1 David built houses for himself in the City of David, prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said, “No one but the Levites is to carry the ark of God, for the LORD chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister to him forever.”

3 David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it. 4 David gathered the descendants of Aaron and the Levites: 5 from the descendants of Kohath, Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives;

6 from the descendants of Merari, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;

7 from the descendants of Gershom, Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives;

8 from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives;

9 from the descendants of Hebron, Eliel the chief and eighty of his relatives;

10 from the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.

11 David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the ancestral houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your relatives, and bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13 Because you did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, for we did not seek him according to the prescribed order.” 14 So the priests and Levites consecrated 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 resting on them, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.

16 David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers with musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals—to raise joyful sounds.

17 The Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, his relative Asaph son of Berechiah, and, from their relatives the descendants of Merari, Ethan son of Kushaiah.

18 With them were their relatives of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. 19 The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth; 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to Sheminith. 22 Chenaniah, the Levitical leader in music, gave instruction in the music because he was skilled. 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. 24 Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also gatekeepers for the ark. 25 David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with joy.

26 Because God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah, director of the singers’ music. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 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 music from harps and lyres. 29 As the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.