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David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem(A)
15 After David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for God’s ark and set up a tent for it. 2 Then David insisted that only the Levites carry God’s ark because the Lord had chosen them to carry his ark and to serve him forever.
3 David called together all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the Lord’s ark to the place he had prepared for it. 4 David also called together Aaron’s descendants and the Levites. 5 Leading Kohath’s descendants was Uriel, who came with 120 of his relatives. 6 Leading Merari’s descendants was Asaiah, who came with 220 of his relatives. 7 Leading Gershom’s descendants was Joel, who came with 130 of his relatives. 8 Leading Elizaphan’s descendants was Shemaiah, who came with 200 of his relatives. 9 Leading Hebron’s descendants was Eliel, who came with 80 of his relatives. 10 Leading Uzziel’s descendants was Amminadab, who came with 112 of his relatives.
11 David called for the priests Zadok and Abiathar and for the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. Then bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I prepared for it. 13 Because you weren’t there the first time, the Lord our God struck us. We hadn’t dedicated our lives to serving him in the way ⌞he⌟ designated.”
14 So the priests and the Levites made themselves holy in order to move the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15 The Levites carried God’s ark on their shoulders. They used poles as Moses had commanded according to the Lord’s instructions.
16 David told the Levite leaders to appoint some of their relatives to serve as musicians. They were expected to play music on harps, lyres, and cymbals to produce joyful music for singing. 17 So the Levites appointed Heman, son of Joel, and from his relatives they appointed Asaph, Berechiah’s son. From their own relatives, Merari’s descendants, they appointed Ethan, son of Kushaiah. 18 In addition, they appointed their relatives from the second division: Zechariah,[a] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah. Obed Edom and Jeiel were appointed gatekeepers. 19 The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to play bronze cymbals. 20 Zechariah, Jaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were appointed to play harps according to alamoth.[b] 21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were appointed to play lyres and to conduct the sheminith.[c] 22 Chenaniah, a Levite leader, instructed others how to sing prophetic songs because he was skilled at it. 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. 24 The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer blew trumpets in front of God’s ark. Obed Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
25 So David, the leaders of Israel, and the army’s commanders joyfully went to get the ark of the Lord’s promise from Obed Edom’s house. 26 Because God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David was dressed in a fine linen robe, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, the ⌞Levites who were⌟ singers, and Chenaniah, the leader of the musicians’ prophetic songs. David also wore a linen ephod.[d]
28 All Israel brought the ark of the Lord’s promise with shouts of joy and the sounding of rams’ horns, trumpets, cymbals, harps, and lyres. 29 When the ark of the Lord’s promise came to the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out of a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, so she despised him.
16 The men carrying the ark set it inside the tent David had put up for it. They presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in God’s presence. 2 When David had finished sacrificing burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 He also distributed to every person in Israel—both men and women—a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.
The Levites Lead the Worship in Jerusalem(B)
4 David appointed some Levites to serve in front of the Lord’s ark by offering prayers, thanks, and praise to the Lord God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the head; Zechariah was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel with harps and lyres. Asaph played the cymbals. 6 The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel played trumpets all the time in front of the ark of God’s promise. 7 For the first time David entrusted Asaph and his relatives with the task of singing songs of thanks to the Lord:
8 “Give thanks to the Lord.
Call on his name.
Make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him.
Make music to praise him.
Meditate on all the miracles he has done.
10 Brag about his holy name.
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
11 Search for the Lord and his strength.
Always seek his presence.
12 Remember the miracles he performed,
the amazing things he did and the judgments he pronounced,
13 you descendants of Israel, his servant,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 “He is the Lord our God.
His judgments are pronounced throughout the earth.
15 Remember his promise [e] forever,
the word that he commanded for a thousand generations,
16 the promise that he made to Abraham,
and his sworn promise to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it as a law for Jacob,
as an everlasting promise to Israel,
18 by saying, ‘I will give you Canaan.
It is your share of the inheritance.’
19 “While they were few in number,
a small group of foreigners living in that land,
20 they wandered from nation to nation
and from one kingdom to another.
