² Then David said, “No one but the Levites^(A) may carry^(B) the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister^(C) before him forever.”

⁸ At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi^(A) to carry the ark of the covenant^(B) of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister^(C) and to pronounce blessings^(D) in his name, as they still do today.^(E)

Public Reading of the Law

⁹ So Moses wrote^(A) down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried^(B) the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail^(A) to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, ¹⁸ nor will the Levitical^(B) priests^(C) ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.^(D)’”

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day^(E) and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,^{(F) 21} then my covenant^(G) with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites^(H) who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.^{(I) 22} I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless^(J) as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

³ giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant^(A) of the Lord your God, and the Levitical^(B) priests^(C) carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.