1 Chronicles 23
1 David was a very old man [DOU] when he appointed his son Solomon to be the next king.
Kwathi uDavida esemdala eseluphele, wabeka uSolomoni indodana yakhe ukuba abe yinkosi ko-Israyeli.
2 David gathered the leaders of Israel and the priests and other descendants of Levi.
Wasehlanganisa bonke abakhokheli bako-Israyeli, labaphristi kanye labaLevi.
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.
AbaLevi abaleminyaka esukela kwengamatshumi amathathu kusiya phezulu babalwa, inani lamadoda laba zinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu lasificaminwembili.
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.
UDavida wasesithi: “Phakathi kwalaba, abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amabili lane bazakhangela ukuqhutshwa komsebenzi wethempeli likaThixo kuthi abazinkulungwane eziyisithupha bazakuba yizikhulu labahluleli.
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.”
Abazinkulungwane ezine bazakuba ngabalindi bamasango kuthi abazinkulungwane ezine badumise uThixo ngamachacho lezigubhu engizigcinele lowomsebenzi.”
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.
UDavida wehlukanisa abaLevi ngamaxuku kusiya ngamadodana kaLevi: uGeshoni, loKhohathi kanye loMerari.
7 From the descendants of Gershon there were Ladan and Shimei.
Exukwini labakaGeshoni yilaba: uLadani loShimeyi.
8 There were three sons of Ladan: Jehiel was the oldest, and his [younger] brothers Zetham and Joel.
Amadodana kaLadani yila: nguJehiyeli owokuqala, loZethami kanye loJoweli, bonke bebathathu.
9 There were three of the sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. They were all leaders of the clans of Ladan.
Amadodana kaShimeyi yila: nguShelomothi, loHaziyeli kanye loHarani, bonke bebathathu. Laba babezinhloko zezindlu zenzalo kaLadani.
10 There were four men who were other sons of Shimei:
Lamadodana kaShimeyi yila: nguJahathi, loZiza, loJewushi kanye loBheriya. Laba kwakungamadodana kaShimeyi, bonke babebane.
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.
UJahathi engowakuqala loZiza engowesibili, kodwa uJewushi loBheriya abazange babelamadodana amanengi, ngakho babalwa njengemuli yinye bahle baphiwa umsebenzi bendawonye.
12 Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
Amadodana kaKhohathi yila: ngu-Amramu, lo-Izihari, loHebhroni kanye lo-Uziyeli, bonke babebane.
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.
Amadodana ka-Amramu yila: ngu-Aroni loMosi. U-Aroni wehlukaniselwa ukunikela izinto ezingcwele kakhulu kuThixo, ukuze yena lamadodana akhe batshise impepha phambi kukaThixo lokumkhonza lokubusisa ngebizo lakhe kuze kube nininini.
14 The sons of Moses, the man who served God [well], were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.
Amadodana kaMosi inceku kaNkulunkulu abalwa ndawonye labesizwana sikaLevi.
15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.
Amadodana kaMosi yila: nguGeshomu lo-Eliyezari.
16 The oldest son of Gershom was Shubael.
Abosendo lukaGeshomu: nguShubhayeli engowakuqala.
17 Rehabiah was the oldest son of Eliezer. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many sons.
Abosendo luka-Eliyezari: nguRehabhiya engowakuqala. U-Eliyezari kazange abe lamanye amadodana kodwa amadodana kaRehabhiya ayemanengi kakhulu.
18 The oldest son of Izhar was Shelomith.
Amadodana ka-Izihari yila: nguShelomithi engowokuqala.
19 Hebron had four sons. Jeriah was his oldest son, and his [younger] brothers were Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
Amadodana kaHebhroni yila: nguJeriya engowokuqala, lo-Amariya engowesibili, loJahaziyeli engowesithathu kanye loJekhameyamu owesine.
20 Uzziel had two sons. Micah was the oldest son, and his [younger] brother was Isshiah.
Amadodana ka-Uziyeli yila: nguMikha engowakuqala lo-Ishiya owesibili.
21 Merari had two sons: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.
Amadodana kaMerari yila: nguMahili loMushi. Amadodana kaMahili yila: ngu-Eliyezari loKhishi.
22 Eleazar had no sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
U-Eliyezari wafa engelamadodana: wayelamadodakazi wodwa. Amadodakazi endela kubafowabo, amadodana kaKhishi.
23 The three sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
Amadodana kaMushi yila: nguMahili, lo-Ederi kanye loJerimothi, bonke bebathathu.
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.
Laba kwakungabosendo lukaLevi ngezindlu zabo, abazinhloko zezindlu njengokulotshwa kwamabizo lokubalwa kwabo ngamunye, okutsho ukuthi, abasebenzayo abaleminyaka engamatshumi amabili kusiya phezulu ababesebenza ethempelini likaThixo.
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.
Ngoba uDavida wathi: “Njengoba uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, enike abantu bakhe ukuthula lokuthi bazahlala eJerusalema kuze kube nininini,
26 Therefore, the descendants of Levi no longer need to carry the Sacred Tent and the items used in the work there.”
abaLevi akusafanele bathwale ithabanikeli loba kuyini okusetshenziswa ezinkonzweni zalo.”
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.
Njengeziyalezelo zikaDavida zokucina, abaLevi babalwa kusukela kwabaleminyaka engamatshumi amabili kusiya phezulu.
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.
Umsebenzi wabaLevi wawungowokuncedisa inzalo ka-Aroni emsebenzini wethempeli likaThixo: ukugcina amaguma akhona; izindlu ezisemaceleni, ukuhlambulula zonke izinto ezingcwele lokwenza yonke imisebenzi endlini kaNkulunkulu.
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.
Babephethe umsebenzi wesinkwa sokwahlukanisela ethaleni, ifulawa yomnikelo wamabele, lesinkwa esingelamvubelo, ukuxuba lokupheka isinkwa, lezilinganiso zonke zezisindo lobukhulu bakhona.
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.
Njalo babemele beme ngezinyawo ekuseni nsuku zonke ukubonga lokudumisa uThixo. Kwakufanele benzenjalo lantambama,
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.
lalapho kunikelwa iminikelo yokutshiswa kuThixo ngamaSabatha, emadilini okuThwasa kweNyanga, lakuyo yonke imikhosi emisiweyo. Babefanele bamsebenzele uThixo ngazozonke izikhathi ngenani elilingeneyo langendlela ababeyimiselwe.
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.
Ngakho abaLevi bawenza umsebenzi wabo weThenteni lokuHlanganela, laseNdaweni eNgcwele, ngaphansi kwabafowabo abayisizukulwana sika-Aroni, emsebenzini wethempeli likaThixo.
