1 David made houses for himself in the City of David; he also prepared a place for the ark of God and set up a tent for it.
2 At that time David said, "The ark of God is not to be carried by anyone but the Levites, for the LORD chose them to bear the ark of the LORD and to serve him for all time."
3 And David called all Israel together in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the LORD up to the place he had prepared for it.
4 David brought together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:
5 from the sons of Kohath, Uriel the leader and a hundred and twenty of his brothers;
6 from the sons of Merari, Asaiah the leader and two hundred and twenty of his brothers;
7 from the sons of Gershom, Joel the leader and a hundred and thirty of his brothers;
8 from the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the leader and two hundred of his brothers;
9 from the sons of Hebron, Eliel the leader and eighty of his brothers;
10 from the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the leader and a hundred and twelve of his brothers.
11 David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,
12 and told them, "You are the heads of the Levites' fathers' houses. Sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers, and bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have made ready for it.
13 It was because you were not there the first time that the LORD our God burst out against us, since we did not seek him in the proper way."
14 The priests and Levites sanctified themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.
15 And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders by its poles, just as Moses had commanded by the word of the LORD.
16 David told the leaders of the Levites to station their brothers as singers with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, sounding out and lifting their voices with joy.
17 So the Levites stationed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from the sons of Merari their brothers, Ethan son of Kushaiah;
18 and with them their brothers of the second order: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and Obed-edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.
19 The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to make sound with cymbals of bronze;
20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with harps according to Alamoth;
21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, with lyres according to the Sheminith, to lead.
22 Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites in music, was in charge of the music because he understood it.
23 Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.
24 The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer sounded the trumpets in front of the ark of God, and Obed-edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
25 Then David, the elders of Israel, and the leaders of thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD up from Obed-edom's house.
26 Because God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.
27 David had on a robe of fine linen, and so did all the Levites bearing the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah, leader of the music of the singers; and David had on a linen ephod.
28 All Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD up with shouts of joy, with the blast of the horn, with trumpets and cymbals, sounding harps and lyres.
29 When the ark of the covenant of the LORD reached the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and rejoicing, and in her heart she held him in contempt.