1 Chronicles 15:16

¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

¹⁵ And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.

And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.

¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;

¹⁸ And with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the porters.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

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.
KJV: And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
WEB: David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers with instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up their voices with joy.
ASV: And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
DARBY: And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren, the singers, with instruments of music, lutes, and harps, and cymbals, that they should sound aloud, lifting up the voice with joy.
BLB: And David spoke to the heads of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers with instruments of song, stringed instruments, and harps, and cymbals, resounding to lift up the voice with joy.

ÅB: Så befalte David de øverste blant levittene at de skulle stille sine brødre sangerne fram med musikkinstrumenter, harper og citarer og cymbler, som de skulle spille på, idet de lot gledesangen tone.
OTB: Da talte David til levittenes høvdinger
om å utnevne deres slektninger til sangere,
med musikkinstrumenter, harper, lyrer og cymbaler,
for å løfte sine stemmer med glede.
B1930: Så bød David de øverste blandt levittene at de skulde stille sine brødre sangerne frem med musikkinstrumenter, harper og citarer og cymbler, som de skulde spille på, idet de lot gledesangen tone.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

1 Chronicles 13:8
And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.
Read in context
1 Chronicles 16:42
And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.
Read in context
1 Chronicles 23:5
Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 5:13
It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
Read in context
Nehemiah 12:36
And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.
Read in context
Isaiah 49:23
And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
Read in context
Psalms 87:7
As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.
Read in context
Titus 1:5
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
Read in context