¹After David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for God’s ark and set up a tent for it. ²Then David insisted that only the Levites carry God’s ark because the Lord had chosen them to carry his ark and to serve him forever.

³David called together all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the Lord’s ark to the place he had prepared for it. ⁴David also called together Aaron’s descendants and the Levites. ⁵Leading Kohath’s descendants was Uriel, who came with 120 of his relatives. ⁶Leading Merari’s descendants was Asaiah, who came with 220 of his relatives. ⁷Leading Gershom’s descendants was Joel, who came with 130 of his relatives. ⁸Leading Elizaphan’s descendants was Shemaiah, who came with 200 of his relatives. ⁹Leading Hebron’s descendants was Eliel, who came with 80 of his relatives. ¹⁰Leading Uzziel’s descendants was Amminadab, who came with 112 of his relatives.

¹¹David called for the priests Zadok and Abiathar and for the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹²He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. Then bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I prepared for it. ¹³Because you weren’t there the first time, the Lord our God struck us. We hadn’t dedicated our lives to serving him in the way ⸤he⸥ designated.”

¹⁴So the priests and the Levites made themselves holy in order to move the ark of the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁵The Levites carried God’s ark on their shoulders. They used poles as Moses had commanded according to the Lord’s instructions.

¹⁶David told the Levite leaders to appoint some of their relatives to serve as musicians. They were expected to play music on harps, lyres, and cymbals to produce joyful music for singing. ¹⁷So the Levites appointed Heman, son of Joel, and from his relatives they appointed Asaph, Berechiah’s son. From their own relatives, Merari’s descendants, they appointed Ethan, son of Kushaiah. ¹⁸In addition, they appointed their relatives from the second division: Zechariah,^aJaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah. Obed Edom and Jeiel were appointed gatekeepers. ¹⁹The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to play bronze cymbals. ²⁰Zechariah, Jaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were appointed to play harps according to alamoth.^b²¹Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were appointed to play lyres and to conduct the sheminith.^c²²Chenaniah, a Levite leader, instructed others how to sing prophetic songs because he was skilled at it. ²³Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. ²⁴The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer blew trumpets in front of God’s ark. Obed Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵So David, the leaders of Israel, and the army’s commanders joyfully went to get the ark of the Lord’s promise from Obed Edom’s house. ²⁶Because God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷David was dressed in a fine linen robe, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, the ⸤Levites who were⸥ singers, and Chenaniah, the leader of the musicians’ prophetic songs. David also wore a linen ephod.^d

²⁸All Israel brought the ark of the Lord’s promise with shouts of joy and the sounding of rams’ horns, trumpets, cymbals, harps, and lyres. ²⁹When the ark of the Lord’s promise came to the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out of a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, so she despised him.

16TH CHAPTER

¹The men carrying the ark set it inside the tent David had put up for it. They presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in God’s presence. ²When David had finished sacrificing burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³He also distributed to every person in Israel—both men and women—a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.

The Levites Lead the Worship in Jerusalem—2 Samuel 6:19b–20a; Psalm 96:1–13; 105:1–15; 106:1, 47–48

⁴David appointed some Levites to serve in front of the Lord’s ark by offering prayers, thanks, and praise to the Lord God of Israel. ⁵Asaph was the head; Zechariah was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel with harps and lyres. Asaph played the cymbals. ⁶The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel played trumpets all the time in front of the ark of God’s promise. ⁷For the first time David entrusted Asaph and his relatives with the task of singing songs of thanks to the Lord:

⁸“Give thanks to the Lord.

Call on his name.

Make known among the nations what he has done.

⁹Sing to him.

Make music to praise him.

Meditate on all the miracles he has done.

¹⁰Brag about his holy name.

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

¹¹Search for the Lord and his strength.

Always seek his presence.

¹²Remember the miracles he performed,

the amazing things he did and the judgments he pronounced,

¹³you descendants of Israel, his servant,

you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴“He is the Lord our God.

His judgments are pronounced throughout the earth.

¹⁵Remember his promise^aforever,

the word that he commanded for a thousand generations,

¹⁶the promise that he made to Abraham,

and his sworn promise to Isaac.

¹⁷He confirmed it as a law for Jacob,

as an everlasting promise to Israel,

¹⁸by saying, ‘I will give you Canaan.

It is your share of the inheritance.’

¹⁹“While they were few in number,

a small group of foreigners living in that land,

²⁰they wandered from nation to nation

and from one kingdom to another.

²¹He didn’t permit anyone to oppress them.

He warned kings about them:

²²‘Do not touch my anointed ones

or harm my prophets.’

²³“Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Day after day announce that the Lord saves his people.

²⁴Tell people about his glory.

Tell all the nations about his miracles.

²⁵“The Lord is great!

He should be highly praised.

He should be feared more than all ⸤other⸥ gods

²⁶because all the gods of the nations are idols.

The Lord made the heavens.

²⁷Splendor and majesty are in his presence.

Strength and joy are where he is.

²⁸“Give to the Lord, you families of the nations.

Give to the Lord glory and power.

²⁹Give to the Lord the glory his name deserves.

Bring an offering, and come to him.

Worship the Lord in ⸤his⸥ holy splendor.

³⁰Tremble in his presence, all the earth!

“The earth stands firm; it cannot be moved.

³¹Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad.

Say to the nations, ‘The Lord rules as king!’

³²Let the sea and everything in it roar like thunder.

Let the fields and everything in them rejoice.

³³Then the trees in the forest will sing with joy

in the presence of the Lord when he comes to judge the earth.

³⁴“Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,

because his mercy endures forever.

³⁵Say, ‘Rescue us, O God our Savior.

Gather us and save us from the nations

so that we may give thanks to your holy name

and make your praise our glory.’

³⁶Thanks be to the Lord God of Israel

from everlasting to everlasting.”

Then all the people said amen and praised the Lord.

³⁷David left Asaph and his relatives to serve continually in front of the ark of the Lord’s promise, as the daily work required. ³⁸David also left Obed Edom and 68 of his relatives ⸤to serve there⸥. Obed Edom (Jeduthun’s son) and Hosah were to be gatekeepers. ³⁹David left Zadok and his priestly relatives to serve in the Lord’s tent at the place of worship in Gibeon. ⁴⁰They were ordered to sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord. This happened on the altar of burnt offerings continually, morning and evening, as written in the Lord’s Teachings that he gave Israel. ⁴¹With Zadok and his relatives were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of the Levites who had been selected, chosen by name, to give thanks to the Lord ⸤by singing,⸥ “His mercy endures forever.” ⁴²Also, Heman and Jeduthun played trumpets, cymbals, and the ⸤other⸥ musical instruments that accompany sacred songs. Jeduthun’s sons were stationed at the gate.

⁴³Then all the people went home. David went back to bless his family.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

a 15:18 Greek; Masoretic Text adds “Ben,” or “son.”
b 15:20 Unknown musical term.
c 15:21 Unknown musical term.
d 15:27 Ephod is a technical term for a part of the priest’s clothing. Its exact usage and shape are unknown.
a 16:15 Or “covenant.”