Common English Bible CEB
New King James Version NKJV
1 After he had built houses for himself in David's City, David prepared a place for God's chest and pitched a tent for it.
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David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it.
2 David said, "Only the Levites may carry God's chest, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the LORD's chest and to minister to him forever."
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Then David said, "No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever."
3 David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring the LORD's chest to the place he had prepared for it.
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And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.
4 David also gathered Aaron's family and the Levites:
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Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites:
5 Uriel, the leader of Kohath's family, and 120 of his relatives;
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of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and one hundred and twenty of his brethren;
6 Asaiah, the leader of Merari's family, and 220 of his relatives;
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of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and two hundred and twenty of his brethren;
7 Joel, the leader of Gershom's family, and 130 of his relatives;
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of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and one hundred and thirty of his brethren;
8 Shemaiah, the leader of Elizaphan's family, and 200 of his relatives;
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of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his brethren;
9 Eliel, the leader of Hebron's family, and 80 of his relatives;
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of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his brethren;
10 and Amminadab, the leader of Uzziel's family, and 112 of his relatives.
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of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and one hundred and twelve of his brethren.
11 David called for the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
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And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
12 He said to them, "You are the household heads of the Levites. Make yourselves holy, you and your brothers, and then bring the chest of the LORD, Israel's God, to the place I've prepared for it.
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He said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.
13 When you weren't with us the first time, the LORD our God burst out against us because we didn't ask his advice properly."
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For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order."
14 So the priests and the Levites made themselves holy to bring up the chest of the LORD, Israel's God.
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So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel.
15 The Levites carried God's chest with poles on their shoulders, just as Moses had commanded according to the LORD's word.
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And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.
16 Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint some of their relatives as singers to raise their voices joyfully, accompanied by musical instruments, including harps, lyres, and cymbals.
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Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy.
17 So the Levites appointed Heman, Joel's son; and from his relatives, Asaph, Berechiah's son; and from their Merarite relatives, Ethan, Kushaiah's son;
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So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of their brethren, the sons of Merari, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;
18 and second in rank with them their relatives: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and Obed-edom and Jeiel the gatekeepers.
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and with them their brethren of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers;
19 The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to make music with bronze cymbals.
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the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound the cymbals of bronze;
20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps tuned to the Alamoth.
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Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with strings according to Alamoth;
21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres tuned to the Sheminith.
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Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to direct with harps on the Sheminith;
22 Chenaniah was leader of the Levites who provided transportation, because he was skilled at it.
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Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful;
23 Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the chest.
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Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark;
24 The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer were to blow the trumpets before God's chest. Obed-edom and Jehiah also were to be gatekeepers for the chest.
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Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah, doorkeepers for the ark.
25 Then David, along with Israel's elders and the captains of the thousands, went with rejoicing to bring up the chest containing the LORD's covenant from Obed-edom's house.
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So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.
26 Since God had helped the Levites who were carrying the chest containing the LORD's covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
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And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams.
27 David wore a fine-linen robe, as did the singers, all the Levites who were carrying the chest, and Chenaniah, the leader of transportation. David also wore a linen priestly vest.
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David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.
28 So all Israel brought up the chest containing the LORD's covenant with shouts of joy, accompanied by the blast of the ram's horn, by trumpets and cymbals, and playing on harps and lyres.
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Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.
29 As the chest containing the LORD's covenant entered David's City, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out the window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing, she lost all respect for him.
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And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.