1 Chronicles 15:1-16

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem 1After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

2Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before him forever.” 3David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it.

4He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

5From the descendants of Kohath, Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;

6from the descendants of Merari, Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;

7from the descendants of Gershon, Hebrew Gershom, a variant of Gershon Joel the leader and 130 relatives;

8from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;

9from the descendants of Hebron, Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;

10from the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives. 11Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. 12He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 14So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.

15And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD .

16David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.