1And David made houses for himself in the City of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. 2Then David said, "No one ought to carry the ark of God except the Levites, for God has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever." 3And David assembled all Israel together to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place which He had prepared for it. 4And David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites. 5From the sons of Kohath: Uriel the chief, and a hundred and twenty of his brethren. 6From the sons of Merari: Asaiah the chief, and two hundred and twenty of his brethren. 7From the sons of Gershom: Joel the chief, and a hundred and thirty of his brethren. 8From the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the chief and two hundred of his brethren. 9From the sons of Hebron: Eliel the chief and eighty of his brethren. 10From the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab the chief and a hundred and twelve of his brethren.

11And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab. 12And he said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place which I have prepared for it. 13Now because you did not do it at the first, the LORD our God broke forth upon us, since we did not seek Him according to the ordinance." 14And the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

15And the children of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders, with the staves on it, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.

16And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of music, lyres, and harps, and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy. 17And the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah. And from the sons of Merari their brethren, was Ethan the son of Kushaiah. 18And with them were their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. 19And the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to sound with cymbals of bronze; 20And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah with harps set to Alamoth. 21And Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to the Sheminith. 22And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the music. He instructed about the songs because he was skillful. 23And Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. 24And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, blew with the silver trumpets before the ark of God. And Obed-Edom and Jehiah were gatekeepers for the ark.

25Then David and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obed-Edom with joy. 26And it came to pass when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they offered seven bulls and seven rams. 27And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who carried the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the music with the singers. David also had on an ephod of linen. 28Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sounding of the ram's horn, and with silver trumpets and with cymbals sounding aloud with harps and lyres.

29And it came to pass as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul, looking out a window, saw King David dancing and playing. And she despised him in her heart.