1 Chronicles 15

1 And he made for himself houses in [the] city of David and he prepared a place for [the] ark of God and he pitched for it a tent.

David [commanded his workers to] build some houses for him in Jerusalem. He also told them to set up a tent in which to put the Sacred Chest.

2 Then he said David not to carry [the] ark of God that except the Levites for them - he had chosen Yahweh to carry [the] ark of Yahweh and to serve him until perpetuity.

He said, “Only the descendants of Levi are permitted to carry God’s Sacred Chest, because they are the ones whom God chose to carry it and to serve him forever.”

3 And he assembled David all Israel to Jerusalem to bring up [the] ark of Yahweh to place its which he had prepared for it.

David summoned all the people of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He wanted the Sacred Chest of Yahweh to be put in the place that he had made for it.

4 And he gathered David [the] descendants of Aaron and the Levites.

He summoned the descendants of Aaron, [who was the first Supreme Priest, ] and the other descendants of Levi.

5 Of [the] descendants of Kohath Uriel the leader and relatives his one hundred and twenty.

120 descendants of Kohath, who was Levi’s second son, came, with Uriel their leader.

6 Of [the] descendants of Merari Asaiah the leader and relatives his two hundred and twenty.

There were 220 descendants of Merari, Levi’s third son, who came, with Asaiah their leader.

7 Of [the] descendants of Gershom Joel the leader and relatives his one hundred and thirty.

There were 130 descendants of Gershon, Levi’s first son, who came, with Joel their leader.

8 Of [the] descendants of Elizaphan Shemaiah the leader and relatives his two hundred.

There were 200 people from Elizaphan’s clan who came, with Shemaiah their leader.

9 Of [the] descendants of Hebron Eliel the leader and relatives his eighty.

There were 80 people from Hebron’s clan who came, with Eliel their leader.

10 Of [the] descendants of Uzziel Amminadab the leader and relatives his one hundred and two [plus] ten.

And there were 112 people from Uzziel’s clan who came, with Amminadab their leader.

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

David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and these [other] descendants of Levi: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

12 And he said to them you [are] [the] chiefs of the fathers of the Levites consecrate yourselves you and relatives your and you will bring up [the] ark of Yahweh [the] God of Israel to [where] I have prepared for it.

David said to them, “You are the leaders of the clans descended from Levi. You and the other descendants of Levi must purify yourselves, in order to [be able to do this special work for Yahweh. You must] bring the Sacred Chest of Yahweh, the God of us Israelis, up to the place that I have made for it [here in Jerusalem].

13 For to what? at the first [time] not you he burst out Yahweh God our against us for not we sought him according to the ordinance.

The first time that we tried to bring it, we did not ask Yahweh how we should carry it {it should be carried}. You [descendants of Levi] were not the ones who carried it, so Yahweh our God punished us.”

14 And they consecrated themselves the priests and the Levites to bring up [the] ark of Yahweh [the] God of Israel.

Then the priests and the [other] descendants of Levi [performed the rituals to] purify themselves, in order that it would be proper for them to do the work of carrying the Sacred Chest of Yahweh, the God of us Israeli people.

15 And they carried [the] descendants of the Levites [the] ark of God just as he had commanded Moses according to [the] word of Yahweh on shoulders their with poles on them.

The descendants of Levi [inserted] the poles [into the rings on] the Sacred Chest so that with them, they could carry the Sacred Chest on their shoulders, like Moses had commanded, and like Yahweh had said that they should.

16 And he said David to [the] leaders of the Levites to appoint relatives their the singers with instruments of song lyres and harps and cymbals sounding aloud to raise a sound of joy.

David told the leaders of the descendants of Levi to appoint some of their relatives to sing joyful songs and play lyres, harps, and cymbals [while they were carrying the Sacred Chest].

17 And they appointed the Levites Heman [the] son of Joel and of relatives his Asaph [the] son of Berekiah. And of [the] descendants of Merari relatives their Ethan [the] son of Kushaiah.

So they appointed Heman and his relatives Asaph and Ethan. Heman was the son of Joel; Asaph was the son of Berekiah. Ethan, a descendant of Merari, was Kushaiah’s son.

18 And with them relatives their the second in rank Zechariah Ben and Jaaziel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel - and Unni Eliab and Benaiah and Maaseiah and Mattithiah and Eliphelehu and Mikneiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel the gatekeepers.

There was also another group of descendants of Levi who were appointed: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and two of the Sacred Tent gatekeepers, Obed-Edom and Jeiel.

19 And the singers Heman Asaph and Ethan with cymbals bronze [were] to sound aloud.

Heman, Asaph and Ethan sang, and also played bronze cymbals.

20 And Zechariah and Aziel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Unni and Eliab and Maaseiah and Benaiah with lyres on alamoth.

Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played lyres.

21 And Mattithiah and Eliphelehu and Mikneiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel and Azaziah with harps on the sheminith to act as overseers.

Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah played harps.

22 And Kenaniah [the] leader of the Levites in a lifting up an instructor in the lifting up for [was] a teacher he.

Kenaniah, the leader of the descendants of Levi, directed the singing because he was very skilled at doing that.

23 And Berekiah and Elkanah [were] gatekeepers for the ark.

Berekiah and Elkanah were two of the men who guarded the Sacred Chest.

24 And Shebaniah and Joshaphat and Nethanel and Amasai and Zechariah and Benaiah and Eliezer the priests ([were] blowing a trumpet *Q(k)*) on trumpets before [the] ark of God and Obed-Edom and Jehiah [were] gatekeepers for the ark.

The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer were appointed to blow trumpets in front of the Sacred Chest. Obed-Edom and Jehiah also guarded the Sacred Chest.

25 And it was David and [the] elders of Israel and [the] leaders of the thousands [were] the [ones who] went to bring up [the] ark of [the] covenant of Yahweh from [the] house of Obed-Edom with joy.

David and the Israeli leaders and the officers who commanded 1,000 soldiers went to bring the Sacred Chest back from Obed-Edom’s house. They were very joyful as they brought it to Jerusalem.

26 And it was because helped God the Levites [the] bearers of [the] ark of [the] covenant of Yahweh and they sacrificed seven young bulls and seven rams.

God helped the descendants of Levi who carried the Sacred Chest of Yahweh; therefore David and the leaders sacrificed seven bulls and seven (rams/male sheep) [to thank him].

27 And David [was] wrapped - in a robe of fine linen and all the Levites who were carrying the ark and the singers and Kenaniah the leader the lifting up the singers and [was] on David an ephod of linen.

All the descendants of Levi who carried the Sacred Chest, all the singers, and Kenaniah, the man who directed those who sang, wore robes of fine white linen and sacred vests made of fine linen. David also wore a sacred vest made of white linen.

28 And all Israel [was] bringing up [the] ark of [the] covenant of Yahweh with a shout and with [the] sound of a ram's horn and with trumpets and with cymbals sounding aloud with lyres and harps.

So all of the Israeli people joined in bringing the Sacred Chest up [to Jerusalem]. They shouted [joyfully, while the musicians] blew horns and trumpets, and played cymbals, lyres, and harps.

29 And it was [the] ark of [the] covenant of Yahweh [was] coming to [the] city of David and Michal [the] daughter of Saul she looked down - through the window and she saw the king David dancing and making merry and she despised him in heart her.

While they were bringing the Sacred Chest into Jerusalem, Saul’s daughter Michal watched them, looking out of a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him.