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1 And David made for himself houses in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and made a tent for it. 2 Then said David, It is not lawful for any to bear the ark of God, but the Levites; for the Lord has chosen them to bear the ark of the Lord, and to minister to him forever.
3 And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place which he had prepared for it. 4 And David gathered together the sons of Aaron the Levites. 5 Of the sons of Kohath; there was Uriel the chief, and his brethren, a hundred and twenty. 6 Of the sons of Merari; Asaiah the chief, and his brethren, two hundred and twenty. 7 Of the sons of Gershom; Joel the chief, and his brethren, a hundred and thirty. 8 Of the sons of Elizaphan; Shemaiah the chief, and his brethren, two hundred. 9 Of the sons of Hebron; Eliel the chief, and his brethren eighty. 10 Of the sons of Uzziel; Amminadab the chief, and his brethren a hundred and twelve.
11 And David called Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites, Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, and Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab, 12 and said to them, Ye are the heads of the families of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, and ye shall carry up the ark of the God of Israel, to the place which I have prepared for it. 13 For because ye were not ready at the first, our God made a breach upon us, because we sought him not according to the ordinance. 14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves, to bring up the ark of the God of Israel. 15 And the sons of the Levites took the ark of God (as Moses commanded by the word of God according to the Scripture) upon their shoulders with staffs.
16 And David said to the chiefs of the Levites, Set your brethren the singers with musical instruments, lutes, harps, and cymbals, to sound aloud with a voice of joy. 17 So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; Asaph the son of Berechiah was one of his brethren; and Ethan the son of Kushaiah was of the sons of Merari their brethren; 18 and with them their brethren of the second rank, Zechariah, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Elioel, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, the porters. 19 And the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, with brazen cymbals to make a sound to be heard. 20 Zechariah, and Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, Benaiah, with lutes, on Alamoth. 21 And Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps of Sheminith, to make a loud noise.
22 And Chenaniah chief of the Levites was master of the bands, because he was skillful. 23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers of the ark. 24 And Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were sounding with trumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers of the ark of God.
25 So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains of thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant from the house of Obed-edom with gladness. 26 And it came to pass when God strengthened the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they sacrificed seven calves and seven rams. 27 And David was girded with a fine linen robe, and all the Levites who were bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the band of singers; also upon David there was a robe of fine linen. 28 And all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of a horn, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, playing loudly on lutes and harps. 29 And the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived, and came to the city of David; and Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window, and saw King David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.