Preparing to Transport the Ark
1 Chronicles 15, verse 1. David built houses for himself in the City of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 2. Then David said, “No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.” 1 Chronicles 15, verse 3. And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place which he prepared for it. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 4. Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites: 1 Chronicles 15, verse 5. of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and one hundred twenty of his brethren; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 6. of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and two hundred fifty of his brethren; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 7. of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and one hundred thirty of his brethren; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 8. of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his brethren; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 9. of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his brethren; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 10. of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and one hundred twelve of his brethren. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 11. And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 12. He said to them, “You, the heads of the families of the Levites, sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, so you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I prepared for it. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 13. Because you were not prepared the first time, because we did not strive for judgment, God divided us within ourselves.” 1 Chronicles 15, verse 14. So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 15. As Moses had commanded, in accordance with the written word of the Lord, the sons of the Levites took the ark of God upon their shoulders with bearing-poles. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 16. Then David said to the chief of the Levites, “Establish your brethren to be the singers with musical instruments—stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals—to sing invitingly in a voice of joyfulness unto His heaven.” 1 Chronicles 15, verse 17. So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of their brethren, the sons of Merari, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 18. and with them their brethren of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 19. the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound the cymbals of bronze; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 20. Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with strings according to Alamoth; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 21. Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to direct with harps on the Sheminith; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 22. Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the music because he was skillful; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 23. Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark; 1 Chronicles 15, verse 24. Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
The Ark Is Moved to Jerusalem
1 Chronicles 15, verse 25. With joy David and the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 26. And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they offered seven bulls and seven rams. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 27. David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 28. Thus all of Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the horn, with trumpets and cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 29. And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out through a window and saw King David dancing and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.