1. David had several buildings built in Jerusalem, and he had a tent set up where the sacred chest would be kept.
2. He said, “Only Levites will be allowed to carry the chest, because the Lord has chosen them to do that work and to serve him for ever.”
3. Next, David invited everyone to come to Jerusalem and watch the sacred chest being carried to the place he had set up for it.
4. He also sent for Aaron's descendants and for the Levites. The Levites who came were:
5. Uriel, the leader of the Kohath clan, and one hundred and twenty of his relatives;
6. Asaiah, the leader of the Merari clan, and two hundred and twenty of his relatives;
7. Joel, the leader of the Gershon clan, and one hundred and thirty of his relatives;
8. Shemaiah, the leader of the Elizaphan clan, and two hundred of his relatives;
9. Eliel, the leader of the Hebron clan, and eighty of his relatives; and
10. Amminadab, the leader of the Uzziel clan, with one hundred and twelve of his relatives.
11. David called together these six Levites and the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar.
12. He said to them, “You are the leaders of the clans in the Levi tribe. You and your relatives must first go through the ceremony to make yourselves clean and acceptable to the Lord. Then you may carry the sacred chest that belongs to the Lord God of Israel and bring it to the place I have prepared for it.
13. The first time we tried to bring the chest to Jerusalem, we didn't ask the Lord what he wanted us to do. He was angry with us, because you Levites weren't there to carry the chest.”
14. The priests and the Levites made themselves clean. They were now ready to carry the sacred chest
15. on poles that rested on their shoulders, just as the Lord had told Moses to do.
16. David then told the leaders to choose some Levites to sing and play music on small harps, other stringed instruments, and cymbals.
17-21. The men chosen to play the cymbals were Heman the son of Joel, his relative Asaph the son of Berechiah, and Ethan the son of Kushaiah from the Merari clan. Some of their assistants played the smaller harps: they were Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah. Others played the larger harps: they were Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Azaziah, and two of the temple guards, Obed-Edom and Jeiel.