1 Chronicles 23

1 So when Dauid was olde and full of dayes, he made Salomon his sonne King ouer Israel.

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

2 And hee gathered together all the princes of Israel with the Priestes and the Leuites.

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

3 And the Leuites were numbred from ye age of thirtie yeere and aboue, and their nomber according to their summe was eight and thirtie thousand men.

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

4 Of these foure and twentie thousande were set to aduance the worke of the house of the Lord, and sixe thousand were ouerseers and iudges.

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 And foure thousand were porters, and foure thousande praised the Lord with instruments which he made to praise the Lord.

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 So Dauid deuided offices vnto them, to wit, to the sonnes of Leui, to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

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

7 Of the Gershonites were Laadan and Shimei.

The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei.

8 The sonnes of Laadan, the chiefe was Iehiel, and Zetham and Ioel, three.

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

9 The Sonnes of Shimei, Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haram, three: these were the chiefe fathers of Laadan.

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

10 Also the sonnes of Shimei were Iahath, Zina, Ieush, and Beriah: these foure were ye sonnes of Shimei.

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

11 And Iahath was the chiefe, and Zizah the seconde, but Ieush and Beriah had not many sonnes: therfore they were in the families of their father, counted but as one.

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 sonnes of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron aud Vzziel, foure.

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

13 The sonnes of Amram, Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated to sanctifie the most holy place, hee and his sonnes for euer to burne incense before the Lord, to minister to him, and to blesse in his Name for euer.

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 Moses also the man of God, and his children were named with the tribe of Leui.

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

15 The sonnes of Moses were Gershom, and Eliezer,

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16 Of the sonnes of Gershom was Shebuel the chiefe.

The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

17 And the sonne of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chiefe: for Eliezer had none other sonnes: but the sonnes of Rehabiah were very many.

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 sone of Izhar was Shelomith ye chiefe.

The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

19 The sonnes of Hebron were Ieriah the first, Amariah the second, Iahaziel the third, and Iekamiam the fourth.

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

20 The sones of Vzziel were Michah the first, and Isshiah the second.

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

21 The sonnes of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sonnes of Mahli, Eleazar and Kish.

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

22 And Eleazar dyed, and had no sonnes, but daughters, and their brethren the sonnes of Kish tooke them.

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

23 The sonnes of Mushi were Mahli, and Eder, and Ierimoth, three.

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

24 These were the sonnes of Leui according to the house of their fathers, euen the chiefe fathers according to their offices, according to the nomber of names and their summe that did the worke for the seruice of the house of the Lord from the age of twentie yeeres and aboue.

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 Dauid sayde, The Lord God of Israel hath giuen rest vnto his people, that they may dwell in Ierusalem for euer.

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

26 And also the Leuites shall no more beare the Tabernacle and al the vessels for the seruice thereof.

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 Therefore according to the last wordes of Dauid, the Leuites were nombred from twentie yeere and aboue,

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 And their office was vnder the hand of the sonnes of Aaron, for the seruice of the house of the Lord in the courtes, and chambers, and in the purifiyng of all holy thinges, and in the worke of the seruice 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 Both for the shewbread, and for the fine floure, for the meate offring, and for the vnleauened cakes, and for the fryed things, and for that which was rosted, and for all measures and cise,

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 And for to stand euery morning, to giue thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise at euen,

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

31 And to offer all burnt offrings vnto the Lord, in the Sabbaths, in the moneths, and at the appointed times, according to the nomber and according to their custome continually before the Lord,

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 And that they should keepe the charge of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the charge of ye holy place, and the charge of ye sonnes of Aaron their brethren in the seruice of ye 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.