1 Chronicles 15:16–16:6

¹⁶Davidⁿ told the leaders of the Levites^o to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians^p to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.^q

¹⁷So the Levites appointed Heman^r son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph^s son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites,^t Ethan son of Kushaiah; ¹⁸and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,^b Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom^u and Jeiel,^c the gatekeepers.

¹⁹The musicians Heman,^v Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; ²⁰Zechariah, Jaaziel,^d Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,^{e 21}and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.^{f 22}Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

²³Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark. ²⁴Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets^w before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark^x of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. ²⁶Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams^y were sacrificed. ²⁷Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.^{z 28}So all Israel^a brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts,^b with the sounding of rams’ horns^c and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

²⁹As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

Ministering Before the Ark

16:8–22pp—Ps 105:1–15 16:23–33pp—Ps 96:1–13 16:34–36pp—Ps 106:1,47–48

16They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched^d for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. ²After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed^e the people in the name of the Lord. ³Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins^f to each Israelite man and woman.

⁴He appointed some of the Levites to minister^g before the ark of the Lord, to extol,^a thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: ⁵Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,^b Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, ⁶and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.