David’s Wives and Children

15 And David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he established a place for the ark of God. And he pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David ordered that none except the Levites should carry the ark of God, for Yahweh had chosen them to carry the ark of Yahweh and to serve him forever. 3 And David gathered all Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of Yahweh to its place that he had established for it. 4 And David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites. 5 Of the sons of Kohath: Uriel the chief and one hundred and twenty of his brothers. 6 Of the sons of Merari: Asaiah the chief and two hundred and twenty of his brothers. 7 Of the sons of Gershom: Joel the chief and one hundred and thirty of his brothers. 8 Of the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the chief and two hundred of his brothers. 9 Of the sons of Hebron: Eliel the chief and eighty of his brothers. 10 Of the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab the chief and one hundred and twelve of his brothers. 11 Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 And he said to them, “You are the heads of the ⌊families⌋a for the Levites. Sanctify yourselves and your brothers and bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place I have established for it. 13 Because the first time you did not, and Yahweh our God burst out against us, for we did not care for it according to the law.” 14 Then the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 15 And the sons of the Levites carried the ark of God according to what Moses commanded, according to the word of Yahweh, on their shoulders with the carrying poles upon them.

16 Then David ordered the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers with instruments of song, musical instruments, stringed instruments, and cymbals, ⌊raising their voices for joy⌋.b 17 So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, and from his brothers, Asaph the son of Berekiah, and from the sons of Merari, their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their brothers of the second rank, Zechariah the son, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-Edom and Jeiel. 19 Now the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound bronze cymbals;