12 and said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' (houses) of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both you and your brothers, that you may bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
And said unto them, Ye [are] the chief of the fathers of the Levites: (e) sanctify yourselves, [both] ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto [the place that] I have prepared for it.
(e) Prepare yourselves and be pure, abstain from all things by which you might be polluted, and so not able to come to the tabernacle.
And he said unto them, ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites,.... Of the families of the Levites, heads of their fathers' houses:
sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren; respectively under each, whose numbers are before given, by washing their bodies and clothes, and abstaining from their wives:
that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it; 2-Samuel 6:17.
sanctify yourselves--This special sanctification, which was required on all grave and important occasions, consisted in observing the strictest abstinence, as well as cleanliness, both in person and dress (see on Genesis 35:2; Exodus 19:10, Exodus 19:15); and in the neglect of these rules no step could have been taken (2-Chronicles 30:3).
*More commentary available at chapter level.