Preparing to Move the Ark (2 Samuel 6:12–15)
3 CPDV And he gathered all of Israel in Jerusalem, so that the ark of God might be brought into its place, which he had prepared for it. BSB BSB: And David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it.
4 CPDV Certainly, there were both the sons of Aaron and the Levites: BSB BSB: Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 CPDV From the sons of Kohath, Uriel was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred twenty. BSB BSB: From the Kohathites, Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives;
6 CPDV From the sons of Merari: Asaiah was the leader, and his brothers were two hundred twenty. BSB BSB: from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;
7 CPDV From the sons of Gershom: Joel was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred thirty. BSB BSB: from the Gershomites, Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives;
8 CPDV From the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah was the leader, and his brothers were two hundred. BSB BSB: from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives;
9 CPDV From the sons of Hebron: Eliel was the leader, and his brothers were eighty. BSB BSB: from the Hebronites, Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives;
10 CPDV From the sons of Uzziel: Amminadab was the leader, and his brothers were one hundred twelve. BSB BSB: and from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.
11 CPDV And David summoned the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. BSB BSB: David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
12 CPDV And he said to them: “You who are the leaders of the Levitical families, be sanctified with your brothers, and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place that has been prepared for it. BSB BSB: And he said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.
The Priests and Levites Carry the Ark 14 CPDV Therefore, the priests and the Levites were sanctified, so that they might carry the ark of the Lord God of Israel. BSB BSB: So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.
15 CPDV And the sons of Levi took the ark of God, just as Moses had instructed, in accord with the word of the Lord, upon their shoulders by the bars. BSB BSB: And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.
16 CPDV And David spoke to the leaders of the Levites, so that they might appoint, from their brothers, singers with musical instruments, specifically, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, so that a joyful noise might resound on high. BSB BSB: David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.
17 CPDV And they appointed from the Levites: Heman, the son of Joel; and from his brothers, Asaph, the son of Berechiah; and truly, from their brothers, the sons of Merari: Ethan, the son of Kushaiah. BSB BSB: So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;
18 CPDV And with them were their brothers in the second rank: Zechariah, and Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jahiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, who were gatekeepers. BSB BSB: and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.
19 CPDV Now the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were sounding out with cymbals of brass. BSB BSB: The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals.
20 CPDV And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah were singing mysteries with the psalteries. BSB BSB: Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to Alamoth.
21 CPDV Then Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah and Obededom, and Jeiel and Azaziah were singing a song of victory with the harps, for the octave. BSB BSB: And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to Sheminith.
22 CPDV Now Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites, was foremost over the prophecies, in order to mark out in advance the melodies. For indeed, he was very skillful. BSB BSB: Chenaniah the head Levite was the director of the music because he was highly skilled.
23 CPDV And Berechiah and Elkanah were porters of the ark. BSB BSB: Berechiah and Elkanah were to be guardians of the ark.
24 CPDV And the priests, Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, were sounding the trumpets before the ark of God. And Obededom and Jehiah were porters of the ark. BSB BSB: Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.
Moving the Ark to Jerusalem 25 CPDV Therefore, David, and all those greater by birth of Israel, and the tribunes, went to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obededom with rejoicing. BSB BSB: So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom.
26 CPDV And when God had assisted the Levites, who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they immolated seven bulls and seven rams. BSB BSB: And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
27 CPDV Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah, the leader of the prophecy among the singers. But David was also clothed with a linen ephod. BSB BSB: Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the director of music for the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.
28 CPDV And all of Israel were leading back the ark of the covenant of the Lord with jubilation, sounding out with the noise of horns, and trumpets, and cymbals, and psalteries, and harps. BSB BSB: So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and with cymbals and the music of harps and lyres.
Michal’s Contempt for David (2 Samuel 6:16)
29 CPDV And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord had arrived in the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, gazing through a window, saw king David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart. BSB BSB: As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.