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1 Chronicles

Preparations for Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem

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Chapter 15
1 He made houses for himself in the city of David, prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for himself. 2 Then David said that no one should carry the Ark of God except the Levites, for the LORD chose them to carry the Ark of the LORD and to serve him forever. 3 David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it. 4 And David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites. 5 For the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief and his brothers, one hundred and twenty. 6 To the sons of Merari: Asiah the chief and his brothers, two hundred and twenty. 7 For the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief and his brothers, 130. 8 to the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief and his brothers, two hundred 9 To the sons of Hebron: Eliel the chief and his brothers, eighty. 10 To the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab the chief and his brothers, a hundred and twelve. 11 And David called Zadok and Abiathar the priests and the Levites: Uriel, Asiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 And he said to them, "You heads of the fathers of the Levites—sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers, and bring up the Ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it." 13 For at the first, it was not you, the LORD our God, who burst in on us, because we did not inquire of him according to justice. 14 And the priests consecrated themselves to bring up the Ark of the LORD God of Israel. 15 And the sons of the Levites bore the Ark of God just as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD, on their shoulders with poles upon them. 16 And David said to the chiefs of the Levites to station their brothers the singers with instruments of song, harps and lyres and cymbals, to make heard a raising up of the voice for joy. 17 The Levites stationed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Beraciah; and from the sons of Merari their brothers, Ethan son of Kushaiah. 18 Their brothers of the second rank were with them: Zechariah son of Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Eliab the poor, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Makeniah, the servant Adam, and Jeiel the gatekeepers. 19 And the singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan with bronze cymbals to make a sound. 20 And Zechariah, Uzziel, Shamirramoth, Jehiel, Ani, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah with lyres upon maidens. 21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah on the harps, on the sheminith, to lead. 22 And Kenaniah, chief of the Levites in the oracular burden, will direct the oracular burden, for he understands. 23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark of the covenant. 24 Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer the priests blowing trumpets before the ark of God, and Obed-Edom and Jehiah the gatekeepers for the ark. 25 And David and the elders of Israel and the rulers of the thousands went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with joy. 26 And it was when God helped the Levites, the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, and they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27 And David was wrapped in a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites the bearers of the ark and the singers and Chenaniah the chief of the burden of the singers, and upon David an ephod of linen. 28 And all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with a shout, with the sound of a horn, with trumpets, and with cymbals making a sound with harps and lyres. 29 And it happened that the ark of the covenant of the LORD came as far as the city of David. Michal daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.
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Chapter 16
1 And they brought the Ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 And when he finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3 And he distributed to every man and woman of Israel a loaf of bread, an eshpar, and an ashishah. 4 He appointed Levites before the Ark of the LORD as servants to make mention and to give thanks and to praise the LORD God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the head, with his second Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They had instruments of lyres, with lyres, and Asaph made sound with cymbals. 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were with trumpets regularly before the Ark of the Covenant of God.