1   David built himself quarters in the City of David, and prepared a place for the Ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2   Then he decreed that only Levites should carry the Ark of God, since they had been chosen by the Lord to carry it and to serve him ^note for ever. 3   Next David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the Ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. 4   He gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites: 5   of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief with a hundred and twenty of his kinsmen; 6   of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief with two hundred and twenty of his kinsmen; 7   of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief with a hundred and thirty of his kinsmen; 8   of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief with two hundred of his kinsmen; 9   of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief with eighty of his kinsmen; 10   of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief with a hundred and twelve of his kinsmen. 11   And David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, together with the Levites, Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, 12   Eliel, and Amminadab, and said to them, ‘You who are heads of families of the Levites, hallow yourselves, you and your kinsmen, and bring up the Ark of the Lord the God of Israel to the place which I have prepared for it. 13   It was because you were not present

David king over Israel the first time, that the Lord our God broke out upon us. For we had not sought his guidance as we should have done.’ 14   So the priests and the Levites hallowed themselves to bring up the Ark of the Lord the God of Israel, 15   and the Levites carried the Ark of God, bearing it on their shoulders with poles as Moses had prescribed at the command of the Lord.

16   David also ordered the chiefs of the Levites to install as musicians those of their kinsmen who were players skilled in making joyful music on their instruments, lutes and harps and cymbals. 17   So the Levites installed Heman son of Joel and, from his kinsmen, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from their kinsmen the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah, 18   together with their kinsmen of the second degree, Zechariah, ^note Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and the door-keepers Obed-edom and Jeiel. 19   They installed the musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan to sound the cymbals of bronze; 20   Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah to play on lutes; ^note 21   Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah to play on harps. ^note 22   Kenaniah, officer of the Levites, was precentor in charge of the music because of his proficiency. 23   Berechiah and Elkanah were door-keepers for the Ark, 24   while the priests Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethaneel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer sounded the trumpets before the Ark of God; and Obed-edom and Jehiah also were door-keepers for the Ark.

25    ^noteThen David and the elders of Israel and the captains of units of a thousand went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with much rejoicing from the house of Obed-edom. 26   Because God had helped the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

27   Now David and all the Levites who carried the Ark, and the musicians, and Kenaniah the precentor, ^note were arrayed in robes of fine linen; and David had on a linen ephod. 28   All Israel escorted the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with shouts of acclamation, blowing on horns and trumpets, clashing cymbals and playing on lutes and harps. 29   But as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked down through a window and saw King David dancing and making merry, and she despised him in her heart.

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