1David built houses for himself in the city of David. He prepared a place for the ark of God, and set up a tent for it.
2Then David said, "No one should carry the ark of God but the Levites. The LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to serve him for ever."
3David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it.
5Of the sons of Kohath: Uriel the chief, and a hundred and twenty of his brothers;
6Of the sons of Merari: Asaiah the chief, and two hundred and twenty of his brothers;
7Of the sons of Gershom: Joel the chief, and a hundred and thirty of his brothers;
8Of the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his brothers;
9Of the sons of Hebron: Eliel the chief, and eighty of his brothers;
10Of the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab the chief, and a hundred and twelve of his brothers.
11David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
12He said to them, "You are the heads of the families of the Levites. Make yourselves holy, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it."
13"You did not carry it the first time, and so the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him in the proper way."
14So the priests and the Levites made themselves holy, to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.
15The sons of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles on it, as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the LORD.
16David told the chief men of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers, with musical instruments: harps and lyres and cymbals, sounding out, lifting up their voices with joy.
17So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;
18and with them their brothers of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obededom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.
19So the singers Heman, Asaph and Ethan were appointed to sound bronze cymbals;
20and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play harps set to Alamoth;
21and Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obededom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to lead with lyres set to the Sheminith.
22Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the singing. He gave instruction in it, because he was skilful.
23Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.
24Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethaneel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before the ark of God. Obededom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
25So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders over thousands went with joy to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obededom.
26When God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they offered seven bulls and seven rams.
27David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, and so were all the Levites who carried the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the singing with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.
28So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the horn, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making music with harps and lyres.