1 Chronicles 23

1 Then David, being old and full of days, appointed his son Solomon as king over Israel.

And David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel in his stead.

2 And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests as well as the Levites.

And he assembled all the chief men of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites.

3 And the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward. And there were found thirty-eight thousand men.

And the Levites numbered [themselves] from thirty years old and upward; and their number by their polls amounted to thirty and eight thousand men.

4 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.

Of the overseers over the works of the house of the Lord [there were] twenty-four thousand, and [there were] six thousand scribes and judges;

5 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.

and four thousand doorkeepers, and four thousand to praise the Lord with instruments which he made to praise the Lord.

6 And David distributed them into courses according to the sons of Levi, specifically, Gershom, and Kohath, and Merari.

And David divided them [into] daily courses, for the sons of Levi, for Gedson, Caath, and Merari.

7 The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei.

And for [the family of] Gedson, Edan, and Semei.

8 The sons of Ladan: the leader Jahiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

The sons of Edan [were] Jeiel, the chief, and Zethan, and Joel, three.

9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the leaders of the families of Ladan.

The sons of Semei; Salomith, Jeiel, and Dan, three: these [were] the chiefs of the families of Edan.

10 Then the sons of Shimei: Jahath, and Zizah, and Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei, four.

And to the sons of Semei, Jeth, and Ziza, and Joas, and Beria: these [were] the four sons of Semei.

11 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.

And Jeth was the chief, and Ziza the second: and Joas and Beria did not multiply sons, and they became [only] one reckoning according to the house of their father.

12 The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel, four.

The sons of Caath; Ambram, Isaar, Chebron, Oziel, four.

13 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.

The sons of Ambram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was appointed for the consecration of the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister and bless in his name for ever.

14 The sons of Moses, the man of God, were also numbered in the tribe of Levi.

And [as for] Moses the man of God, his sons were reckoned to the tribe of Levi.

15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

The sons of Moses; Gersam, and Eliezer.

16 The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

The sons of Gersam; Subael the chief.

17 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.

And the sons of Eliezer were, Rabia the chief: and Eliezer had no other sons; but the sons of Rabia were very greatly multiplied.

18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

The sons of Isaar; Salomoth the chief.

19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.

The sons of Chebron; Jeria the chief, Amaria the second, Jeziel the third, Jekemias the fourth.

20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, Isshiah the second.

The sons of Oziel; Micha the chief, and Isia the second.

21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

The sons of Merari; Mooli, and Musi: the sons of Mooli; Eleazar, and Kis.

22 Then Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters. And so the sons of Kish, their brothers, married them.

And Eleazar died, and he had no sons, but daughters: and the sons of Kis, their brethren, took them.

23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

The sons of Musi; Mooli, and Eder, and Jarimoth, three.

24 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.

These [are] the sons of Levi according to the houses of their fathers; chiefs of their families according to their numbering, according to the number of their names, according to their polls, doing the works of service of the house of the Lord, from twenty years old and upward.

25 For David said: “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and a habitation in Jerusalem even unto eternity.

For David said, The Lord God of Israel has given rest to his people, and has taken up his abode in Jerusalem for ever.

26 Neither shall it be the office of the Levites any more to carry the tabernacle with all its equipment for use in the ministry.”

And the Levites bore not the tabernacle, and all the vessels of it for its service.

27 Also, according to the last precepts of David, the sons of Levi shall be counted by number from twenty years of age and upward.

For by the last words of David was the number of the Levites [taken] from twenty years old and upward.

28 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.

For he appointed them to wait on Aaron, to minister in the house of the Lord, over the courts, and over the chambers, and over the purification of all the holy things, and over the works of the service of the house of God;

29 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.

and for the show-bread, and for the fine flour of the meat-offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for the fried cake, and for the dough, and for every measure;

30 Yet truly, the Levites shall stand to confess and to sing to the Lord, in the morning, and similarly in the evening,

and to stand in the morning to praise and give thanks to the Lord, and so in the evening;

31 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.

and [to be] over all the whole burnt offerings that were offered up to the Lord on the sabbaths, and at the new moons, and at the feasts, by number, according to the order [given] to them, continually before the Lord.

32 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.

And they are to keep the charge of the tabernacle of witness, and the charge of the holy place, and the charges of the sons of Aaron their brethren, to minister in the house of the Lord.