Getting Ready to Move the Covenant Box
1 For his own use, David built houses in David's City. He also prepared a place for God's Covenant Box and put up a tent for it. 2 Then he said, “Only Levites should carry the Covenant Box, because they are the ones the Lord chose to carry it and to serve him forever.” 3 So David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Covenant Box to the place he had prepared for it. 4 Next he sent for the descendants of Aaron and for the Levites. 5 From the Levite clan of Kohath came Uriel, in charge of 120 members of his clan; 6 from the clan of Merari came Asaiah, in charge of 220; 7 from the clan of Gershon, Joel, in charge of 130; 8 from the clan of Elizaphan, Shemaiah, in charge of 200; 9 from the clan of Hebron, Eliel, in charge of 80; 10 and from the clan of Uzziel, Amminadab, in charge of 112.
11 David called in the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the six Levites, Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to the Levites, “You are the leaders of the Levite clans. Purify yourselves and your fellow Levites, so that you can bring the Covenant Box of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. 13 Because you were not there to carry it the first time, the Lord our God punished us for not worshiping him as we should have done.”
14 Then the priests and the Levites purified themselves in order to move the Covenant Box of the Lord God of Israel. 15 The Levites carried it on poles on their shoulders, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
16 David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals. 17-21 From the clans of singers they chose the following men to play the brass cymbals: Heman son of Joel, his relative Asaph son of Berechiah, and Ethan son of Kushaiah, of the clan of Merari. To assist them they chose the following Levites to play the high-pitched harps: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah.
To play the low-pitched harps they chose the following Levites: Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Azaziah, and the Temple guards, Obed Edom and Jeiel.
22 Because of his skill in music Chenaniah was chosen to be in charge of the levitical musicians. 23-24 Berechiah and Elkanah, along with Obed Edom and Jehiah, were chosen as guards for the Covenant Box. The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer were chosen to blow trumpets in front of the Covenant Box.
Moving the Covenant Box to Jerusalem
(2 Samuel 6.12-22)25 So King David, the leaders of Israel, and the military commanders went to the house of Obed Edom to get the Covenant Box, and they had a great celebration. 26 They sacrificed seven bulls and seven sheep, to make sure that God would help the Levites who were carrying the Covenant Box. 27 David was wearing a robe made of the finest linen, and so were the musicians, Chenaniah their leader, and the Levites who carried the Box. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 So all the Israelites accompanied the Covenant Box up to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the sound of trumpets, horns, and cymbals, and the music of harps.
29 As the Box was being brought into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and leaping for joy, and she was disgusted with him.
1 And Dauid made him houses in the citie of Dauid, and prepared a place for the Arke of God, and pitched for it a tent. 2 Then Dauid saide, None ought to carie the Arke of God, but the Leuites: for the Lord hath chosen them to beare the Arke of the Lord, and to minister vnto him for euer. 3 And Dauid gathered all Israel together to Ierusalem to bring vp the Arke of the Lord vnto his place, which he had ordeined for it. 4 And Dauid assembled the sonnes of Aaron, and the Leuites. 5 Of the sonnes of Kohath, Vriel the chiefe, and his brethren sixe score. 6 Of the sonnes of Merari, Asaiah the chiefe, and his brethren two hundreth and twentie. 7 Of the sonnes of Gershom, Ioel the chiefe, and his brethren an hundreth and thirtie. 8 Of the sonnes of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chiefe, and his brethren two hundreth. 9 Of the sonnes of Hebron, Eliel the chiefe, and his brethren fourescore. 10 Of the sonnes of Vzziel, Amminadab the chiefe, and his brethren an hundreth and twelue. 11 And Dauid called Zadok and Abiathar the Priestes, and of the Leuites, Vriel, Asaiah and Ioel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab: 12 And he saide vnto them, Ye are the chiefe fathers of the Leuites: sanctifie your selues, and your brethren, and bring vp the Arke of the Lord God of Israel vnto the place that I haue prepared for it. 13 For because ye were not there at the first, the Lord our God made a breach among vs: for we sought him not after due order. 14 So the Priestes and the Leuites sanctified them selues to bring vp the Arke of the Lord God of Israel. 15 And the sonnes of the Leuites bare the Arke of God vpon their shoulders with the barres, as Moses had commanded, according to the worde of the Lord. 16 And Dauid spake to the chiefe of the Leuites, that they should appoint certaine of their brethren to sing with instruments of musike, with violes and harpes, and cymbales, that they might make a sounde, and lift vp their voyce with ioye. 17 So the Leuites appointed Heman the sonne of Ioel, and of his brethren Asaph the sonne of Berechiah, and of the sonnes of Merari their brethren, Ethan the sonne of Kushaiah, 18 And with them their brethren in the seconde degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Iaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Iehiel, and Vnni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneah, and Obed Edom, and Ieiel the porters. 19 So Heman, Asaph and Ethan were fingers to make a sounde with cymbales of brasse, 20 And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Iehiel, and Vnni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah with violes on Alamoth, 21 And Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneah, and Obed Edom, and Ieiel, and Azaziah, with harpes vpon Sheminith Ienazzeah. 22 But Chenaniah the chiefe of the Leuites had the charge, bearing ye burden in the charge, for he was able to instruct. 23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were porters for the Arke. 24 And Shecaniah and Iehoshaphat and Nethaneel and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer the Priestes did blowe with trumpets before the Arke of God, and Obed Edom and Ieiiah were porters for the Arke. 25 So Dauid and the Elders of Israel and the captaines of thousandes went to bring vp the Arke of the couenant of the Lord from the house of Obed Edom with ioye. 26 And because that God helped the Leuites that bare the Arke of the couenant of the Lord, they offered seuen bullockes and seuen rammes. 27 And Dauid had on him a linen garment, as all the Leuites that bare the Arke, and the singers and Chenaniah that had the chiefe charge of the singers: and vpon Dauid was a linnen Ephod. 28 Thus all Israel brought vp the Arke of the Lordes couenant with shouting and sounde of cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbales, making a sound with violes and with harpes. 29 And when the Arke of the couenant of the Lord came into the citie of Dauid, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at a windowe, and sawe King Dauid dauncing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.