph son of Berechiah, and from their Merarite relatives, Ethan son of Kushaiah.
18 With them were their relatives of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.
19 The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan played bronze cymbals loudly.
20 Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played harps in the alamoth style.
21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played lyres in the sheminith style, to lead.
22 Chenaniah, chief of the Levites in charge of carrying, instructed them in the carrying, because he was skilled at it.
23 Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark.
24 The priests Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer blew the trumpets before the ark of God; Obed-Edom and Jehiah were gatekeepers for the ark.
25 David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went to bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant up from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.
26 Because God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the LORD’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
27 David wore a robe of fine linen, as did all the Levites who carried the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah, the chief in charge of carrying for the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.
28 All Israel brought up the ark of the LORD’s covenant with joyful shouts, to the sound of the ram’s horn, trumpets, and cymbals, playing loudly on harps and lyres.
29 As the ark of the LORD’s covenant entered the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.
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