1 Chronicles 15

After 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.

وَشَيَّدَ دَاوُدُ لِنَفْسِهِ قُصُوراً فِي مَدِينَةِ دَاوُدَ، وَجَهَّزَ خَيْمَةً لِيَضَعَ فِيهَا تَابُوتَ اللهِ.

Then 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.”

ثُمَّ قَالَ دَاوُدُ: «لا يَحِقُّ لأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَحْمِلَ تَابُوتَ اللهِ سِوَى اللّاوِيِّينَ، لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ قَدِ اخْتَارَهُمْ لِحَمْلِ التَّابُوتِ وَالْقِيَامِ عَلَى خِدْمَتِهِ إِلَى الأَبَدِ».

David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.

وَاسْتَدْعَى دَاوُدُ كُلَّ إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ لِلاحْتِفَالِ بِإِصْعَادِ تَابُوتِ الرَّبِّ إِلَى الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي أَعَدَّهُ لَهُ.

He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

وَمِنْ بَنِي عُزِّيئِيلَ مِئَةٌ وَاثْنَا عَشَرَ وَعَلَى رَأْسِهِمْ عَمِّينَادَابُ.

Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites.

وَاسْتَدْعَى دَاوُدُ أَيْضاً صَادُوقَ وَأَبِيَاثَارَ الْكَاهِنَيْنِ وَرُؤَسَاءَ اللّاوِيِّينَ: أُورِيئِيلَ وَعَسَايَا وَيُوئِيلَ وَشَمَعْيَا وَإِيلِيئِيلَ وَعَمِّينَادَابَ.

He 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.

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: «أَنْتُمْ رُؤَسَاءُ بُيُوتِ اللّاوِيِّينَ، فَتَطَهَّرُوا مَعَ بَقِيَّةِ إِخْوَتِكُمُ اللّاوِيِّينَ لِتَنْقُلُوا تَابُوتَ الرَّبِّ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَى الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي جَهَّزْتُهُ لَهُ،

It 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.”

لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ إِلَهَنَا قَدْ غَضِبَ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْمَرَّةِ السَّابِقَةِ، لأَنَّكُمْ لَمْ تَكُونُوا مَوْجُودِينَ لِنَقْلِ التَّابُوتِ، وَلأَنَّنَا لَمْ نَسْتَشِرِ الرَّبَّ فِي كَيْفِيَّةِ الْقِيَامِ بِمَرَاسِيمِ نَقْلِهِ».

So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel.

فَتَطَهَّرَ الْكَهَنَةُ وَاللّاوِيُّونَ اسْتِعْدَاداً لِنَقْلِ تَابُوتِ الرَّبِّ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ،

And 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.

وَحَمَلَهُ اللّاوِيُّونَ بِعِصِيٍّ عَلَى أَكْتَافِهِمْ، بِمُوْجِبِ مَا أَمَرَ مُوسَى كَمَا أَوْصَاهُ الرَّبُّ.

David 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.

وَأَمَرَ دَاوُدُ رُؤَسَاءَ اللّاوِيِّينَ أَنْ يُعَيِّنُوا مِنْ بَيْنِهِمِ الْمُغَنِّينَ الْعَازِفِينَ عَلَى الْعِيدَانِ وَالرَّبَابِ وَالصُّنُوجِ لِيُرَتِّلُوا وَيَعْزِفُوا فَرِحِينَ بِأَصْوَاتٍ عَالِيَةٍ.

So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;

فَعَيَّنَ رُؤَسَاءُ اللّاوِيِّينَ هَيْمَانَ بْنَ يُوئِيلَ وَقَرِيبَهُ آسَافَ بْنَ بَرَخْيَا، وَمِنْ بَنِي مَرَارِي إِيثَانَ بْنَ قُوشِيَّا.

and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,^[b] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel,^[c] the gatekeepers.

وَتَلاهُمْ فِي الْمَرْتَبَةِ مِنْ أَقرِبَائِهِمْ بَنِي مَرَارِي: زَكَرِيَّا وَبَيْنُ وَيَعْزِيئِيلُ وَشَمِيرَامُوثُ وَيَحِيئِيلُ وَعُنِّي وَأَلِيآبُ وَبَنَايَا وَمَعَسْيَا وَمَتَّثْيَا وَأَلِيفَلْيَا وَمَقَنْيَا وَعُوبِيدُ أَدُومَ وَيَعِيئِيلُ مِنْ حُرَّاسِ أَبْوَابِ الْخَيْمَةِ.

