1 Chronicles 15; 1 Chronicles 16; 1 Chronicles 17

1 Chronicles 15

1 He made also houses for himself in the city of David: and built a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tabernacle for it.

2 Then David said: No one ought to carry the ark of God, but the Levites, whom the Lord hath chosen to carry it, and to minister unto himself for ever.

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

4 And the sons of Aaron also, and the Levites.

5 Of the children of Caath, Uriel was the chief, and his brethren a hundred and twenty.

6 Of the sons of Merari, Asaia the chief, and his brethren two hundred and twenty.

7 Of the sons of Gersom, Joel the chief, and his brethren a hundred and thirty.

8 Of the sons of Elisaphan, Semeias the chief: and his brethren two hundred.

9 Of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief: and his brethren eighty.

10 Of the sons of Oziel, Aminadab the chief: and his brethren a hundred and twelve.

11 And David called Sadoc, and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites, Uriel, Asaia, Joel, Semeia, Eliel, and Aminadab:

12 And he said to them: You that are the heads of the Levitical families, be sanctified with your brethren, and bring the ark of the Lord the God of Israel to the place, which is prepared for it:

13 Lest as the Lord at first struck us, because you were not present, the same should now also come to pass, by our doing some thing against the law.

14 So the priests and the Levites were sanctified, to carry the ark of the Lord the God of Israel.

15 And the sons of Levi took the ark of God as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the Lord, upon their shoulders, with the staves.

16 And David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites, to appoint some of their brethren to be singers with musical instruments, to wit, on psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, that the joyful noise might resound on high.

17 And they appointed Levites, Hemam the son of Joel, and of his brethren Asaph the son of Barachias: and of the sons of Merari, their brethren: Ethan the son of Casaia.

18 And with them their brethren: in the second rank, Zacharias, and Ben, and Jaziel, and Semiramoth, and Jahiel, and Ani, and Eliab, and Banaias, and Maasias, and Mathathias, and Eliphalu, and Macenias, and Obededom, and Jehiel, the porters.

19 Now the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, sounded with cymbals of brass.

20 And Zacharias, and Oziel, and Semiramoth, and Jehiel, and Ani, and Eliab, and Maasias, and Banaias, sung mysteries upon psalteries.

21 And Mathathias, and Eliphalu, and Macenias and Obededom, and Jehiel and Ozaziu, sung a song of victory for the octave upon harps.

22 And Chonenias chief of the Levites, presided over the prophecy, to give out the tunes: for he was very skilful.

23 And Barachias, and Elcana, were doorkeepers of the ark.

24 And Sebenias, and Josaphat, and Nathanael, and Amasai, and Zacharias, and Banaias, and Eliezer the priests, sounded with trumpets, before the ark of God: and Obededom and Jehias were porters of the ark.

25 So David and all the ancients of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obededom with joy.

26 And when God had helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they offered in sacrifice seven oxen, and seven rams.

27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that carried the ark, and the singing men, and Chonenias the ruler of the prophecy among the singers: and David also had on him an ephod of linen.

28 And all Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord with joyful shouting, and sounding with the sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and cymbals, and psalteries, and harps.

29 And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord was come to the city of David, Michol the daughter of Saul looking out at a window, saw king David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.

1 Chronicles 16

1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent, which David had pitched for it: and they offered holocausts, and peace offerings before God.

2 And when David had made an end of offering holocausts, and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

3 And he divided to all and every one, both men and women, a loaf of bread, and a piece of roasted beef, and flour fried with oil.

4 And he appointed Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to remember his works, and to glorify, and praise the Lord God of Israel.

5 Asaph the chief, and next after him Zacharias: moreover Jahiel, and Semiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mathathias, and Eliab, and Banaias, and Obededom: and Jehiel over the instruments of psaltery, and harps: and Asaph sounded with cymbals:

6 But Banaias, and Jaziel the priests, to sound the trumpet continually before the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

7 In that day David made Asaph the chief to give praise to the Lord with his brethren.

8 Praise ye the Lord, and call upon his name: make known his doings among the nations.

9 Sing to him, yea, sing praises to him: and relate all his wondrous works.

10 Praise ye his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice, that seek the Lord.

11 Seek ye the Lord, and his power: seek ye his face evermore.

12 Remember his wonderful works, which he hath done: his signs, and the judgments of his mouth.

13 O ye seed of Israel his servants, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

14 He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.

15 Remember for ever his covenant: the word, which he commanded to a thousand generations.

16 The covenant which he made with Abraham: and his oath to Isaac.

17 And he appointed the same to Jacob for a precept: and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:

18 Saying: To thee will I give the land of Chanaan: the lot of your inheritance.

19 When they were but a small number: very few and sojourners in it.

20 And they passed from nation to nation: and from a kingdom to another people.

21 He suffered no man to do them wrong: and reproved kings for their sake.

22 Touch not my anointed: and do no evil to my prophets.

23 Sing ye to the Lord, all the earth: shew forth from day to day his salvation.

24 Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people.

