1 Chronicles 23

1 Now, David, was old, and satisfied with days, —so 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 gathered together all the rulers 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 Now the Levites were numbered, from thirty years old and upwards, —and their number by their polls, of mature men, 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 Of these—to preside over the work of the house of Yahweh, were twenty-four thousand, —and officers and judges, six thousand;

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, were doorkeepers, —and, four thousand, were offerers of praise unto Yahweh, with instruments, which [said David] I made for offering 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 And David divided them into courses, —pertaining to the sons of Levi, 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, Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei.

8 The sons of Ladan, the chief Jehiel, 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 ancestral chiefs of Ladan.

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

10 And, the sons of Shimei, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah, —these, were the sons of Shimei, four.

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

11 And Jahath was chief, and Zizah the second, —but, Jeush and Beriah, had not many sons, so they became an ancestral house, by 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, to hallow the holy of holies, he and his sons, unto times age-abiding, to make a perfume before Yahweh, to be in attendance upon him, and to bless in his name, unto times age-abiding;

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 and, as for Moses, the man of God, his sons, were called unto 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, were Gershom, and Eliezer.

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16 the sons of Gershom, were Shebuel the chief;

The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

17 and 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, Shelomith the chief.

The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

19 The sons of Hebron, Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jehaziel 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, were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli, were Eleazar and Kish.

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

22 But Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only, —and so the sons of Kish their brethren took them.

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, were Mahli and Eder and Jeremoth, three.

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

24 These, were the sons of Levi by their ancestral house, the ancestral chiefs of them who were counted in the number of their names, by their polls, doing the work, for the service of the house of Yahweh, —from twenty years old, and upwards.

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, said David, Yahweh the God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, —and hath taken up his habitation in Jerusalem, unto times age-abiding;

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

26 moreover also, as for the Levites, they have no need to bear the habitation, nor any of its vessels in the laborious work 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 For, by the last words of David, the same, were the number of the sons of Levi, —from twenty years old, and upwards.

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 duty, was—to be in attendance upon the sons of Aaron, in the laborious work of the house of Yahweh, over the courts, and over the chambers, and over the purifying of everything holy, —and doing the laborious work, 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 set in array, and for the fine meal for the meal-offering, and for the unleavened cakes, even for that which is baked in a pan, for the moistened food, —even of every 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, morning by morning, to give thanks and offer praise unto Yahweh, —and, likewise, at even;

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 offering of ascending-sacrifices unto Yahweh, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts, —by number, according to the manner prescribed for them continually, before Yahweh; —

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 shall keep the charge of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron, their brethren, —in the laborious work of the house of Yahweh.

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.