1 Chronicles

David 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.

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

And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.

Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites:

of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and one hundred and twenty of his brothers;

of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and two hundred and twenty of his brothers;

of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and one hundred and thirty of his brothers;

of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his brothers;

of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his brothers;

of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and one hundred and twelve of his brothers.

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

He said to them, "You are the heads of the father’s houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, both you and your brothers, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.

For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order."

So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

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

Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers to be the singers with instruments of music, harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals, sounding aloud with joy.

So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of their brothers the sons of Merari, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;

and with them their brothers of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound aloud with cymbals of bronze;

Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with harps tuned to Alamoth;

Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps tuned to Sheminith, to lead the music.

Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skilful.

Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.

Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before the ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.

And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams.

David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers; David also wore a linen ephod.

Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with harps and stringed instruments.

And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul’s daughter, looking through a window, saw King David dancing and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.