1 Chronicles 15:16–16:6

¹⁶David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals. ^17–21From 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.

²²Because of his skill in music Chenaniah was chosen to be in charge of the levitical musicians. ^23–24Berechiah 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

²⁵So King David, the leaders of Israel, and the military commanders went to the house of Obed Edom to fetch the Covenant Box, and they had a great celebration. ²⁶They sacrificed seven bulls and seven sheep, to make sure that God would help the Levites who were carrying the Covenant Box. ²⁷David 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. ²⁸So 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.

²⁹As 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.

16They took the Covenant Box to the tent which David had prepared for it and put it inside. Then they offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to God. ²After David had finished offering the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord ³and distributed food to them all. He gave each man and woman in Israel a loaf of bread, a piece of roasted meat,^r and some raisins.

⁴David appointed some of the Levites to lead the worship of the Lord, the God of Israel, in front of the Covenant Box, by singing and praising him. ⁵Asaph was appointed leader, with Zechariah as his assistant. Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel were to play harps. Asaph was to sound the cymbals, ⁶and two priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, were to blow trumpets regularly in front of the Covenant Box.