1 Chronicles 15

The Voice

15 David founded the city of David as his capital and built his palaces there. But in his zeal to rebuild Jerusalem and build his palaces, He prepared a place for the covenant chest of God in a tent adjacent to the palace. ^2-3 Then David invited the people of Israel to Jerusalem for a parade celebrating the arrival of the covenant chest of the Eternal.

⁴ So David gathered the men of Aaron and the other Levites: ⁵ the men of Kohath (Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives), ⁶ the men of Merari (Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives), ⁷ the men of Gershom (Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives), ⁸ the men of Elizaphan (Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives), ⁹ the men of Hebron (Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives), and ¹⁰ the men of Uzziel (Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives).

¹¹ When they had all gathered together, David summoned Zadok and Abiathar (two priests) and the other Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

¹⁴ After the priests and the Levites were consecrated for their duty, David and the Levites organized the city’s processional in honor of the chest of the Eternal, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The Levites picked up the covenant chest of God and carried it by wooden poles on their shoulders as the Eternal commanded them to do through His prophet Moses. ¹⁶ David told the leaders of the Levites to select their relatives as musicians and singers in the parade, playing instruments such as lutes, lyres, and cymbals and raising their voices in joy. ¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman (son of Joel) and his kinsmen, Asaph (son of Berechiah), the sons of Merari, and Ethan (son of Kushaiah). ¹⁸ With these men were their assistants: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, along with Obed-edom and Jeiel who were gatekeepers.

¹⁹ The celebration began with a parade. The assembled singers (Heman, Asaph, and Ethan) sounded their bronze cymbals; ²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played their lutes tuned to alamoth, ²¹ and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played their lyres tuned to sheminith. ²² Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, directed the singing because of his musical ability, ²³ while Berechia and Elkanah led the gatekeepers. ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer (all priests) blew their clarions at the front of the parade in front of the covenant chest of God, as Obed-edom and Jehiah carried it. ²⁵ In this manner, David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands prepared to move the covenant chest of the Eternal from the house of Obed-edom into its high place in Jerusalem with rejoicing. ²⁶ As God was helping the Levites to carry the heavy covenant chest, they offered seven wild bulls and seven stags to Him. ²⁷ David, all the Levites carrying the chest, the singers, and Chenaniah the song leader were dressed in fine linen robes. The king also wore a linen priestly vest. ²⁸ All Israel celebrated the chest’s journey to its tent, rejoicing with the sound of trumpets, clarions, and cymbals, and worshiping with harps and lyres.

²⁹ When the covenant chest of the Eternal entered the city of David, Michal (the daughter of Saul and David’s wife) gazed out of a window and saw her husband dancing and celebrating in the parade. At that moment, Michal hated David.