1 David put up buildings for himself in the City of David and prepared a place for the ark of God, and he put up a tent for it.

2 Then he said, ¡°Only the Levites shall move the ark of God, since Yahweh has chosen them to carry the ark and to serve him always.¡±

3 Then David gathered all Israel together in Jeru salem to bring the ark of God up to the place he had prepared for it.

4 David called together the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi:

5 of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief and his hundred and twenty kinsmen;

6 of the sons of Merari, Asaiah and his two hundred and twenty kinsmen;

7 of the sons of Ger shom, Joel and his hundred and thirty kinsmen;

8 of the sons of Eliza phah, She maiah and his two hundred kinsmen;

9 of the sons of Hebron, Eliel and eighty kinsmen;

10 of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab and his hundred and twelve kinsmen.

11 David called in the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab.

12 He told them, ¡°You are the heads of families of the Levites. Purify yourselves, you and your brothers, and bring the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, up to the place I have prepared for it.

13 The first time you were not there to carry it and Yahweh our God punished us for not consulting him as we should have done.¡±

14 So the priests and the Levites purified themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel,

15 and the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had ordered according to the command of Yahweh.

16 David then told the leaders of the Levites to assign duties for some Levites to sing and play a joyful tune with their various musical instruments: harps and lyres and cymbals.

17 The Levites then appointed Heman son of Joel, Asaph son of Berechiah, one of his brothers, Ethan son of Kushaiah, one of their Merarite kinsmen;

18 and with them, next in rank, their kinsmen as keepers of the gate: Zechariah son of Jaaziel, Shemi ramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mik neiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel.

19 Heman, Asaph and Ethan the cantors, were to clash the cymbals of bronze;

20 Zecha riah, Jaaziel, Shemira moth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the keyed harp.

21 Mattithiah, Eli phelehu, Mikneiah, Obed -edom, Jeiel and Azaziah, giving the beat, were to play the octave lyre.

22 Chenaniah was chosen to be in charge of the transportation, because he was very skillful at doing these things.

23 Be re chiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers to the ark.

24 The priests She baniah, Josha phat, Netha nel, Ama sal, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer were to sound the trumpet before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were to be gate keepers to the ark.

25 So David, with the leaders of Israel and the commanders of thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from Obed-edom¡¯s house with great rejoicing.

26 And while God was securing the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven sheep.

27 David was wearing a robe of fine linen, like all the Levites who carried the ark, as well as the cantors and Che naniah, the officer in charge of its transportation. David also wore the linen.

28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with shouts of joy to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, making music with harp and lyre.

29 Now as the ark of the covenant of Yahweh entered the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul was watching from the window and saw King David dancing and leaping with joy and she despised him.