The First Book of the Chronicles

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- Chapter 15 -

(2 Samuel 6:12–15)

Also, he made houses for himself in the City of David. And built a place for the ark of God, and he set up a tent for it.

Then David said: “It is illicit for anyone to carry the ark of God except the Levites, whom the Lord chose to carry it and to minister to himself, even unto eternity.”

And he gathered all of Israel in Jerusalem, so that the ark of God might be brought into its place, which he had prepared for it.

Certainly, there were both the sons of Aaron and the Levites:

From the sons of Kohath, Uriel was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred twenty.

From the sons of Merari: Asaiah was the leader, and his brothers were two hundred twenty.

From the sons of Gershom: Joel was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred thirty.

From the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah was the leader, and his brothers were two hundred.

From the sons of Hebron: Eliel was the leader, and his brothers were eighty.

From the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred twelve.

And David summoned the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

And he said to them: “You who are the leaders of the Levitical families, be sanctified with your brothers, and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place that has been prepared for it.

Otherwise, as it was before, when the Lord struck us because you were not present, so also it might be now, if we do what is illicit.”

The Priests and Levites Carry the Ark

Therefore, the priests and the Levites were sanctified, so that they might carry the ark of the Lord God of Israel.

And the sons of Levi took the ark of God, just as Moses had instructed, in accord with the word of the Lord, upon their shoulders by the bars.

And David spoke to the leaders of the Levites, so that they might appoint, from their brothers, singers with musical instruments, specifically, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, so that a joyful noise might resound on high.

And they appointed from the Levites: Heman, the son of Joel; and from his brothers, Asaph, the son of Berechiah; and truly, from their brothers, the sons of Merari: Ethan, the son of Kushaiah.

And with them were their brothers in the second rank: Zechariah, and Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jahiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, who were gatekeepers.

Now the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were sounding out with cymbals of brass.

And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah were singing mysteries with the psalteries.

Then Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah and Obededom, and Jeiel and Azaziah were singing a song of victory with the harps, for the octave.

Now Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites, was foremost over the prophecies, in order to mark out in advance the melodies. For indeed, he was very skillful.(a)

(b)

And Berechiah and Elkanah were porters of the ark.

And the priests, Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, were sounding the trumpets before the ark of God. And Obededom and Jehiah were porters of the ark.

Moving the Ark to Jerusalem

Therefore, David, and all those greater by birth of Israel, and the tribunes, went to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obededom with rejoicing.

And when God had assisted the Levites, who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they immolated seven bulls and seven rams.

Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah, the leader of the prophecy among the singers. But David was also clothed with a linen ephod.

And all of Israel were leading back the ark of the covenant of the Lord with jubilation, sounding out with the noise of horns, and trumpets, and cymbals, and psalteries, and harps.

Michal’s Contempt for David

(2 Samuel 6:16)

And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord had arrived in the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, gazing through a window, saw king David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.

Footnotes

(a)15:22 The word ‘præcinendam’ can refer to a prediction, but in this context it means that he wrote out the musical notes in advance. This verse indicates that the ancient Israelites had some form of written musical notation, perhaps similar to what the Greek or Arabic peoples of that time used. Few musicians in that day had knowledge of written music at all, which is why he is called very skillful.(Conte)

(b)15:22 The prophecy, to give out the tunes:Singing praises to God is here called prophecy: the more, because these singers were often inspired men.(Challoner)

(2 Samuel 6:12–15)

David made himself houses in David’s city; and he prepared a place for God’s ark, and pitched a tent for it.

Then David said, “No one ought to carry God’s ark but the Levites. For the LORD has chosen them to carry God’s ark, and to minister to him forever.”

David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the LORD’s ark to its place, which he had prepared for it.

David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:

of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and his brothers one hundred twenty;

of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred twenty;

of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and his brothers one hundred thirty;

of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred;

of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and his brothers eighty;

of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and his brothers one hundred twelve.

David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,

and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both you and your brothers, that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, up to the place that I have prepared for it.

For because you didn’t carry it at first, the LORD our God broke out in anger against us, because we didn’t seek him according to the ordinance.”

The Priests and Levites Carry the Ark

So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.

The children of the Levites bore God’s ark on their shoulders with its poles, as Moses commanded according to the LORD’s word.

David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers with instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up their voices with joy.

So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;

and with them their brothers of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers.

So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were given cymbals of bronze to sound aloud;

and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with stringed instruments set to Alamoth;

and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps tuned to the eight-stringed lyre, to lead.

Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the singing. He taught the singers, because he was skillful.

Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.

Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before God’s ark; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

Moving the Ark to Jerusalem

So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant up out of the house of Obed-Edom with joy.

When God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the choir master with the singers; and David had an ephod of linen on him.

Thus all Israel brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant up with shouting, with sound of the cornet, with trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding aloud with stringed instruments and harps.

Michal’s Contempt for David

(2 Samuel 6:16)

As the ark of the LORD’s covenant came to David’s city, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David dancing and playing; and she despised him in her heart.