1 ¶ Now 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.

2 Then David said, No one should carry the ark of God but the Levites: for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God, and to minister to him forever.

3 And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring the ark of the LORD up to its place, which he had prepared for it.

4 And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites:

5 Of the sons of Kohath; Uriel the chief, and his brethren one 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 one 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 one hundred and twelve.

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

12 And said to them, You are the heads of the fathers houses of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both you and your brethren, that you may bring the ark of the LORD God of Israel up to the place that I have prepared for it.

13 For because you did not bear it at the beginning, the LORD our God broke forth upon us, because we did not seek him in the right way.

14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

15 And the children of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles in place, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.

16 And David told the chief Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, to raise sounds of joy.

17 So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;

18 And with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the porters.

19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound with cymbals of brass;

20 And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries on Alamoth;

21 And Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the Sheminith to excel.

22 And Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, in singing: should direct the music, because he was skilful.

23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.

24 And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

25 ¶ So David, and the elders of Israel, and the commanders over thousands, went to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD up from the house of Obededom with joy.

26 And when God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.

27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the director of the music of the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.

28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

29 And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.