1 Chronicles 16:1-14

Common English Bible

16 They brought in God’s chest and placed it inside the tent David had pitched for it. Then they brought entirely burned offerings and well-being sacrifices before God. ²When David had finished offering the entirely burned offerings and the well-being sacrifices, he blessed the people in the Lord’s name ³and distributed a loaf of bread, a piece of meat,^[a] and a raisin cake to every Israelite man and woman.

David establishes worship

⁴David appointed some of the Levites to serve before the Lord’s chest in order to remember, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, Israel’s God: ⁵Asaph was the leader, and Zechariah his assistant; also Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel with harps and lyres; Asaph sounding the cymbals; ⁶and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blowing trumpets regularly before the chest containing God’s covenant. ⁷On the same day, for the first time, David ordered Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord.

David’s song of praise

⁸Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
    make his deeds known to all people!
⁹Sing to God, sing praises to him;
    dwell on all his wondrous works!
¹⁰Give praise to God’s holy name!
    Let the hearts of all those seeking the Lord rejoice!
¹¹Pursue the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always!
¹²Remember the wondrous works he has done,
    all his marvelous works,
    and the justice he declared—
¹³        you who are the offspring of Israel, his servant,
        and the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
¹⁴The Lord—he is our God.
    His justice is everywhere throughout the whole world.