The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(A)

15 David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, ^(B)and pitched a tent for it. ² Then David said, “No one may carry the ^(C)ark of God but the Levites, for ^(D)the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.” ³ And David ^(E)gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.

¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites ^[a]sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as ^(A)Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.

¹⁶ 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.

²⁵ So ^(A)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 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 was clothed with a robe of fine ^(B)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 (C)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 And it happened, ^(D)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.