1 Chronicles 23

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

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

2 He gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

And he got together all the chiefs of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

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

And the Levites, all those of thirty years old and over, were numbered; and the number of them, by heads, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand.

4 David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the LORD’s house, six thousand were officers and judges,

Of these, twenty-four thousand were to be overseers of the work of the house of the Lord, and six thousand were judges and men of authority;

5 four thousand were doorkeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made for giving praise.”

Four thousand were door-keepers; and four thousand gave praise to the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, for giving praise.

6 David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

And David put them into divisions under the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

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

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

9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan.

The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth and Haziel and Haran, three; these were the heads of the families of Ladan.

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

And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zizah and Jeush and Beriah; these four were the sons of Shimei.

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.

Jahath was the chief and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah had only a small number of sons, so they were grouped together as one family.

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

The sons of Kohath: Amram, 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 the LORD, to minister to him, and to bless in his name forever.

The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was made separate and holy, he and his sons for ever, for the care of the most holy things and the burning of offerings before the Lord, to do his work and give blessings in his name for ever.

14 But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

And the sons of Moses, the man of God, were put into the list of the tribe of Levi.

15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16 The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief.

The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

17 The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

And the sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the first; and Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had a great number.

18 The son of Izhar: Shelomith 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, and Jekameam the fourth.

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

The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, and 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 relatives, the sons of Kish, took them as wives.

And at his death Eleazar had no sons, but only daughters, and their relations, the sons of Kish, took them as wives.

23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, 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 the fathers’ houses of those who were counted individually, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the LORD’s house, from twenty years old and upward.

These were the sons of Levi, grouped by families, the heads of the families of those who were numbered by name, by heads, all those of twenty years old and over who did the work of the house of the Lord.

25 For David said, “The LORD, 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 his people rest, and he has made his resting-place in Jerusalem for ever;

26 Also the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its vessels for its service.”

And from now, there will be no need for the House of the Lord, and the vessels used in it, to be moved about by the Levites.

27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were counted, from twenty years old and upward.

So among the last acts of David was the numbering of the sons of Levi, from twenty years old and over.

28 For their duty was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the LORD’s house—in the courts, in the rooms, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of God’s house;

Their place was by the side of the sons of Aaron in all the work of the house of the Lord, in the open spaces and in the rooms, in the making clean of all the holy things, in doing all the work of the house of the Lord,

29 for the show bread also, and for 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 measurements of quantity and size;

The holy bread was in their care, and the crushed grain for the meal offering, of unleavened cakes or meal cooked over the fire or in water; they had control of all sorts of weights and measures;

30 and to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise in the evening;

They had to take their places every morning to give praise and make melody to the Lord, and in the same way at evening;

31 and to offer all burnt offerings to the LORD on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning them, continually before the LORD;

At every offering of burned offerings to the Lord, on Sabbaths, and at the new moons, and on the regular feasts, in the number ordered by the law, at all times before the Lord;

32 and that they should keep the duty of the Tent of Meeting, the duty of the holy place, and the duty of the sons of Aaron their brothers for the service of the LORD’s house.

And they had the care of the Tent of meeting and the holy place, under the direction of the sons of Aaron their brothers, for the work of the house of the Lord.