The Ark Comes to Jerusalem

1David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.a 2Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.”a

3David assembled all Israel at Jerusalema to bring the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.b 4Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

5From the Kohathites, Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives; 6from the Merarites, Asaiah the leader and 220 of his relatives; 7from the Gershomites,A Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives; 8from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his relatives; 9from the Hebronites, Eliel the leader and 80 of his relatives; 10from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the leader and 112 of his relatives.

11David summoned the priests Zadoka and Abiatharb and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselvesa so that you may bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.b 13For the Lord our God burst out in anger against us because you Levites were not with us the first time, for we didn’t inquire of him about the proper procedures.”a 14So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15Then the Levites carried the ark of God the way Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord: on their shoulders with the poles.a

16Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments — harps, lyres, and cymbals.a 17So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah. 18With them were their relatives second in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel,A Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel. 19The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to AlamothA 21and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to the Sheminith. 22Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites in music, was to direct the music because he was skillful. 23Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark. 24The priests, Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, were to blow trumpetsa before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be gatekeepers for the ark.

25David,a the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom.b 26Because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with God’s help, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.a

27Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the music leader of the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. 28So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, the sound of the ram’s horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and the playing of harps and lyres. 29As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leapingA and dancing, and she despised him in her heart.