CHAPTER 15

¹And he made houses for himself in the City of David and readied a place for the Ark of God and set up a tent for it. ²Then did David say that none should carry the Ark of God except the Levites, for God had chosen them to carry the Ark of the LORD and to minister to Him for all time. ³And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the Ark of the LORD to the place that he had readied for it. ⁴And David gathered the Aaronites and the Levites. ⁵For the Kohathites, Uriel the officer, with his kin, two hundred twenty. ⁶For the Merarites, Asaiah the officer with his kin, two hundred twenty. ⁷For the sons of Gershom, Joel the officer with his kin, one hundred thirty. ⁸For the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the officer and his kin, two hundred. ⁹For the sons of Hebron, Eliel the officer and his kin, eighty. ¹⁰For the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the officer and his kin, one hundred twelve. ¹¹And David called Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites, Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹²And he said to them “You are the heads of the patriarchal houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your kin, and bring up the Ark of the LORD to the place that I have readied for it. ¹³For you were not there at first when the LORD our God burst forth against us, as we did not seek Him as we should have.” ¹⁴And the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the Ark of the LORD God of Israel. ¹⁵And the Levites carried the Ark of God as Moses had charged according to the word of the LORD, on their shoulders with poles upon them. ¹⁶And David said to the officers of the Levites to station their kin the choristers with musical instruments, lyres and lutes and loud cymbals to raise up their voice in rejoicing. ¹⁷And the Levites stationed Heman son of Joel, and of his kin, Asaph son of Berechiah and of the Merarites their kin Ethan son of Kushaiah. ¹⁸And with them, their kin of the second 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. ¹⁹And the choristers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, to sound out with brass cymbals, ²⁰and Zechariah and Aziel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Unni and Eliab and Maaseiah and Benaiah, with lyres, on alamoth, ²¹and Mattithiah and Elipheleh and Mikneiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel and Azaziah with lutes leading the song on the sheminith. ²²And Chenaniah officer of the Levites in song, directed the song, for he was an expert. ²³And Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the Ark. ²⁴And Shebaniah and Joshaphat and Nethaneel and Amasai and Zechariah and Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were playing trumpets before the Ark of God, while Obed-Edom and Jehiah were gate-keepers for the Ark. ²⁵And David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of the thousands were walking on to bring up the Ark of the LORD’S Covenant from the house of Obed-Edom in rejoicing. ²⁶And it happened as God aided the Levites bearing the Ark of God’s Covenant, that they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷And David was wrapped in a cloak of fine linen as were all the Levites bearing the Ark and the choristers and Chenaniah officer of the chorister’s song, and David had on a linen ephod. ²⁸And all Israel were bringing up the Ark of the LORD’S Covenant with joyous shouts and with the sound of the ram’s horn and with trumpets and with cymbals, sounding out with lyres and lutes. ²⁹And it happened as the Ark of the LORD’S Covenant came up to the City of David that Michal daughter of Saul looked out through the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she scorned him in her heart.