The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals;

وَقَامَ هَيْمَانُ وَآسَافُ وَإِيثَانُ بِالْعَزْفِ عَلَى الصُّنُوجِ النُّحَاسِيَّةِ.

Zechariah, Jaaziel,^[d] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,^[e]

كَمَا تَشَكَّلَتْ فِرْقَةٌ لِتَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ زَكَرِيَّا وَعُزِّيئِيلَ وَشَمِيرَامُوثَ وَيَحِيئِيلَ وَعُنِّي وَأَلِيَآبَ وَمَعَسْيَا وَبَنَايَا الْعَازِفِينَ عَلَى الرَّبَابِ.

and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.^[f]

وَأَخَذَ كُلٌّ مِنْ مَتَّثْيَا وَأَلِيفَلْيَا وَمَقَنْيَا وَعُوِبيدَ أَدُومَ وَيَعِيئِيلَ وَعَزَرْيَا الْعَازِفِينَ عَلَى الْعِيدَانِ فِي الِقيَادَةِ عِنْدَ غِنَاءِ الْقَرَارِ.

Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

وَكَانَ كَنَنْيَا رَئِيساً لِلْمُوسِيقِيِّينَ اللّاوِيِّينَ لأَنَّهُ كَانَ خَبِيراً فيِ الْمُوسِيقَى.

Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark.

وَتَمَّ اخْتِيَارُ بَرَخْيَا وَأَلْقَانَةَ لِحِرَاسَةِ التَّابُوتِ.

Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

وَالْكَهَنَةِ شَبَنْيَا وَيُوشَافَاطَ وَنَثْنَئِيلَ وَعَمَاسَايَ وَزَكَرِيَّا وَبَنَايَا وَأَلِيعَزَرَ لِلنَّفْخِ بِالأَبْوَاقِ أَمَامَ تَابُوتِ اللهِ. أَمَّا عُوبِيدُ أَدُومَ وَيَحَيَّى فَقَدْ عُيِّنَا أَيْضاً لِحِرَاسَةِ التَّابُوتِ.

So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing.

وَهَكَذَا تَوَجَّهَ دَاوُدُ وَشُيُوخُ وَرُؤَسَاءُ الأُلُوفِ لإِحْضَارِ تَابُوتِ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ مِنْ بَيْتِ عُوبِيدَ أَدُومَ بِاحْتِفَالٍ بَهِيجٍ.

Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.

وَإِذْ أَعَانَ اللهُ اللّاوِيِّينَ حَامِلِي تَابُوتِ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ ذَبَحُوا سَبْعَةَ عُجُولٍ وَسَبْعَةَ كِبَاشٍ.

Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.

وَارْتَدَى دَاوُدُ وَكُلُّ اللّاوِيِّينَ حَامِلُو التَّابُوتِ وَالْمُغَنُّونَ وَكَنَنْيَا قَائِدُ الْغِنَاءِ وَالمُوسِيقِيُّونَ جُبَباً مِنْ كَتَّانٍ، كَمَا لَبِسَ دَاوُدُ أَيْضاً أَفُوداً مِنْ كَتَّانٍ.

So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

وَهَكَذَا احْتَفَلَ جَمِيعُ الَّإِسْرَائِيلِيِّينَ بِإِحْضَارِ تَابُوتِ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ هَاتِفِينَ بِفَرَحٍ وَنَافِخِينَ بِالأَبْوَاقِ النُّحَاسِيَّةِ وَالأَصْوَارِ، وَعَازِفِينَ عَلَى الصُّنُوجِ وَالرَّبَابِ وَالْعِيدَانِ.

As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

وَعِنْدَمَا دَخَلَ تَابُوتُ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ مَدِينَةَ دَاوُدَ، أَطَلَّتْ مِيكَالُ ابْنَةُ شَاوُلَ مِنَ الْكَوَّةِ فَشَاهَدَتِ الْمَلِكَ دَاوُدَ يَرْقُصُ وَيَقْفِزُ، فَازْدَرَتْهُ فِي قَلْبِهَا.