1 Chronicles 15

1 And he makes houses for himself in the City of David, and prepares a place for the Ark of God, and stretches out a tent for it.

Also, he made houses for himself in the City of David. And built a place for the ark of God, and he set up a tent for it.

2 Then David said, “None [are] to carry the Ark of God, except the Levites, for YHWH has fixed on them to carry the Ark of God and to serve Him for all time.”

Then David said: “It is illicit for anyone to carry the ark of God except the Levites, whom the Lord chose to carry it and to minister to himself, even unto eternity.”

3 And David assembles all Israel to Jerusalem, to bring up the Ark of YHWH to its place that he had prepared for it.

And he gathered all of Israel in Jerusalem, so that the ark of God might be brought into its place, which he had prepared for it.

4 And David gathers the sons of Aaron and the Levites—

Certainly, there were both the sons of Aaron and the Levites:

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

From the sons of Kohath, Uriel was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred twenty.

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

From the sons of Merari: Asaiah was the leader, and his brothers were two hundred twenty.

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

From the sons of Gershom: Joel was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred thirty.

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

From the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah was the leader, and his brothers were two hundred.

9 of sons of Hebron: Eliel the chief and eighty of his brothers;

From the sons of Hebron: Eliel was the leader, and his brothers were eighty.

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

From the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred twelve.

11 And David calls to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, and to the Levites, to Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,

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

12 and says to them, “You [are] heads of the fathers of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers, and you have brought up the Ark of YHWH, God of Israel, to [the place] I have prepared for it;

And he said to them: “You who are the leaders of the Levitical families, be sanctified with your brothers, and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place that has been prepared for it.

13 because you [did] not [do it] at the first, our God YHWH made a breach on us, because we did not seek Him according to the ordinance.”

Otherwise, as it was before, when the Lord struck us because you were not present, so also it might be now, if we do what is illicit.”

14 And the priests and the Levites sanctify themselves to bring up the Ark of YHWH, God of Israel;

Therefore, the priests and the Levites were sanctified, so that they might carry the ark of the Lord God of Israel.

15 and sons of the Levites carry the Ark of God, as Moses commanded, according to the word of YHWH, above them with poles on their shoulder.

And the sons of Levi took the ark of God, just as Moses had instructed, in accord with the word of the Lord, upon their shoulders by the bars.

16 And David says to the heads of the Levites to appoint their brothers the singers, with instruments of song, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, sounding, to lift up with the voice for joy.

And David spoke to the leaders of the Levites, so that they might appoint, from their brothers, singers with musical instruments, specifically, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, so that a joyful noise might resound on high.

17 And the Levites appoint Heman son of Joel, and of his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah, and of the sons of Merari their brothers, Ethan son of Kushaiah;

And they appointed from the Levites: Heman, the son of Joel; and from his brothers, Asaph, the son of Berechiah; and truly, from their brothers, the sons of Merari: Ethan, the son of Kushaiah.

18 and with them their brothers, the seconds [in rank]: Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah; and Obed-Edom and Jeiel the gatekeepers;

And with them were their brothers in the second rank: Zechariah, and Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jahiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, who were gatekeepers.

19 and the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, [are] to sound with cymbals of bronze;

Now the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were sounding out with cymbals of brass.

20 and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jeheil, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries over the girls’ [voices],

And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah were singing mysteries with the psalteries.

21 and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, to oversee with harps on the eighth.

Then Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah and Obededom, and Jeiel and Azaziah were singing a song of victory with the harps, for the octave.

22 And Chenaniah, head of the Levites, [is] over the burden; he instructs about the burden, for he [is] intelligent.

Now Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites, was foremost over the prophecies, in order to mark out in advance the melodies. For indeed, he was very skillful.

23 And Berechiah and Elkanah [are] gatekeepers for the Ark.

And Berechiah and Elkanah were porters of the ark.

24 And Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer the priests, are blowing with trumpets before the Ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah [are] gatekeepers for the Ark.

And the priests, Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, were sounding the trumpets before the ark of God. And Obededom and Jehiah were porters of the ark.

25 And it is David, and [the] elderly of Israel, and the heads of the thousands, who are going to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH from the house of Obed-Edom with joy;

Therefore, David, and all those greater by birth of Israel, and the tribunes, went to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obededom with rejoicing.

26 and it comes to pass, in God’s helping the Levites carrying the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH, that they sacrifice seven bullocks and seven rams.

And when God had assisted the Levites, who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they immolated seven bulls and seven rams.

27 And David is wrapped in an upper robe of fine linen, and all the Levites who are carrying the Ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah head of the burden of the singers; and an Ephod of linen [is] on David.

Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah, the leader of the prophecy among the singers. But David was also clothed with a linen ephod.

28 And all of Israel is bringing up the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH with shouting, and with the sound of a horn, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding with psalteries and harps,

And all of Israel were leading back the ark of the covenant of the Lord with jubilation, sounding out with the noise of horns, and trumpets, and cymbals, and psalteries, and harps.

29 and it comes to pass, the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH is entering into the City of David, and Michal daughter of Saul is looking through the window, and sees King David dancing and playing, and despises him in her heart.

And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord had arrived in the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, gazing through a window, saw king David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.