Solomon Made King over Israel
aNow David became old and full of days, band he made his son Solomon king over Israel. 2 And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.
The Work of the Levites
3 aAnd the Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward, and btheir number by census of men was 38,000. 4 Of these, 24,000 were ato direct the work of the house of Yahweh; and 6,000 were bofficers and judges, 5 and 4,000 were gatekeepers, and a4,000 were praising Yahweh with the instruments which David made for giving praise. 6 And David divided them into divisions aaccording to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The Sons of Gershon
7 Of the Gershonites were Ladan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan were Jehiel the first and Zetham and Joel, three.
9 The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth and Haziel and Haran, three.
These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan.
10 The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah.
These four were the sons of Shimei.
11 Jahath was the first and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became a father’s household, one unit.
The Sons of Kohath
12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
13 aThe sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And bAaron was separated in order to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, cto offer offerings up in smoke before Yahweh, to minister to Him and to bless in His name forever.
14 But as for aMoses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The son of Gershom was Shebuel the chief.
17 The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
18 The son of Izhar was Shelomith the chief.
19 The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel were Micah the first and Isshiah the second.
The Sons of Merari
21 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.
22 And Eleazar died and had no sons, but daughters only, so their brothers, the sons of Kish, took them up as wives.
23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
The Service of the Levites
24 aThese were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ households, even the heads of the fathers’ households of those of them who were counted, in the number of names by their census, doing the work for the service of the house of Yahweh, bfrom twenty years old and upward. 25 For David said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, ahas given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 Also, athe Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. 28 For their station is to be on hand for the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of Yahweh, in the courts and in the chambers and in the cleansing of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God, 29 aand with the showbread, and bthe fine flour for a grain offering, and unleavened wafers, or cwhat is made on the griddle, or dwhat is well stirred, and eall measures of volume and size. 30 And they are to stand every morning to thank and to praise Yahweh, and likewise at evening, 31 and to offer all burnt offerings to Yahweh, aon the sabbaths, the new moons and bthe appointed times in the number set by the judgments concerning them, continually before Yahweh. 32 Thus athey shall keep responsibility of the tent of meeting, and responsibility of the holy place, and bresponsibility of the sons of Aaron their relatives, for the service of the house of Yahweh.