1 Chronicles 16
New Living Translation
16 They brought the Ark of God and placed it inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to God. 2 When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he gave to every man and woman in all Israel a loaf of bread, a cake of dates,[a] and a cake of raisins.
4 David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the Lord—to invoke his blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph, the leader of this group, sounded the cymbals. Second to him was Zechariah, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They played the harps and lyres. 6 The priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, played the trumpets regularly before the Ark of God’s Covenant.
David’s Song of Praise
7 On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the Lord:
8 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
9 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
10 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
11 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
12 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
13 you children of his servant Israel,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the Lord our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
15 Remember his covenant forever—
the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
16 This is the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
18 “I will give you the land of Canaan
as your special possession.”
19 He said this when you were few in number,
a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
20 They wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
21 Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.
He warned kings on their behalf:
22 “Do not touch my chosen people,
and do not hurt my prophets.”
23 Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
24 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
25 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.
26 The gods of other nations are mere idols,
but the Lord made the heavens!
27 Honor and majesty surround him;
strength and joy fill his dwelling.
28 O nations of the world, recognize the Lord,
recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
29 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his presence.
Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
30 Let all the earth tremble before him.
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
32 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
33 Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
35 Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation!
Gather and rescue us from among the nations,
so we can thank your holy name
and rejoice and praise you.”
36 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who lives from everlasting to everlasting!
And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
Worship at Jerusalem and Gibeon
37 David arranged for Asaph and his fellow Levites to serve regularly before the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, doing whatever needed to be done each day. 38 This group included Obed-edom (son of Jeduthun), Hosah, and sixty-eight other Levites as gatekeepers.
39 Meanwhile, David stationed Zadok the priest and his fellow priests at the Tabernacle of the Lord at the place of worship in Gibeon, where they continued to minister before the Lord. 40 They sacrificed the regular burnt offerings to the Lord each morning and evening on the altar set aside for that purpose, obeying everything written in the Law of the Lord, as he had commanded Israel. 41 David also appointed Heman, Jeduthun, and the others chosen by name to give thanks to the Lord, for “his faithful love endures forever.” 42 They used their trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments to accompany their songs of praise to God.[b] And the sons of Jeduthun were appointed as gatekeepers.
43 Then all the people returned to their homes, and David turned and went home to bless his own family.
1 Chronicles 16
New American Standard Bible
A Tent for the Ark
16 And they brought in the ark of God and (A)placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both men and women, to everyone a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake.
4 He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then [a]Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, and lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, 6 and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
7 Then on that day David (B)first assigned [b]Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord.
Psalm of Thanksgiving
8 (C)Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
(D)Make His deeds known among the peoples.
9 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
[c]Speak of all His [d]wonders.
10 Boast in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be joyful.
11 (E)Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
12 (F)Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,
(G)His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,
13 You [e]descendants of Israel His servant,
Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
(H)His judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,
16 (I)The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac.
17 (J)He also confirmed it to Jacob as a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
18 Saying, “(K)To you I will give the land of Canaan,
As the portion of your inheritance.”
19 (L)When they were only a few in number,
Very few, and strangers in it,
20 And they wandered from nation to nation,
And from one kingdom to another people,
21 He allowed no one to oppress them,
And (M)He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying,
22 “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And (N)do not harm My prophets.”
23 (O)Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day.
24 Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
25 For (P)great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He also is (Q)to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are [f](R)idols,
(S)But the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and joy are in His place.
28 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an [g]offering, and come before Him;
(T)Worship the Lord in [h]holy attire.
30 Tremble before Him, all the earth;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
31 [i](U)Let the heavens be joyful, and the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, “(V)The Lord reigns.”
32 (W)Let the sea [j]roar, and [k]everything it contains;
Let the field rejoice, and everything that is in it.
33 Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy in the presence of the Lord;
For He is coming to judge the earth.
34 (X)Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
35 (Y)Then say, “Save us, God of our salvation,
And gather us and save us from the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
And [l]glory in Your praise.”
36 (Z)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting!
Then all the people (AA)said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.
Worship before the Ark
37 So he left Asaph and his relatives there (AB)before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to minister before the ark continually, (AC)as every day’s work required, 38 and (AD)Obed-edom with [m]his sixty-eight relatives; Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and (AE)Hosah as gatekeepers. 39 He left (AF)Zadok the priest and his relatives the priests (AG)before the [n]tabernacle of the Lord in the high place which was at Gibeon, 40 to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, (AH)even according to everything that is written in the Law of the Lord, which He commanded Israel. 41 With them were (AI)Heman and Jeduthun, and (AJ)the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to (AK)give thanks to the Lord, because His [o]kindness is everlasting. 42 And with them were Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those who were to play them, and with instruments for (AL)the songs of God, and the sons of Jeduthun for the gate.
43 (AM)Then all the people departed, each to his house; and David returned to bless his household.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 16:5 In 1 Chr 15:18, Jaaziel
- 1 Chronicles 16:7 Lit by the hand of Asaph
- 1 Chronicles 16:9 Or Meditate on
- 1 Chronicles 16:9 I.e., wonderful acts
- 1 Chronicles 16:13 Lit seed of
- 1 Chronicles 16:26 Or non-existent things
- 1 Chronicles 16:29 Or a grain offering
- 1 Chronicles 16:29 Or the splendor of holiness
- 1 Chronicles 16:31 Hopeful command or wish, not a request; and so through v 32
- 1 Chronicles 16:32 Or thunder
- 1 Chronicles 16:32 Lit its fullness
- 1 Chronicles 16:35 Lit boast
- 1 Chronicles 16:38 Lit their brothers, sixty-eight
- 1 Chronicles 16:39 Lit dwelling place
- 1 Chronicles 16:41 Or faithfulness
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
