Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 For his own use, David built houses in David's City. He also prepared a place for God's Covenant Box and put up a tent for it.
1
David made himself houses in David’s city; and he prepared a place for God’s ark, and pitched a tent for it.
2 Then he said, "Only Levites should carry the Covenant Box, because they are the ones the Lord chose to carry it and to serve him forever."
2
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.”
3 So David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Covenant Box to the place he had prepared for it.
3
David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the LORD’s ark to its place, which he had prepared for it.
4 Next he sent for the descendants of Aaron and for the Levites.
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David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:
5 From the Levite clan of Kohath came Uriel, in charge of 120 members of his clan;
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of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and his brothers one hundred twenty;
6 from the clan of Merari came Asaiah, in charge of 220;
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of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred twenty;
7 from the clan of Gershon, Joel, in charge of 130;
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of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and his brothers one hundred thirty;
8 from the clan of Elizaphan, Shemaiah, in charge of 200;
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of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred;
9 from the clan of Hebron, Eliel, in charge of 80;
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of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and his brothers eighty;
10 and from the clan of Uzziel, Amminadab, in charge of 112.
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of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and his brothers one hundred twelve.
11 David called in the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the six Levites, Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
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David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,
12 He said to the Levites, "You are the leaders of the Levite clans. Purify yourselves and your fellow Levites, so that you can bring the Covenant Box of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.
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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.
13 Because you were not there to carry it the first time, the Lord our God punished us for not worshiping him as we should have done."
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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.”
14 Then the priests and the Levites purified themselves in order to move the Covenant Box of the Lord God of Israel.
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So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.
15 The Levites carried it on poles on their shoulders, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
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The children of the Levites bore God’s ark on their shoulders with its poles, as Moses commanded according to the LORD’s word.
16 David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals.
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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.
17 From the clans of singers they chose the following men to play the brass cymbals: Heman son of Joel, his relative Asaph son of Berechiah, and Ethan son of Kushaiah, of the clan of Merari. To assist them they chose the following Levites to play the high-pitched harps: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah. To play the low-pitched harps they chose the following Levites: Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Azaziah, and the Temple guards, Obed Edom and Jeiel.
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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;
22 Because of his skill in music Chenaniah was chosen to be in charge of the levitical musicians.
22
Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the singing. He taught the singers, because he was skillful.
23 Berechiah and Elkanah, along with Obed Edom and Jehiah, were chosen as guards for the Covenant Box. The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer were chosen to blow trumpets in front of the Covenant Box.
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Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.
25 So King David, the leaders of Israel, and the military commanders went to the house of Obed Edom to get the Covenant Box, and they had a great celebration.
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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.
26 They sacrificed seven bulls and seven sheep, to make sure that God would help the Levites who were carrying the Covenant Box.
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When God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
27 David was wearing a robe made of the finest linen, and so were the musicians, Chenaniah their leader, and the Levites who carried the Box. David also wore a linen ephod.
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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 choir master with the singers; and David had an ephod of linen on him.
28 So all the Israelites accompanied the Covenant Box up to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the sound of trumpets, horns, and cymbals, and the music of harps.
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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.
29 As the Box was being brought into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and leaping for joy, and she was disgusted with him.
29
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.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.