¹³ It was because you, the Levites,^(A) did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us.^(B) We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.^(C)” ¹⁴ So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded^(D) in accordance with the word of the Lord.^(E)

¹⁶ David^(F) told the leaders of the Levites^(G) to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians^(H) to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.^(I)

¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman^(J) son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph^(K) son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites,^(L) Ethan son of Kushaiah;

²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets^(A) before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵ So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark^(B) of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing.

Ministering Before the Ark^(A)(B)(C)

16 They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched^(D) for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. ² After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed^(E) the people in the name of the Lord. ³ Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins^(F) to each Israelite man and woman.

⁴ He appointed some of the Levites to minister^(G) before the ark of the Lord, to extol,^[a] thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: ⁵ Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,^[b] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, ⁶ and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷ That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise^(H) to the Lord in this manner:

³⁷ David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements.^{(A) 38} He also left Obed-Edom^(B) and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah,^(C) were gatekeepers.

³⁹ David left Zadok^(D) the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon^{(E) 40} to present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law^(F) of the Lord, which he had given Israel. ⁴¹ With them were Heman^(G) and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, “for his love endures forever.” ⁴² Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song.^(H) The sons of Jeduthun^(I) were stationed at the gate.