1 Chronicles 23
David Organizes the Levites
aWhen David was old and full of days, bhe made Solomon his son king over Israel.
2 David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 3 The Levites, athirty years old and upward, were numbered, and bthe total was c38,000 men. 4 “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said, a“shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be bofficers and judges, 5 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments athat I have made for praise.” 6 aAnd David organized them in divisions bcorresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 aThe sons of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan: aJehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan. 10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, 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 counted as a single father’s house.
12 aThe sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. 13 aThe sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. bAaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should cmake offerings before the Lord and dminister to him and epronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 But the sons of Moses the aman of God were named among the btribe of Levi. 15 The asons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The sons of Gershom: aShebuel the chief. 17 The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. 19 The asons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 aThe sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.
21 aThe sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and bKish. 22 Eleazar died ahaving no sons, but only daughters; their bkinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them. 23 aThe sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24 aThese were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses bas they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from ctwenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 25 For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, ahas given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 And so the Levites no longer need ato carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from atwenty years old and upward. 28 For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. 29 Their duty was also to assist with the ashowbread, the bflour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the cbaked offering, the doffering mixed with oil, and all emeasures of quantity or size. 30 And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord aon Sabbaths, bnew moons, and feast days, caccording to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord. 32 Thus athey were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the bservice of the house of the Lord.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
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