歷代志上 23
1 [肋未人的職務和班次]達味年老，壽數將滿，遂立自己的兒子撒羅滿為以色列王。
David was a very old man [DOU] when he appointed his son Solomon to be the next king.
2 他召集了以色列所以的領袖、司祭和肋未人。
David gathered the leaders of Israel and the priests and other descendants of Levi.
3 肋未人自三十歲以上者，所有的男子都一一統計了，人數共計三萬八千：
He [commanded some of his officials to] count the descendants of Levi who were at least thirty years old, and they found out that there were 38,000 of them.
4 其中從事監督上主殿宇工作的有二萬四千；長官和判官有六千；
Then David said, “From those 38,000 men, I want 24,000 of them to supervise the work at the temple of Yahweh, and I want 6,000 of them to be officials and judges.
5 守衛的有四千；用達味所製的樂器讚頌上主的有四千。
I want 4,000 to be guards at the gates, and 4,000 to praise Yahweh, using the musical instruments that I have provided for them.”
6 達味按照肋未的兒子革爾雄、刻哈特和默辣黎，將他們編成班次：
David divided the descendants of Levi into three family groups; each group consisted of men who were descendants of one of the three sons of Levi—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 屬革爾雄的：有拉當和史米。
From the descendants of Gershon there were Ladan and Shimei.
8 拉當的子孫：為首的是耶希耳，其次是則堂和約厄耳，共三人。
There were three sons of Ladan: Jehiel was the oldest, and his [younger] brothers Zetham and Joel.
9 史米的子孫：舍羅米特、哈齊耳和哈郎，共三人。這些都是拉當家族的族長。
There were three of the sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. They were all leaders of the clans of Ladan.
10 史米的子孫：雅哈特、齊匝、耶烏士和貝黎雅。這四人都是史米的子孫，
There were four men who were other sons of Shimei:
11 為首的是雅哈齊，齊匝次之。耶烏士和貝黎雅子孫不多，所以算為一個家族，歸為一班。
Jahath, who was his oldest son, and his [younger] brothers Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as though they were one family.
12 刻哈特的子孫：阿默蘭、依茲哈爾、赫貝龍和烏齊耳，共四人。
Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
13 阿默蘭的兒子：亞郎和梅瑟。亞郎與其子孫應分別出來，受祝聖為至聖潔的人，直到永遠；在天主面前焚香事奉他，以他的名為人祝福，直到永遠。
There were two sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart to dedicate the very holy things, to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, to serve in his presence, and to declare [to the people] what Yahweh [MTY] would do to bless them. They were to do those things forever.
14 至於天主的人梅瑟，他的子孫歸於肋未支派。
The sons of Moses, the man who served God [well], were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.
15 梅瑟的兒子：革爾熊和厄里厄則爾。
The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.
16 革爾雄的子孫，為首的是叔巴耳。
The oldest son of Gershom was Shubael.
17 厄里厄則爾的子孫，為首的是勒哈彼雅。厄里厄則爾沒有別的兒子，但勒哈彼雅的兒子眾多。
Rehabiah was the oldest son of Eliezer. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many sons.
18 依茲哈爾的子孫，為首的是舍羅米特。
The oldest son of Izhar was Shelomith.
19 赫貝龍的子孫：為首的是耶黎雅，次為阿瑪黎雅，三為雅哈齊耳，四為雅刻默罕。
Hebron had four sons. Jeriah was his oldest son, and his [younger] brothers were Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
20 烏齊耳的子孫：為首的是米加，其次是依史雅。
Uzziel had two sons. Micah was the oldest son, and his [younger] brother was Isshiah.
21 默辣黎的子孫：瑪赫里和慕史。瑪赫里的子孫：厄肋阿匝爾和克士。
Merari had two sons: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.
22 厄肋阿匝爾死了，沒有兒子，只有女兒，因此克士的兒子，即她們的堂兄弟娶了她們為妻。
Eleazar had no sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
23 慕史的子孫：瑪赫里、厄德爾和耶黎摩特，共三人。
The three sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
24 這些人按他們的家族，都是肋未的子孫，都是二十歲以上，一一報名登記，在上主殿內擔任職務的首領。
Those were the descendants of Levi, whose names were listed according to their families/clans. They were chosen for special jobs by (casting lots/throwing small marked stones). Each person who was at least 20 years old was listed. They all worked in the temple of Yahweh.
25 因為達味曾想：「上主以色列的天主既使自己的百姓獲得安寧，自己又永遠定居在耶路撒冷，
David had said previously, “Yahweh, the God to whom we Israeli people belong, has enabled us to have peace, and he [has come to] live in Jerusalem forever.
26 肋未人就無須再抬會幕及其中應用的一切器具。」
Therefore, the descendants of Levi no longer need to carry the Sacred Tent and the items used in the work there.”
27 為此，按達味最後的吩咐，肋未子孫應由二十歲開始登記。
Obeying the final instructions of David [before he died, instructions for doing this work at the temple], they counted only the descendants of Levi who were at least 20 years old.
28 他們的任務是上主殿內供職，輔助亞郎的子孫，管理庭院及廂房，洗淨所有的聖物，並擔任天主聖殿中的各種工作。
The work of those descendants of Levi was to assist the descendants of Aaron in their work in the temple of Yahweh: To be in charge of the temple courtyards and the side rooms, the ceremonies for purifying all the sacred things, and to do other work at the temple.
29 又管理供餅，素祭細麵，或用盤烤，或用油抹的無酵餅，以及各種度量衡；
They were also in charge of the sacred loaves of bread that were placed [each week] on the table [in the temple], the flour for the grain offerings, the wafers that were made without yeast, and the measuring the ingredients and mixing them and baking that bread and those wafers.
30 每日早晚應前去稱謝讚頌上主；
They were also told to stand every morning [at the temple] and thank Yahweh and praise him. They were also required to do the same thing every evening.
31 每逢安息日、月朔及節日，向上主獻各種全燔祭時，應常按規定的數目到上主面前；
And they were to do the same thing whenever offerings that were to be completely burned [on the altar] were presented/offered to Yahweh on Sabbath days and during the new moon celebrations and other religious festivals. They were told how many of them should be there and what they should do each time.
32 應負責照顧會幕及聖所，並照顧他們在上主殿內供職的弟兄─亞郎的子孫。
So the descendants of Levi did the work that was assigned to them by their fellow Israelis who were descendants of Aaron. They did that work in the area surrounding the Sacred Tent, and in the Sacred Tent, and [later] at the temple.
