Beginning

15 David made for himself houses in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

² Then David said, None should carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever.

³ And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.

⁴ And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:

⁵ Of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with 120 kinsmen;

⁶ Of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, with 220 kinsmen;

⁷ Of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, with 130 kinsmen;

⁸ Of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, with 200 kinsmen;

⁹ Of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, with 80 kinsmen;

¹⁰ Of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, with 112 kinsmen.

¹¹ And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites—Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,

¹² And said to them, You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, both you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.

¹³ For because you bore it not [as God directed] at the first, the Lord our God broke forth upon us—because we did not seek Him in the way He ordained.^(A)

¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel.

¹⁵ The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses commanded by the word of the Lord.

¹⁶ David told the chief Levites to appoint their brethren the singers with instruments of music—harps, lyres, and cymbals—to play loudly and lift up their voices with joy.

¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan son of Kushaiah;

¹⁸ And with them their brethren of the second class: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and also the gatekeepers, Obed-edom and Jeiel.

¹⁹ So the singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound bronze cymbals;

²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps [resembling guitars] set to Alamoth [probably the treble voice];

²¹ Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres set to Sheminith [the bass voice].

²² Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in singing, was put in charge of carrying the ark and lifting up song. He instructed about these matters because he was skilled and able.

²³ Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark.

²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer the priests were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. And Obed-edom and Jehiah (Jeiel) were also gatekeepers for the ark.

²⁵ So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obed-edom with joy.

²⁶ And when God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord [with a safe start], they offered seven bulls and seven rams.

²⁷ David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were the Levites who bore the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah, director of the music of the singers. David also wore an ephod [a priestly upper garment] of linen.

²⁸ Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, sound of the cornet, trumpets, and cymbals, sounding aloud with harps and lyres.

²⁹ As the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, Michal [David’s wife] daughter of Saul, looking from a window, saw King David leaping as in sport, and she despised him in her heart.

16 So they brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.

² And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

³ And he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.

⁴ He appointed Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord and to celebrate [by calling to mind], thanking and praising the Lord, the God of Israel:

⁵ Asaph was the chief, next to him Zechariah, Jeiel (Jaaziel), Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, and Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals;

⁶ Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷ Then on that day David first entrusted to Asaph and his brethren the singing of thanks to the Lord [as their chief task]:

⁸ O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His doings among the peoples!

⁹ Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on and talk of all His wondrous works and devoutly praise them!

¹⁰ Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

¹¹ Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually!

¹² [Earnestly] remember the marvelous deeds which He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered [as in Egypt],

¹³ O you offspring of [Abraham and] of Israel His servants, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

¹⁴ He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth.

¹⁵ Be mindful of His covenant forever, the promise which He commanded and established to a thousand generations,

¹⁶ The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His sworn promise to Isaac.

¹⁷ He confirmed it as a statute to Jacob, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,^(B)

¹⁸ Saying, To you I will give the land of Canaan, the measured portion of your possession and inheritance.

¹⁹ When they were but few, even a very few, and only temporary residents and strangers in it,

²⁰ When they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people,

²¹ He allowed no man to do them wrong; yes, He reproved kings for their sakes,^(C)

²² Saying, Touch not My anointed, and do My prophets no harm.^(D)

²³ Sing to the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day His salvation.

²⁴ Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all peoples.

²⁵ For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He also is to be [reverently] feared above all so-called gods.

²⁶ For all the gods of the people are [lifeless] idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

²⁷ Honor and majesty are [found] in His presence; strength and joy are [found] in His sanctuary.

²⁸ Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength,

²⁹ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and in holy array.

³⁰ Tremble and reverently fear before Him, all the earth’s peoples; the world also shall be established, so it cannot be moved.

³¹ Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice; and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigns!

³² Let the sea roar, and all the things that fill it; let the fields rejoice, and all that is in them.

³³ Then shall the trees of the wood sing out for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge and govern the earth.

³⁴ O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

³⁵ And say, Save us, O God of our salvation; gather us together and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise.

³⁶ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, forever and ever! And all the people said Amen! and praised the Lord.

³⁷ So David left Asaph and his brethren before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark continually, as each day’s work required,

³⁸ And Obed-edom with [his] sixty-eight kinsmen. Also Obed-edom son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, were to be gatekeepers.

³⁹ And David left Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon

⁴⁰ To offer burnt offerings to the Lord upon the altar of burnt offering continually, morning and evening, and to do all that is written in the Law of the Lord which He commanded Israel.

⁴¹ With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

⁴² With them were Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those who should sound aloud, and instruments for accompanying the songs of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were to be at the gate.

⁴³ Then all the people departed, each man to his house, and David returned home to bless his household.

17 As David sat in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord remains under tent curtains.

² Then Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.

³ And that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying,

⁴ Go and tell David My servant, Thus says the Lord: You shall not build Me a house to dwell in,

⁵ For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel from Egypt until this day; but I have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

⁶ Wherever I have walked with all Israel, did I say a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to feed My people, saying, Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?

⁷ Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over My people Israel.

⁸ And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you, and I will make your name like the name of the great ones of the earth.

⁹ Also I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first,

¹⁰ Since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Moreover, I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore, I foretell to you that the Lord will build you a house (a blessed posterity).

¹¹ And it shall come to pass that when your days are fulfilled to go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹² He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.^(E)

¹³ I will be his father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy and steadfast love away from him, as I took it from him [King Saul] who was before you.^(F)

¹⁴ But I will settle ^[a]him (Him) in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his (His) throne shall be established forevermore.^(G)

¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

¹⁶ And David the king went in and sat before the Lord and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house and family, that You have brought me up to this?

¹⁷ And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; for You have spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God!

¹⁸ What more can David say to You for thus honoring Your servant? For You know Your servant.

¹⁹ O Lord, for Your servant’s sake and in accord with Your own heart, You have wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things.

²⁰ O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God beside You, according to all that our ears have heard.

²¹ And what nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to Himself as a people, making Yourself a name by great and terrible things, by driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt?

²² You made Your people Israel Your own forever, and You, Lord, became their God.

²³ Therefore now, Lord, let the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house be established forever, and do as You have said.

²⁴ Let it be established and let Your name [and the character that name denotes] be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God; and the house of David Your servant will be established before You.

²⁵ For You, O my God, have told Your servant that You will build for him a house (a blessed posterity); therefore Your servant has found courage and confidence to pray before You.

²⁶ And now, Lord, You are God, and have promised this good thing to Your servant.

²⁷ Therefore may it please You to bless the house (posterity) of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for what You bless, O Lord, is blessed forever.