15David built houses for himself in Jerusalem. Then he prepared a place for the Ark of God, and he set up a tent for it. ²David said, “Only the Levites may carry the Ark of God. The Lord chose them to carry the Ark of the Lord and to serve him forever.”

³David called all the people of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He wanted to bring the Ark of the Lord to the place he had made for it. ⁴David called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites. ⁵There were one hundred twenty people from Kohath’s family group, with Uriel as their leader. ⁶There were two hundred twenty people from Merari’s family group, with Asaiah as their leader. ⁷There were one hundred thirty people from Gershon’s family group, with Joel as their leader. ⁸There were two hundred people from Elizaphan’s family group, with Shemaiah as their leader. ⁹There were eighty people from Hebron’s family group, with Eliel as their leader. ¹⁰And there were one hundred twelve people from Uzziel’s family group, with Amminadab as their leader.

¹¹Then David asked the priests Zadok and Abiathar and these Levites to come to him: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹²David said to them, “You are the leaders of the families of Levi. You and the other Levites must give yourselves for service to the Lord. Bring up the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have made for it. ¹³The last time we did not ask the Lord how to carry it. You Levites didn’t carry it, so the Lord our God punished us.”

¹⁴Then the priests and Levites prepared themselves for service to the Lord so they could carry the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵The Levites used special poles to carry the Ark of God on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded, just as the Lord had said they should.

¹⁶David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to play their lyres, harps, and cymbals and to sing happy songs.

¹⁷So the Levites appointed Heman and his relatives Asaph and Ethan. Heman was Joel’s son. Asaph was Berekiah’s son. And Ethan, from the Merari family group, was Kushaiah’s son. ¹⁸There was also a second group of Levites: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They were the Levite guards.

¹⁹The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan played bronze cymbals. ²⁰Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played the lyres. ²¹Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played the harps. ²²The Levite leader Kenaniah was in charge of the singing, because he was very good at it.

²³Berekiah and Elkanah were two of the guards for the Ark of the Agreement. ²⁴The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer had the job of blowing trumpets in front of the Ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also guards for the Ark.

²⁵David, the leaders of Israel, and the commanders of a thousand soldiers went to get the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord. They all went to bring the Ark from Obed-Edom’s house with great joy. ²⁶Because God helped the Levites who carried the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven male sheep. ²⁷All the Levites who carried the Ark, and Kenaniah, the man in charge of the singing, and all the singers wore robes of fine linen. David also wore a robe of fine linen and a holy vest of fine linen. ²⁸So all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord. They shouted, blew horns and trumpets, and played cymbals, lyres, and harps.

²⁹As the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord entered Jerusalem, Saul’s daughter Michal watched from a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she hated him.

16They brought the Ark of God and put it inside the tent that David had set up for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God. ²When David had finished giving the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³He gave a loaf of bread, some dates, and raisins to every Israelite man and woman.

⁴Then David appointed some of the Levites to serve before the Ark of the Lord. They had the job of leading the worship and giving thanks and praising the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁵Asaph, who played the cymbals, was the leader. Zechariah was second to him. The other Levites were Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They played the lyres and harps. ⁶Benaiah and Jahaziel were priests who blew the trumpets regularly before the Ark of the Agreement with God. ⁷That day David first gave Asaph and his relatives the job of singing praises to the Lord.

David’s Song of Thanks

⁸Give thanks to the Lord and pray to him.

Tell the nations what he has done.

⁹Sing to him; sing praises to him.

Tell about all his miracles.

¹⁰Be glad that you are his;

let those who seek the Lord be happy.

¹¹Depend on the Lord and his strength;

always go to him for help.

¹²Remember the miracles he has done,

his wonders, and his decisions.

¹³You are the descendants of his servant, Israel;

you are the children of Jacob, his chosen people.

¹⁴He is the Lord our God.

His laws are for all the world.

¹⁵He will keep his agreement forever;

he will keep his promises always.

¹⁶He will keep the agreement he made with Abraham

and the promise he made to Isaac.

¹⁷He made it a law for the people of Jacob;

he made it an agreement with Israel to last forever.

¹⁸He said, “I will give the land of Canaan to you,

to belong to you.”

¹⁹Then God’s people were few in number,

and they were strangers in the land.

²⁰They went from one nation to another,

from one kingdom to another.

²¹But he did not let anyone hurt them;

he warned kings not to harm them.

²²He said, “Don’t touch my chosen people,

and don’t harm my prophets.”

²³Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Every day tell how he saves us.

²⁴Tell the nations about his glory;

tell all peoples the miracles he does.

²⁵The Lord is great; he should be praised.

He should be respected more than all the gods.

²⁶All the gods of the nations are only idols,

but the Lord made the skies.

²⁷He has glory and majesty;

he has power and joy in his Temple.

²⁸Praise the Lord, all nations on earth.

Praise the Lord’s glory and power;

²⁹praise the glory of the Lord’s name.

Bring an offering and come to him.

Worship the Lord because he is holy.

³⁰Tremble before him, everyone on earth.

The earth is set, and it cannot be moved.

³¹Let the skies rejoice and the earth be glad.

Let people everywhere say, “The Lord is king!”

³²Let the sea and everything in it shout;

let the fields and everything in them rejoice.

³³Then the trees of the forest will sing

for joy before the Lord.

They will sing because he is coming to judge the world.

³⁴Thank the Lord because he is good.

His love continues forever.

³⁵Say to him, “Save us, God our Savior,

and bring us back and save us from other nations.

Then we will thank you

and will gladly praise you.”

³⁶Praise the Lord, the God of Israel.

He always was and always will be.

All the people said “Amen” and praised the Lord.

³⁷Then David left Asaph and the other Levites there in front of the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord. They were to serve there every day. ³⁸David also left Obed-Edom and sixty-eight other Levites to serve with them. Hosah and Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun were guards.

³⁹David left Zadok the priest and the other priests who served with him in front of the Tent of the Lord at the place of worship in Gibeon. ⁴⁰Every morning and evening they offered burnt offerings on the altar of burnt offerings, following the rules written in the Teachings of the Lord, which he had given Israel. ⁴¹With them were Heman and Jeduthun and other Levites. They were chosen by name to sing praises to the Lord because his love continues forever. ⁴²Heman and Jeduthun also had the job of playing the trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments when songs were sung to God. Jeduthun’s sons guarded the gates.

⁴³Then all the people left. Each person went home, and David also went home to bless the people in his home.

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