1David built houses for himself in David’s city. He also prepared a place for God’s ark and put up a tent for it.
2Then David said, “Only the Levites should carry God’s ark, because Yahweh has chosen them to carry God’s ark and to serve him forever.”
3David gathered all of Israel in Jerusalem to bring Yahweh’s ark to the place he had prepared for it.
4David assembled the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5from the Kohath family, Uriel the leader, and 120 of his relatives;
6from the Merari family, Asaiah the leader, and 220 of his relatives;
7from the Gershom family, Joel the leader, and 130 of his relatives;
8from the Elizaphan family, Shemaiah the leader, and 200 of his relatives;
9from the Hebron family, Eliel the leader, and 80 of his relatives;
10from the Uzziel family, Amminadab the leader, and 112 of his relatives.
11David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
12He told them, “You are the heads of the Levite families. Make yourselves and your relatives holy so you can bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.
13Because you didn’t carry it the first time, Yahweh our God became angry with us, because we didn’t seek him in the proper way.”
14So the priests and the Levites prepared themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
15The Levites carried God's ark on their shoulders using its poles, just as Moses had commanded based on Yahweh’s word.
16David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers. They were to use musical instruments like stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, playing loudly and singing joyfully.
17So the Levites appointed Heman, Joel's son; and from his relatives, Asaph, Berechiah's son; and from their relatives, the sons of Merari, Ethan, Kushaiah's son.
18Also with them were their relatives of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, who were the doorkeepers.
19The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were given bronze cymbals to play loudly.
20Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played stringed instruments tuned to Alamoth.
21Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played harps tuned to an eight-stringed lyre, leading the music.
22Chenaniah, a leader of the Levites, supervised the singing. He taught the singers because he was skilled.
23Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.
24Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, who were priests, blew trumpets in front of God’s ark; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
25So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went to bring the ark of Yahweh's covenant from Obed-Edom’s house with great joy.
26Because God helped the Levites who carried the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
27David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah, the choir director. David also wore a linen ephod.
28So all Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh’s covenant with shouting, the sound of trumpets, horns, and cymbals, playing loudly with stringed instruments and harps.
29As the ark of Yahweh's covenant arrived at David's city, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating. She felt contempt for him in her heart.