1Ch 16 | EE | STEP | The Levites brought God’s Covenant Box and they put it in the tent. So it was in the tent that David had prepared for it. Then they gave sacrifices to God. They gave sacrifices by fire and they gave friendship-offerings.

1 Chronicles 16

The people worship the LORD

1 The Levites brought God’s Covenant Box and they put it in the tent. So it was in the tent that David had prepared for it. Then they gave sacrifices to God. They gave sacrifices by fire and they gave friendship-offerings. 2 When David had finished the sacrifices by fire and the friendship-offerings, he prayed. He prayed that the LORD would be kind to the people. 3 And he gave food to every Israelite man and woman. He gave a loaf of bread, a piece of meat and a cake of raisins to each person.

David chooses Levites to worship the LORD

4 Then David chose some Levites. Those men would work in front of the LORD‘s Covenant Box. They would pray and they would thank God. And they would praise the LORD, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the leader and Zechariah was the second leader. Then there were Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. Those men made music with harps and lyres. And Asaph used the cymbals. 6 Regularly, the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel would use trumpets in front of God’s Covenant Box.

7 On that day, David first told Asaph and the other Levites that they should thank the LORD with this song.

A song to praise God

8 Give thanks to the LORD. Shout to him.
Tell the people among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him. Praise him with songs.
Tell about all the great things that he has done.
10 Praise his holy name.
All the people who want to know the LORD should be happy.
11 Look towards the LORD! Because he is strong, ask him to help you.
Always try to find him.
12 Remember the great things that he has done.
He has done things that we cannot understand.
Remember them too.
He has spoken about things that are right.
Remember what he has said about those things.
13 You are the descendants of his servant, Israel.
He has chosen Jacob’s descendants to be his people.
14 He is the LORD our God.
He rules the whole earth.
15 Always remember his covenant.
He said that after more than 30,000 years from now, his people should still remember it.
16 He made that covenant with Abraham.
He will do everything that was in his special promise to Isaac.
17 He gave that special promise for a rule for Jacob’s people.
It is a covenant with Israel that will always continue.
18 He said, ‘I will give the country called Canaan to you.
It will be for you and for your descendants.’
19 At one time, God’s people were only a few people.
They were a few people and they were strangers in that country.
20 They left one country and they went to another country.
They left one kingdom and they went to another nation.
21 But he did not let anyone hurt them.
He spoke angrily to kings on their behalf.
22 He said, ‘Do not even touch my people that I have anointed as mine.
And do not hurt my prophets.’
23 Sing to the LORD. All the people on earth must sing to him.
Say that the LORD saves us, day after day.
24 Speak about his glory. Tell the people in other countries.
Tell everyone about the great things that he has done.
25 The LORD is great. Everyone should praise him very much.
All people should be afraid to make him angry. He is greater than all other gods.
26 All the gods of other countries are false gods.
But the LORD made the skies.
27 His glory shines all round him. And anyone can see that he is very great.
Those in his temple are happy and powerful.
28 Praise the LORD you nations on earth.
Praise him for his glory and because he is very strong.
29 Always remember that he and his name are both very great.
Come to him with an offering.
Put on holy clothes and then worship him.
30 Be afraid in front of him, everyone who lives on earth.
The world is very safe. Nobody can move it.
31 The stars in the sky should be happy and the earth should be happy.
All the people in the world should say, ‘The LORD rules as king!’
32 The sea and all the things in it should make a loud noise.
The fields will be happy and everything in them will be happy too.
33 Then all the trees in the forest will sing.
They will sing to the LORD because they are happy.
They will be happy because he has come to be the judge of all the people on the earth.
34 Thank the LORD because he is good.
Thank him because his kind love will always continue.
35 Say to him, ‘Our God, you always save us!
Save us now and bring us to our own country out of all the nations.’
We want to thank you for your holy name.
We want to be happy and we want to praise you.
36 Praise the LORD, the God of Israel
from the beginning to the end of time.

Then all the people said, ‘Amen!’ and they praised the LORD. ^{▼▼16:36 Parts of this song are in Psalm 105, Psalm 96, and Psalm 106.}

How the people should worship the LORD

37 King David said, ‘Asaph and his relatives should always be leaders of the worship there in front of the LORD‘s Covenant Box. They must do that each day as the rules describe.’ 38 He told Obed-Edom and 68 men from his clan that they must help them. Jeduthun’s son, Obed-Edom and Hosah were guards at the doors.

39 Zadok the priest and the other priests stayed with the LORD‘s tent. That was at Gibeon, at the high place there. 40 Their job was to burn sacrifices to the LORD on the altar for sacrifices by fire. They did that every morning and every evening as Moses had written in the LORD‘s Law. The LORD had given the Law to Israel’s people and they had to obey it. 41 Heman and Jeduthun were with them. David had chosen some other men’s names and they were there too. They had to give thanks to the LORD for his kind love that would have no end. 42 Heman and Jeduthun also kept the trumpets, cymbals and other things to make music. They made music with them when they were singing to praise God. And Jeduthun’s sons stood at the gate.

43 Then all the people left and they all went to their houses. And David went to his house to pray for everyone who lived in his house.