1 Chronicles 23

1 David was a very old man [DOU] when he appointed his son Solomon to be the next king.

And David he was old and he was satisfied days and he made king Solomon son his over Israel.

2 David gathered the leaders of Israel and the priests and other descendants of Levi.

And he gathered all [the] leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites.

3 He [commanded some of his officials to] count the descendants of Levi who were at least thirty years old, and they found out that there were 38,000 of them.

And they were counted the Levites from a son of thirty year[s] and up-wards and it was number their to skulls their to men thirty and eight thousand.

4 Then David said, “From those 38,000 men, I want 24,000 of them to supervise the work at the temple of Yahweh, and I want 6,000 of them to be officials and judges.

From these [are] to act as overseers over [the] work of [the] house of Yahweh twenty and four thousand and officials and judges six thousand.

5 I want 4,000 to be guards at the gates, and 4,000 to praise Yahweh, using the musical instruments that I have provided for them.”

And four thousand gatekeepers and four thousand [those] praising Yahweh with instruments which I made to praise.

6 David divided the descendants of Levi into three family groups; each group consisted of men who were descendants of one of the three sons of Levi—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

And he divided them David divisions. [the] sons of Levi to Gershon Kohath and Merari.

7 From the descendants of Gershon there were Ladan and Shimei.

Of the Gershonite[s] Ladan and Shimei.

8 There were three sons of Ladan: Jehiel was the oldest, and his [younger] brothers Zetham and Joel.

[the] sons of Ladan the chief Jehiel and Zetham and Joel three.

9 There were three of the sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. They were all leaders of the clans of Ladan.

[the] sons of Shimei (Shelomith *QK) and Haziel and Haran three these [were] [the] heads of the fathers of Ladan.

10 There were four men who were other sons of Shimei:

And [the] sons of Shimei Jahath Zina and Jeush and Beriah these [were] [the] sons of Shimei four.

11 Jahath, who was his oldest son, and his [younger] brothers Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as though they were one family.

And he was Jahath the chief and Zizah the second and Jeush and Beriah not they had many sons and they became a house of a father a group one.

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

[the] sons of Kohath Amram Izhar Hebron and Uzziel four.

13 There were two sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart to dedicate the very holy things, to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, to serve in his presence, and to declare [to the people] what Yahweh [MTY] would do to bless them. They were to do those things forever.

[the] sons of Amram Aaron and Moses and he was separated Aaron to consecrate it a holy one of holy ones he and descendants his until perpetuity to make smoke before Yahweh to serve him and to bless in name his until perpetuity.

14 The sons of Moses, the man who served God [well], were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.

And Moses [the] man of God descendants his they were named on [the] tribe of the Levite[s].

15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.

[the] sons of Moses Gershom and Eliezer.

16 The oldest son of Gershom was Shubael.

[the] sons of Gershom Shebuel the chief.

17 Rehabiah was the oldest son of Eliezer. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many sons.

And they were [the] sons of Eliezer Rehabiah the chief and not it belonged to Eliezer sons other and [the] sons of Rehabiah they were numerous upwards.

18 The oldest son of Izhar was Shelomith.

[the] sons of Izhar Shelomith the chief.

19 Hebron had four sons. Jeriah was his oldest son, and his [younger] brothers were Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.

[the] sons of Hebron Jeriah the chief Amariah the second Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

20 Uzziel had two sons. Micah was the oldest son, and his [younger] brother was Isshiah.

[the] sons of Uzziel Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.

21 Merari had two sons: 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 Eleazar had no sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.

And he died Eleazar and not they belonged to him sons that except daughters and they took them [the] sons of Kish relatives their.

23 The three sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

[the] sons of Mushi Mahli and Eder and Jeremoth three.

24 Those were the descendants of Levi, whose names were listed according to their families/clans. They were chosen for special jobs by (casting lots/throwing small marked stones). Each person who was at least 20 years old was listed. They all worked in the temple of Yahweh.

These [were] [the] descendants of Levi to [the] house of ancestors their [the] chiefs of the fathers to [men] enrolled their by number of names to skulls their doer[s] of the work of [the] service of [the] house of Yahweh from a son of twenty year[s] and up-wards.

25 David had said previously, “Yahweh, the God to whom we Israeli people belong, has enabled us to have peace, and he [has come to] live in Jerusalem forever.

For he had said David he has given rest Yahweh [the] God of Israel to people his and he has settled in Jerusalem until for ever.

26 Therefore, the descendants of Levi no longer need to carry the Sacred Tent and the items used in the work there.”

And also to the Levites there not [is] to carry the tabernacle and all articles its for service its.

27 Obeying the final instructions of David [before he died, instructions for doing this work at the temple], they counted only the descendants of Levi who were at least 20 years old.

For by [the] words of David last they [were] [the] number of [the] descendants of Levi from a son of twenty year[s] and upwards.

28 The work of those descendants of Levi was to assist the descendants of Aaron in their work in the temple of Yahweh: To be in charge of the temple courtyards and the side rooms, the ceremonies for purifying all the sacred things, and to do other work at the temple.

For function their [was] to [the] side of [the] descendants of Aaron for [the] service of [the] house of Yahweh over the courts and over the store-rooms and over [the] purification of every holy thing and [the] work of [the] service of [the] house of God.

29 They were also in charge of the sacred loaves of bread that were placed [each week] on the table [in the temple], the flour for the grain offerings, the wafers that were made without yeast, and the measuring the ingredients and mixing them and baking that bread and those wafers.

And to [the] bread of the row and to fine flour for a grain offering and to [the] wafers of the unleavened bread and to the baked cake and to the mixed [dough] and to every measurement and measurement.

30 They were also told to stand every morning [at the temple] and thank Yahweh and praise him. They were also required to do the same thing every evening.

And to stand in the morning in the morning to give thanks and to praise Yahweh and thus to the evening.

31 And they were to do the same thing whenever offerings that were to be completely burned [on the altar] were presented/offered to Yahweh on Sabbath days and during the new moon celebrations and other religious festivals. They were told how many of them should be there and what they should do each time.

And to every of ering up of burnt offerings to Yahweh for the sabbaths for the new moons and for the appointed feasts by number according to [the] ordinance on them continually before Yahweh.

32 So the descendants of Levi did the work that was assigned to them by their fellow Israelis who were descendants of Aaron. They did that work in the area surrounding the Sacred Tent, and in the Sacred Tent, and [later] at the temple.

And they kept [the] duty of [the] tent of meeting and [the] duty of the holy place and [the] duty of [the] descendants of Aaron relatives their for [the] service of [the] house of Yahweh.