1 Chronicles 15

1 David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

And [David] made for 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 but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever.”

Then said David, It is not [lawful for any] to bear the ark of God, but the Levites; for the Lord has chosen them to bear the ark of the Lord, and to minister to him for ever.

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

And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place which he [had] prepared for it.

4 Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

And David gathered together the sons of Aaron the Levites.

5 From the Kohathites, Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives;

Of the sons of Caath; [there was] Uriel the chief, and his brethren, a hundred and twenty.

6 from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;

Of the sons of Merari; Asaia the chief, and his brethren, two hundred and twenty.

7 from the Gershomites, Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives;

Of the sons of Gedson; Joel the chief, and his brethren, a hundred and thirty.

8 from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives;

Of the sons of Elisaphat; Semei the chief, and his brethren, two hundred.

9 from the Hebronites, Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives;

Of the sons of Chebrom; Eliel the chief, and his brethren eighty.

10 and from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.

Of the sons of Oziel; Aminadab the chief, and his brethren a hundred and twelve.

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

And David called Sadoc and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites, Uriel, Asaia, and Joel, and Semaia, and Eliel, and Aminadab,

12 And he said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.

and said to them, You [are] the heads of the families of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, and you shall carry up the ark of the God of Israel, [to the place] which I have prepared for it.

13 It was because you Levites were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order.”

For because you were not [ready] at the first, our God made a breach upon us, because we sought him not according to the ordinance.

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

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

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

And the sons of the Levites took the ark of God, (as Moses commanded by the word of God according to the scripture) upon their shoulders with staves.

16 David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.

And David said to the chiefs of the Levites, Set your brethren the singers with musical instruments, lutes, harps, and cymbals, to sound aloud with a voice of joy.

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

So the Levites appointed Aeman the son of Joel; Asaph the son of Barachias [was one] of his brethren; and Aethan the son of Kisaeus was of the sons of Merari their brethren;

18 and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.

and with them their brethren of the second rank, Zacharias, and Oziel, and Semiramoth, and Jeiel, and Elioel, and Eliab, and Banaia, and Maasaia, and Matthathia, and Eliphena, and Makellia, and Abdedom, and Jeiel, and Ozias, the porters.

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

And the singers, Aeman, Asaph, and Aethan, with brazen cymbals to make [a sound] to be heard.

20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to Alamoth.

Zacharias, and Oziel, Semiramoth, Jeiel, Oni, Eliab, Maasaeas, Banaeas, with lutes, on alaemoth.

21 And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to Sheminith.

And Mattathias, and Eliphalu, and Makenia, and Abdedom, and Jeiel, and Ozias, with harps of Amasenith, to make a loud noise.

22 Chenaniah the head Levite was the director of the music because he was highly skilled.

And Chonenia chief of the Levites [was] master of the bands, because he was skillful.

23 Berechiah and Elkanah were to be guardians of the ark.

And Barachia and Elcana [were] doorkeepers of 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 to be guardians of the ark.

And Somnia, and Josaphat, and Nathanael, and Amasai, and Zacharia, and Banaea, and Eliezer, the priests, were sounding with trumpets before the ark of God: and Abdedom and Jeia [were] doorkeepers of the ark of God.

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

So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains of thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant from the house of Abdedom with gladness.

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

And it came to pass when God strengthened the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they sacrificed seven calves and seven rams.

27 Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the director of music for the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.

And David [was] girded with a fine linen robe, and all the Levites [who were] bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the singers, and Chonenias the master of the band of singers; also upon David [there was] a robe of fine linen.

28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and with cymbals and the music of harps and lyres.

And all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of a horn, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, playing loudly on lutes and harps.

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

And the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived, and came to the city of David; and Melchol the daughter of Saul looked down through the window, and saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.