< 1 Chronicles 23 >

1 When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.
Then David, being old and full of days, appointed his son Solomon as king over Israel.
2 Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.
And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests as well as the Levites.
3 The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000.
And the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward. And there were found thirty-eight thousand men.
4 “Of these,” said David, “24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges,
Of these, twenty-four thousand were chosen and distributed to the ministry of the house of the Lord. Then six thousand were overseers and judges.
5 4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.”
Moreover, four thousand were porters. And the same number were the singers of psalms to the Lord, with the musical instruments which he had made for the music.
6 Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
And David distributed them into courses according to the sons of Levi, specifically, Gershom, and Kohath, and Merari.
7 The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.
The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham, and Joel—three in all.
The sons of Ladan: the leader Jahiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.
The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the leaders of the families of Ladan.
10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei—four in all.
Then the sons of Shimei: Jahath, and Zizah, and Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei, four.
11 Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as one family and received a single assignment.
Now Jahath was first, Zizah second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, and for this reason they were reckoned as one family and one house.
12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.
The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel, four.
13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever.
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Now Aaron was separated so that he might minister in the Holy of Holies, he and his sons forever, and so that he might burn incense to the Lord, according to his rite, and so that he might bless his name in perpetuity.
14 As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
The sons of Moses, the man of God, were also numbered in the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The descendants of Gershom: Shebuel was the first.
The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.
17 The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
Now the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah the first. And there were no other sons for Eliezer. But the sons of Rehabiah were multiplied exceedingly.
18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.
The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.
19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah was the first and Isshiah the second.
The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, Isshiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died without having any sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
Then Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters. And so the sons of Kish, their brothers, married them.
23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth —three in all.
The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24 These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD.
These are the sons of Levi, in their kindred and families, leaders in turns, and the number of each of the heads who were doing the works of the ministry of the house of the Lord, from twenty years of age and upward.
25 For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever.
For David said: “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and a habitation in Jerusalem even unto eternity.
26 So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service.”
Neither shall it be the office of the Levites any more to carry the tabernacle with all its equipment for use in the ministry.”
27 For according to the final instructions of David, the Levites twenty years of age or older were counted,
Also, according to the last precepts of David, the sons of Levi shall be counted by number from twenty years of age and upward.
28 but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God,
And they shall be under the hand of the sons of Aaron, in the care of the house of the Lord, in the vestibule, and in the chambers, and in the place of purification, and in the sanctuary, and in all the works of the ministry of the temple of the Lord.
29 as well as for the rows of the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.
But the priests shall be over the bread of the presence, and the sacrifice of fine wheat flour, and the unleavened cakes, and the frying pan, and the roasting, and over every weight and measure.
30 They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening.
Yet truly, the Levites shall stand to confess and to sing to the Lord, in the morning, and similarly in the evening,
31 Whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, they were to serve regularly before the LORD in the numbers prescribed for them.
as much in the oblation of the holocausts of the Lord, as in the Sabbaths and new moons and other solemnities, according to the number and ceremonies for each and every matter, perpetually before the Lord.
32 So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the LORD.
And let them keep the observances of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the rituals of the sanctuary, and the observance of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, so that they may minister in the house of the Lord.

< 1 Chronicles 23 >