21 He didn’t permit anyone to oppress them.
He warned kings about them:
22 ‘Do not touch my anointed ones
or harm my prophets.’
23 “Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Day after day announce that the Lord saves his people.
24 Tell people about his glory.
Tell all the nations about his miracles.
25 “The Lord is great!
He should be highly praised.
He should be feared more than all ⌞other⌟ gods
26 because all the gods of the nations are idols.
The Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are in his presence.
Strength and joy are where he is.
28 “Give to the Lord, you families of the nations.
Give to the Lord glory and power.
29 Give to the Lord the glory his name deserves.
Bring an offering, and come to him.
Worship the Lord in ⌞his⌟ holy splendor.
30 Tremble in his presence, all the earth!
“The earth stands firm; it cannot be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad.
Say to the nations, ‘The Lord rules as king!’
32 Let the sea and everything in it roar like thunder.
Let the fields and everything in them rejoice.
33 Then the trees in the forest will sing with joy
in the presence of the Lord when he comes to judge the earth.
34 “Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.
35 Say, ‘Rescue us, O God our Savior.
Gather us and save us from the nations
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and make your praise our glory.’
36 Thanks be to the Lord God of Israel
from everlasting to everlasting.”
Then all the people said amen and praised the Lord.
God’s Anger against Sinful Humanity
18 God’s anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living. 19 What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them. 20 From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse. 21 They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were pointless, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness. 22 While claiming to be wise, they became fools. 23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for statues that looked like mortal humans, birds, animals, and snakes.
24 For this reason God allowed their lusts to control them. As a result, they dishonor their bodies by sexual perversion with each other. 25 These people have exchanged God’s truth for a lie. So they have become ungodly and serve what is created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!
26 For this reason God allowed their shameful passions to control them. Their women have exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 Likewise, their men have given up natural sexual relations with women and burn with lust for each other. Men commit indecent acts with men, so they experience among themselves the punishment they deserve for their perversion.
28 And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. So they do these indecent things. 29 Their lives are filled with all kinds of sexual sins, wickedness, and greed. They are mean. They are filled with envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, haughty, arrogant, and boastful. They think up new ways to be cruel. They don’t obey their parents, 31 don’t have any sense, don’t keep promises, and don’t show love to their own families or mercy to others. 32 Although they know God’s judgment that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do these things but also approve of others who do them.
10 Why are you so distant, Lord?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 The wicked person arrogantly pursues oppressed people.
He will be caught in the schemes that he planned.
3 The wicked person boasts about his selfish desires.
He blesses robbers, but he curses the Lord.
4 He turns up his nose ⌞and says⌟, “God doesn’t care.”
His every thought ⌞concludes⌟, “There is no God.”
5 He always seems to succeed.
Your judgments are beyond his understanding.
He spits at all his opponents.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing can shake me.
I’ll never face any trouble.”
7 His mouth is full of cursing, deception, and oppression.
Trouble and wrongdoing are on the tip of his tongue.
8 He waits in ambush in the villages.
From his hiding places he kills innocent people.
His eyes are on the lookout for victims.
9 He lies in his hiding place like a lion in his den.
He hides there to catch oppressed people.
He catches oppressed people when he draws them into his net.
10 ⌞His⌟ victims are crushed.
They collapse,
and they fall under ⌞the weight of⌟ his power.
11 He says to himself,
“God has forgotten.
He has hidden his face.
He will never see it!”
12 Arise, O Lord!
Lift your hand, O God.
Do not forget oppressed people!
13 Why does the wicked person despise God?
Why does he say to himself, “God doesn’t care”?
14 You have seen ⌞it⌟; yes, you have taken note of trouble and grief
and placed them under your control.
The victim entrusts himself to you.
You alone have been the helper of orphans.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person.
Punish his wickedness until you find no more.
6 Many try to win the kindness of a generous person,
and everyone is a friend to a person who gives gifts.
7 The entire family of a poor person hates him.
How much more do his friends keep their distance from him!
When he chases them with words, they are gone.
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