1Ngemva kokuba uDavida esakhile ezakhe izindlu eMzini kaDavida, wakha indawo yebhokisi lesivumelwano sikaNkulunkulu, walimisela ithente kuleyondawo.
2UDavida wasesithi: “Kakho ozathwala ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaNkulunkulu ngaphandle kwabaLevi ngoba uThixo* wabakhethela ukuthwala ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo* lokumkhonza kuze kube nininini.”
3UDavida wasehlanganisa bonke abako-Israyeli eJerusalema ukuze balethe ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo* endaweni ayeyilungisele lona.
4Wahlanganisa abosendo luka-Aroni labaLevi ngezindlu zabo:
5Kwabendlu kaKhohathi,
6kwabendlu kaMerari,
7kwabendlu kaGeshoni,
8kwabendlu ka-Elizafani,
9kwabendlu kaHebhroni,
10kwabendlu ka-Uziyeli,
11UDavida wasenxusa abaphristi uZadokhi lo-Abhiyathari kanye lo-Uriyeli, lo-Asaya, loJoweli, loShemaya, lo-Eliyeli lo-Abhinadabi abaLevi.
12Wasesithi kubo, “Lina lizinhloko zezindlu zabaLevi, zihlambululeni lina kanye lezihlobo zenu ukuze liyethatha ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo*, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, lililethe endaweni engiyilungisele lona.
13UThixo* uNkulunkulu wethu wasithukuthelela ngenxa yokuthi lina abaLevi, ayisini elathwala ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo* kuqala. Asizanga sibuze kuThixo* ukuthi kwakumele senzeni njengokulaya kwakhe.”
14Ngakho abaphristi labaLevi bazihlambulula ukuze bathwale ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo*, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli.
15Yikho abaLevi bathwala ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo* ngezibambo zezigodo emahlombe abo, njengokulaya kukaMosi kulandelwa ilizwi likaThixo*.
16UDavida watshela abakhokheli babaLevi ukuthi bakhethe abafowabo ukuthi babe ngabahlabeleli ukuze bahlabelele izingoma ezimnandi, betshaya amachacho lezigubhu lemihubhe.
17AbaLevi bakhetha uHemani indodana kaJoweli; kubafowabo, u-Asafi indodana kaBherekhiya; lakubafowabo amaMerari, u-Ethani indodana kaKhushaya;
18kanye labafowabo ngokulandelana ngezikhundla: uZakhariya, loJahaziyeli, loShemiramothi, loJeyiyeli, lo-Uni, lo-Eliyabi, loBhenaya, loMaseya, loMathithiya, lo-Elifelehu, loMikhineya, lo-Obhedi-Edomi kanye loJehiyeli abalindi bamasango.
19Abahlabeleli uHemani lo-Asafi kanye lo-Ethani babezatshaya izigubhu zethusi;
20loZakhariya, lo-Aziyeli, loShemiramothi, loJehiyeli, lo-Uni, lo-Eliyabi, loMaseya kanye loBhenaya babezatshaya imihubhe, ngokuhambelana le-alamothi*
21loMathithiya, lo-Elifelehu, loMikhineya, lo-Obhedi-Edomi, loJeyiyeli kanye lo-Azaziya babezatshaya imiqangala, njengokuqondiswa kwabo yishiminithi,*
22uKhenaniya umkhokheli kubaLevi wayengumhlabelisi; wayephethe lapha ngoba wayeligabazi.
23UBherekhiya lo-Elikhana babengabalindi bamasango ebhokisi lesivumelwano,
24loShebhaniya, loJoshafathi loNethaneli, lo-Amasayi, loZakhariya, loBhenaya kanye lo-Eliyezari bengabaphristi bokuvuthela icilongo phambi kwebhokisi lesivumelwano sikaNkulunkulu. U-Obhedi-Edomi loJehiya labo babengabalindi beminyango yebhokisi lesivumelwano.
25Ngakho uDavida labadala bako-Israyeli labalawuli bamaxuku enkulungwane bahamba ukuyathatha ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo* endlini ka-Obhedi-Edomi, bahamba ngokujabula.
26Ngoba uNkulunkulu wayebasizile abakoLevi ababethwele ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo*, benza umhlatshelo wenkunzi eziyisikhombisa lenqama eziyisikhombisa.
27UDavida labo bonke abaLevi ababethwele ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo* labahlabeleli loKhenaniya umkhokheli wabahlabeleli babegqoke izigqoko zelembu lelineni elihle, uDavida wayegqoke lesigqoko semahlombe selineni elihle.
28Ngakho abako-Israyeli ngobunengi babo baletha ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo* ngomdumo omkhulu, bevuthela impondo zenqama betshaya lamacilongo, lezigubhu lamachacho lemihubhe.