1 Chronicles
15
- After David had constructed buildings for
himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched
a tent for it.
- Then David said, "No one but the Levites
may carry the ark of God, because the LORD chose them to carry the ark of
the LORD and to minister before him forever."
- David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem
to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it.
- He called together the descendants of Aaron
and the Levites:
- From the descendants of Kohath, Uriel the
leader and 120 relatives;
- from the descendants of Merari, Asaiah the
leader and 220 relatives;
- from the descendants of Gershon, Joel the
leader and 130 relatives;
- from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah
the leader and 200 relatives;
- from the descendants of Hebron, Eliel the
leader and 80 relatives;
- from the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab
the leader and 112 relatives.
- Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the
priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites.
- He said to them, "You are the heads
of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves
and bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared
for it.
- It was because you, the Levites, did not
bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against
us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way."
- So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves
in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.
- And the Levites carried the ark of God with
the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the
word of the LORD.
- David told the leaders of the Levites to
appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical
instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.
- So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel;
from his brothers, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their brothers the Merarites,
Ethan son of Kushaiah;
- and with them their brothers next in rank:
Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah,
Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.
- The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were
to sound the bronze cymbals;
- Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni,
Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,
- and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom,
Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.
- Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of
the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.
- Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers
for the ark.
- Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai,
Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the
ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.
- 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.
- Because God had helped the Levites who were
carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams were
sacrificed.
- Now David was clothed in a robe of fine
linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the
singers, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David
also wore a linen ephod.
- So all Israel brought up the ark of the
covenant of the LORD with shouts, with the sounding of rams' horns and trumpets,
and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.
- As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was
entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window.
And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her
heart.
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