1 Chronicles 23

1 Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

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

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

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

3 The Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand.

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

4 David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of YHWH; six thousand were 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 four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised YHWH with the instruments which I 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 David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: 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: Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei.

8 The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

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

9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the ancestral houses of Ladan.

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

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

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

11 Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they became a fathers' house in one reckoning.

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.

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

13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, forever, to burn incense before YHWH, to minister to him, and to bless 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 But 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 sons of Gershom: Shubael the chief.

The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

17 The sons of Eliezer were: Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons; but the sons 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 sons of Izhar: Shelomoth the chief.

The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, 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 the chief, 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, and had no sons, but daughters only: and their brothers the sons of Kish took them as wives.

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, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

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

24 These were the sons of Levi after their fathers' houses, even the heads of ancestral houses of those who were counted individually, in the number of names by their polls, who do the work for the service of the house of YHWH, from twenty years old 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, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells 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 Also the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle 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 the sons of Levi were numbered, from twenty years old 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 office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of YHWH, in the courts, and in the rooms, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of God's house,

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 involving the show bread, the fine flour for a meal offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is baked in the pan, or of that which is soaked, and for all kinds of measure 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 and to stand every morning to thank and praise YHWH, 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 and to offer all burnt offerings to YHWH, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning 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 that they should keep the duty of the Tent of Meeting, and the duty of the holy place, and the duty of the sons of Aaron their brothers, 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.