1 Chronicles 23

1 And David was old and satisfied with days, and he causes his son Solomon to reign over Israel,

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

2 and gathers all the heads of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites;

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

3 and the Levites are numbered from a son of thirty years and upward, and their number, for their counted heads, is of thirty-eight thousand mighty 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, twenty-four thousand [are] to preside over the work of the house of YHWH, and six thousand 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 and four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand giving praise to YHWH, “with instruments that I made for praising,” [says David.]

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 And David distributes them into divisions of the sons of Levi—of 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 Gershonite: Laadan and Shimei.

The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei.

8 Sons of Laadan: the head [is] Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel—three.

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

9 Sons of Shimei: Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran—three; these [are] heads of the fathers of Laadan.

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

10 And sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah; these [are] the four sons of Shimei.

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

11 And Jahath is the head, and Zizah the second, and Jeush and Beriah have not multiplied sons, and they become the house of a father by one numbering.

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 Sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four.

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

13 Sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron is separated for his sanctifying the Holy of Holies, he and his sons, for all time, to make incense before YHWH, to serve Him, and to bless in His Name for all time.

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 are called after the tribe of Levi.

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

15 Sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16 Sons of Gershom: Shebuel the head.

The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

17 And sons of Eliezer are Rehabiah the head, and Eliezer had no other sons, and the sons of Rehabiah have multiplied exceedingly.

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 Sons of Izhar: Shelomith the head.

The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

19 Sons of Hebron: Jeriah the head, 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 Sons of Uzziel: Micah the head, and Ishshiah the second.

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

21 Sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

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

22 And Eleazar dies, and he had no sons, but daughters, and their brothers, sons of Kish, take them.

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

23 Sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth—three.

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

24 These [are] sons of Levi, by the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, by their appointments, in the number of names, by their counted heads, doing the work for the service of the house of YHWH, from a son of twenty years and upward,

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 said, “YHWH, God of Israel, has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem for all time”;

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 of the Levites, “None [are] to carry the Dwelling Place and all its vessels 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 by the last words of David they [took] the number of the sons of Levi from a son of twenty years and upward,

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 for their station [is] at the side of the sons of Aaron, for the service of the house of YHWH, over the courts, and over the chambers, and over the cleansing of every holy thing, 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 and for the bread of the arrangement, and for fine flour for present, and for the thin unleavened cakes, and for [the work of] the pan, and for that which is stirred, and for all [liquid] measure and [solid] measure;

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 to stand, morning by morning, to give thanks, and to give praise to YHWH, and so at evening;

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

31 and for all the burnt-offerings—burnt-offerings to YHWH for Sabbaths, for new moons, and for appointed times, by number, according to the ordinance on them continually, before YHWH.

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 they have kept the charge of the Tent of Meeting, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of their brothers, the sons of Aaron, for the service of the house of YHWH.

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.