1 Chronicles 23:1–25:31
1 aNow when David 1reached old age, bhe made his son Solomon king over Israel.
2 And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.
3 aThe Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward, and btheir number by 1census of men was 38,000.
4 Of these, 24,000 were ato oversee the work of the house of the Lord; and 6,000 were bofficers and judges,
5 and 4,000 were gatekeepers, and a4,000 were praising the Lord with the instruments which 1David made for giving praise.
6 David divided them into divisions aaccording to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 Of the Gershonites were 1Ladan 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, 1Zina, 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 1class.
12 The sons of Kohath were four: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
13 aThe sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And bAaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, cto burn incense before the Lord, 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 1son of Gershom was 2Shebuel the chief.
17 The 1son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
18 The 1son of Izhar was 2Shelomith 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.
21 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died and had no sons, but daughters only, so their brothers, the sons of Kish, took them as wives.
23 The sons of Mushi were three: Mahli, Eder and Jeremoth.
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 1counted, in the number of names by their 2census, doing the work for the service of the house of the Lord, bfrom twenty years old and upward.
25 For David said, “The Lord 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 utensils 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 office is 1to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers and in the purifying 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 baked in the pan or dwhat is well-mixed, and eall measures of volume and size.
30 They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening,
31 and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord, aon the sabbaths, the new moons and bthe fixed festivals in the number set by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the Lord.
32 Thus athey are to keep charge of the tent of meeting, and charge of the holy place, and bcharge of the sons of Aaron their 1relatives, for the service of the house of the Lord.
1 Now the divisions of the 1descendants of Aaron were these: athe sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
2 aBut Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no 1sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
3 David, with aZadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices 1for their ministry.
4 Since more chief men were found from the 1descendants of Eleazar than the 1descendants of Ithamar, they divided them thus: there were sixteen heads of fathers’ households of the 1descendants of Eleazar and eight of the 1descendants of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ households.
5 aThus they were divided by lot, the one as the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God, both from the 1descendants of Eleazar and the 1descendants of Ithamar.
6 Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, aAhimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites; one father’s household taken for Eleazar and one taken for Ithamar.
7 Now the first lot came out for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah,
8 the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim,
9 the fifth for Malchijah, the sixth for Mijamin,
10 the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for aAbijah,
11 the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah,
12 the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim,
13 the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Jeshebeab,
14 the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer,
15 the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Happizzez,
16 the nineteenth for Pethahiah, the twentieth for Jehezkel,
17 the twenty-first for Jachin, the twenty-second for Gamul,
18 the twenty-third for Delaiah, the twenty-fourth for Maaziah.
19 aThese were their offices for their ministry when they came in to the house of the Lord according to the ordinance given to them through Aaron their father, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
20 Now for the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, 1Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.
21 Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the first.
22 Of the Izharites, 1Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath.
23 The sons aof Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.
24 Of the sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir.
25 The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah.
26 The sons of Merari, Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, Beno.
27 The sons of Merari: by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri.
28 By Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.
29 By Kish: the sons of Kish, Jerahmeel.
30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ households.
31 aThese also cast lots just as their 1relatives the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, bZadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites—the head of fathers’ households as well as those of his younger brother.
Number and Services of Musicians
1 Moreover, David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of aAsaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, who were to bprophesy with lyres, charps and cymbals; and the number of 1those who performed their service was:
2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and 1Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were under the 2direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the 2direction of the king.
3 aOf Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, 1Zeri, Jeshaiah, 2Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six, under the 3direction of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising the Lord.
4 Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, 1Uzziel, 2Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth.
5 All these were the sons of Heman athe king’s seer to 1exalt him according to the words of God, for God gave fourteen sons and three daughters to Heman.
6 All these were under the 1direction of their father to sing in the house of the Lord, awith cymbals, harps and lyres, for the service of the house of God. bAsaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the 1direction of the king.
7 Their number who were trained in singing to the Lord, with their 1relatives, all who were skillful, was a288.
8 aThey cast lots for their duties, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the pupil.
9 Now the first lot came out for Asaph to Joseph, the second for Gedaliah, he with his relatives and sons were twelve;
10 the third to Zaccur, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
11 the fourth to 1Izri, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
14 the seventh to 1Jesharelah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
18 the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
20 for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
21 for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
22 for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
23 for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
24 for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
25 for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
26 for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
27 for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
28 for the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
29 for the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
30 for the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and his relatives, twelve;
31 for the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his relatives, twelve.