1 Chronicles
Chapter 15
1 David built himself homes in the city of David, made a spot ready for God’s ark, and set up a tent for it.
2 David said, only the Levites should carry God’s ark because God chose them to carry it and to serve Him forever.
3 David brought all of Israel to Jerusalem to move God’s ark to the spot he had set up for it.
4 David gathered Aaron’s descendants and the Levites.
5 From Kohath’s descendants, Uriel was the leader, and with him were 120 relatives.
6 From Merari’s descendants: Asaiah was the leader, with 220 of his relatives.
7 From Gershom’s descendants, Joel was the leader, with 130 in his family.
8 From Elizaphan’s descendants: Shemaiah was the leader, with two hundred of his relatives.
9 From Hebron’s sons, Eliel was the leader, with eighty of his brothers.
10 From Uzziel’s sons: Amminadab was the leader, and he had 112 brothers.
11 David called for the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and for the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
12 He said to them, “You are the leaders of the Levites’ ancestors. Make yourselves and your brothers holy so you can bring God’s ark to the place I have made ready for it.”
13 Because we didn’t do it right the first time, God punished us since we didn’t follow the proper way to seek him.
14 The priests and Levites made themselves pure to carry the ark of God of Israel.
15 The Levite children carried God’s ark on their shoulders with the poles in place, as Moses ordered by God’s command.
16 David told the Levite leaders to choose their relatives to sing and play music with lyres, harps, and cymbals, making joyful sounds with loud voices.
17 The Levites chose Heman, Joel’s son; and from his brothers, they chose Asaph, Berechiah’s son; and from the Merari family, Ethan, Kushaiah’s son.
18 Also with them were their fellow workers of the next rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obededom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.
19 The singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were chosen to play bronze cymbals.
20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played the harps following the Alamoth style.
21 Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obededom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played their harps tuned to the octave to lead the music.
22 Chenaniah, the head of the Levites, was in charge of the music. He taught others about music because he was talented.
23 Berechiah and Elkanah were guards for the ark.
24 Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethaneel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, who were priests, blew trumpets in front of God’s ark, while Obededom and Jehiah guarded the doors of the ark.
25 David, the leaders of Israel, and the commanders of groups of a thousand went to happily move God’s covenant chest from Obed-edom’s home.
26 When God helped the Levites carrying the ark of God’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
27 David wore a fine linen robe, and so did all the Levites carrying the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah who led them in music. David also wore a linen ephod.
28 So all of Israel carried the ark of God’s covenant with shouting, with cornet sounds, trumpets, cymbals, and made music with lyres and harps.
29 When the ark of God’s covenant arrived at David’s city, Michal, Saul’s daughter, watched from a window as King David danced and played music, and she felt contempt for him in her heart.