15 And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent.

Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever.

And David gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord unto his place, which he had prepared for it.

And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites:

Of the sons of Kohath; Uriel the chief, and his brethren an hundred and twenty:

Of the sons of Merari; Asaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred and twenty:

Of the sons of Gershom; Joel the chief and his brethren an hundred and thirty:

Of the sons of Elizaphan; Shemaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred:

Of the sons of Hebron; Eliel the chief, and his brethren fourscore:

10 Of the sons of Uzziel; Amminadab the chief, and his brethren an hundred and twelve.

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

12 And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.

13 For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.

14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel.

15 And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord.

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The Ark Brought to Jerusalem(A)

15 After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared(B) a place for the ark of God and pitched(C) a tent for it. Then David said, “No one but the Levites(D) may carry(E) the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister(F) before him forever.”

David assembled all Israel(G) in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:(H)

From the descendants of Kohath,

Uriel(I) the leader and 120 relatives;

from the descendants of Merari,

Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;

from the descendants of Gershon,[a]

Joel the leader and 130 relatives;

from the descendants of Elizaphan,(J)

Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;

from the descendants of Hebron,(K)

Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;

10 from the descendants of Uzziel,

Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.

11 Then David summoned Zadok(L) and Abiathar(M) the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate(N) yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13 It was because you, the Levites,(O) did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us.(P) We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.(Q) 14 So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded(R) in accordance with the word of the Lord.(S)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 15:7 Hebrew Gershom, a variant of Gershon