1 Chronicles 15

1 And David built himself houses in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and made a tent for it. 2 Then David said, “No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to serve him forever.” 3 And David gathered all Israel into an assembly at Jerusalem, to bring the ark of the Lord up to the place he had prepared for it.

4 And David brought together the sons of Aaron and the Levites. [a] 5 Of the sons of Kohath: Uriel the leader, and his brothers, a hundred and twenty. 6 Of the sons of Merari: Asaiah the leader, and his brothers, two hundred and fifty. 7 Of the sons of Gershom: Joel the leader, and his brothers, a hundred and fifty. [b] 8 Of the sons of Elzaphan: Shemaiah the leader, and his brothers, two hundred. [c] 9 Of the sons of Hebron: Eliel the leader, and his brothers, eighty. 10 Of the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab the leader, and his brothers, a hundred and twelve.

11 And David called Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites — Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab — 12 and said to them, “You are the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the Levites. Make yourselves pure, you and your brothers, and bring up the ark of the God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. 13 It was because you were not there the first time that our God broke out against us, for we did not seek him according to the rule laid down.” [d] 14 So the priests and the Levites made themselves pure, to bring up the ark of the God of Israel. 15 And the sons of the Levites took up the ark of God — as Moses had commanded by the word of God, according to what is written — on carrying-poles, upon them. [e]

16 And David said to the leaders of the Levites, “Set their brothers the singers in place with instruments of song — harps and lyres and cymbals — to sound out on high with a voice of gladness.” [f] 17 And the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; and from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from the sons of Merari, their brothers, Ethan son of Kisai; 18 and with them their brothers of the second rank: Zechariah, Uzziel, Shemiramoth, Jeiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphaliah, Makeniah, Obed-edom, Jeiel and Uzziah, the gatekeepers. [g]

19 And the singers — Heman, Asaph and Ethan — with bronze cymbals, to make themselves heard; 20 Zechariah, Uzziel, Shemiramoth, Jeiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah, with harps, set to alamoth; 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphaliah, Makeniah, Obed-edom, Jeiel and Uzziah, with lyres, on amasenith, to strengthen the sound. [h] 22 And Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was leader of the songs, because he had understanding of it. 23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers of the ark. 24 And Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer, the priests, were sounding the trumpets before the ark of God. And Obed-edom and Jehiah were gatekeepers of the ark of God. [i]

25 So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands were the ones going to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom, with gladness. 26 And when God strengthened the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven young bulls and seven rams. 27 And David was wrapped in a robe of fine linen, and so were all the Levites carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the songs of the singers; and on David there was a robe of fine linen. [j] 28 And all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with a shout, and with the sound of the ram’s horn, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding aloud on harps and lyres. [k]

29 And the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived, and it came as far as the city of David; and Michal the daughter of Saul leaned out through the window and saw King David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her soul. [l]