25 For the Lord is great and exceedingly to be praised: and he is to be feared above all gods.

26 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

27 Praise and magnificence are before him: strength and joy in his place.

28 Bring ye to the Lord, O ye families of the nations: bring ye to the Lord glory and empire.

29 Give to the Lord glory to his name, bring up sacrifice, and come ye in his sight: and adore the Lord in holy becomingness.

30 Let all the earth be moved at his presence: for he hath founded the world immoveable.

31 Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be glad: and let them say among the nations: The Lord hath reigned.

32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all things that are in them.

33 Then shall the trees of the wood give praise before the Lord: because he is come to judge the earth.

34 Give ye glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

35 And say ye: Save us, O God our savior: and gather us together, and deliver us from the nations, that we may give glory to thy holy name, and may rejoice in singing thy praises.

36 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity: and let all the people say Amen, and a hymn to God.

37 So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, Asaph and his brethren to minister in the presence of the ark continually day by day, and in their courses.

38 And Obededom, with his brethren sixty-eight: and Obededom the son of Idithun, and Hosa he appointed to be porters.

39 And Sadoc the priest, and his brethren priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place, which was in Gabaon.

40 That they should offer holocausts to the Lord upon the altar of holocausts continually, morning and evening, according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel.

41 And after him Heman, and Idithun, and the rest that were chosen, every one by his name to give praise to the Lord: because his mercy endureth for ever.

42 And Heman and Idithun sounded the trumpet, and played on the cymbals, and all kinds of musical instruments to sing praises to God: and the sons of Idithun he made porters.

43 And all the people returned to their houses: and David to bless also his own house.

1 Chronicles 17

1 Now when David was dwelling in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet: Behold I dwell in a house of cedar: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under skins.

2 And Nathan said to David: Do all that is in thy heart: for God is with thee.

3 Now that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

4 Go, and speak to David my servant: Thus saith the Lord: Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in.

5 For I have not remained in a house from the time that I brought up Israel, to this day: but I have been always changing places in a tabernacle, and in a tent,

6 Abiding with all Israel. Did I ever speak to any one, of all the judges of Israel whom I charged to feed my people, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

7 Now therefore thus shalt thou say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I took thee from the pastures, from following the flock, that thou shouldst be ruler of my people Israel.

8 And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone: and have slain all thy enemies before thee, and have made thee a name like that of one of the great ones that are renowned in the earth.

9 And I have given a place my people Israel: they shall be planted, and shall dwell therein, and shall be moved no more, neither shall the children of iniquity waste them, as at the beginning,

10 Since the days that I gave judges to my people Israel, and have humbled all thy enemies. And I declare to thee, that the Lord will build thee a house.

11 And when thou shalt have ended thy days to go to thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons: and I will establish his kingdom.

12 He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee.

14 But I will settle him in my house, and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be most firm for ever.

15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

16 And king David came and sat before the Lord, and said: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou shouldst give such things to me?

17 But even this hath seemed little in thy sight, and therefore thou hast also spoken concerning the house of thy servant for the time to come: and hast made me remarkable above all men, O Lord God.

18 What can David add more, seeing thou hast thus glorified thy servant, and known him?

19 O Lord, for thy servant’s sake, according to thy own heart, thou hast shewn all this magnificence, and wouldst have all the great things to be known.

20 O Lord there is none like thee: and here is no other God beside thee, of all whom we have heard of with our ears.

21 For what other nation is there upon earth like thy people Israel, whom God went to deliver, and make a people for himself, and by his greatness and terrors cast out nations before their face whom he had delivered out of Egypt?

22 And thou hast made thy people Israel to be thy own people for ever, and thou, O Lord, art become their God.

23 Now therefore, O Lord, let the word which thou hast spoken to thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.

24 And let thy name remain and be magnified for ever: and let it be said: The Lord of hosts is God of Israel, and the house of David his servant remaineth before him.

25 For thou, O Lord my God, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, that thou wilt build him a house: and therefore thy servant hath found confidence to pray before thee.

26 And now O Lord, thou art God: and thou hast promised to thy servant such great benefits.

27 And thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be always before thee: for seeing thou blessest it, O Lord, it shall be blessed for ever.