The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

15 David built houses for himself in Jerusalem. Then he prepared a place for the Ark of God, and he set up a tent for it. ² David said, “Only the Levites may carry the Ark of God. The Lord chose them to carry the Ark of the Lord and to serve him forever.”

³ David called all the people of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He wanted to bring the Ark of the Lord to the place he had made for it. ⁴ David called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites. ⁵ There were one hundred twenty people from Kohath’s family group, with Uriel as their leader. ⁶ There were two hundred twenty people from Merari’s family group, with Asaiah as their leader. ⁷ There were one hundred thirty people from Gershon’s family group, with Joel as their leader. ⁸ There were two hundred people from Elizaphan’s family group, with Shemaiah as their leader. ⁹ There were eighty people from Hebron’s family group, with Eliel as their leader. ¹⁰ And there were one hundred twelve people from Uzziel’s family group, with Amminadab as their leader.

¹¹ Then David asked the priests Zadok and Abiathar and these Levites to come to him: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² David said to them, “You are the leaders of the families of Levi. You and the other Levites must give yourselves for service to the Lord. Bring up the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have made for it. ¹³ The last time we did not ask the Lord how to carry it. You Levites didn’t carry it, so the Lord our God punished us.”

¹⁴ Then the priests and Levites prepared themselves for service to the Lord so they could carry the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The Levites used special poles to carry the Ark of God on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded, just as the Lord had said they should.

¹⁶ David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to play their lyres, harps, and cymbals and to sing happy songs.

¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman and his relatives Asaph and Ethan. Heman was Joel’s son. Asaph was Berekiah’s son. And Ethan, from the Merari family group, was Kushaiah’s son. ¹⁸ There was also a second group of Levites: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They were the Levite guards.

¹⁹ The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan played bronze cymbals. ²⁰ Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played the lyres. ²¹ Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played the harps. ²² The Levite leader Kenaniah was in charge of the singing, because he was very good at it.

²³ Berekiah and Elkanah were two of the guards for the Ark of the Agreement. ²⁴ The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer had the job of blowing trumpets in front of the Ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also guards for the Ark.

²⁵ David, the leaders of Israel, and the commanders of a thousand soldiers went to get the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord. They all went to bring the Ark from Obed-Edom’s house with great joy. ²⁶ Because God helped the Levites who carried the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven male sheep. ²⁷ All the Levites who carried the Ark, and Kenaniah, the man in charge of the singing, and all the singers wore robes of fine linen. David also wore a robe of fine linen and a holy vest of fine linen. ²⁸ So all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord. They shouted, blew horns and trumpets, and played cymbals, lyres, and harps.

²⁹ As the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord entered Jerusalem, Saul’s daughter Michal watched from a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she hated him.