1 Chronicles 27–29

27TH CHAPTER

David’s Government Officials

¹This is a list of Israelite family heads, regiment and battalion commanders, and officers who were serving the king in all the army’s units. Throughout each year they came for a month at a time and then left. Each unit consisted of 24,000 men. 

²Jashobeam, son of Zabdiel, was in charge of the first unit, the one during the first month. In his unit there were 24,000. ³He was a descendant of Perez, and he was head of all of the army’s officers for the first month. 

⁴Dodai, Ahoh’s descendant, was in charge of the unit during the second month. It was his unit. (Mikloth was one of its leaders.) In Dodai’s unit there were 24,000. 

⁵The third commander of the army during the third month was Benaiah, son of the priest Jehoiada. He was the head, and in his unit there were 24,000. ⁶This Benaiah was one of the thirty fighting men and commander of the thirty as well as his own unit. His son was Ammizabad. 

⁷Asahel, Joab’s brother, was in charge of the fourth unit during the fourth month, and after him was his son Zebadiah. In his unit there were 24,000. 

⁸Shamhuth, Izrah’s descendant, was commander of the fifth unit during the fifth month. In his unit there were 24,000. 

⁹Ira, the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, was in charge of the sixth unit during the sixth month. In his unit there were 24,000. 

¹⁰Helez, a Pelonite from the descendants of Ephraim, was in charge of the seventh unit during the seventh month. In his unit there were 24,000. 

¹¹Sibbecai, a descendant of Zerah from Hushah, was in charge of the eighth unit during the eighth month. In his unit there were 24,000. 

¹²Abiezer, a member of the tribe of Benjamin from Anathoth, was in charge of the ninth unit during the ninth month. In his unit there were 24,000. 

¹³Mahrai, a descendant of Zerah from Netophah, was in charge of the tenth unit during the tenth month. In his unit there were 24,000. 

¹⁴Benaiah, a member of the tribe of Ephraim from Pirathon, was in charge of the eleventh unit during the eleventh month. In his unit there were 24,000. 

¹⁵During the twelfth month, the twelfth unit was commanded by Heldai from Netophah. He was Othniel’s descendant. In his unit there were 24,000. 

¹⁶The following officers were in charge of the tribes of Israel: 

for the tribe of Reuben 

Eliezer, son of Zichri 

for the tribe of Simeon 

Shephatiah, son of Maacah 

¹⁷

for the tribe of Levi 

Hashabiah, son of Kemuel 

for the family of Aaron 

Zadok 

¹⁸

for the tribe of Judah 

Elihu, one of David’s brothers 

for the tribe of Issachar 

Omri, son of Michael 

¹⁹

for the tribe of Zebulun 

Ishmaiah, son of Obadiah 

for the tribe of Naphtali 

Jerimoth, son of Azriel 

²⁰

for the tribe of Ephraim 

Hoshea, son of Azaziah 

for half of the tribe of Manasseh 

Joel, son of Pedaiah 

²¹

for the half of Manasseh in Gilead 

Iddo, son of Zechariah 

for the tribe of Benjamin 

Jaasiel, son of Abner 

²²

for the tribe of Dan 

Azarel, son of Jeroham 

These were the commanders of Israel’s tribes. 

²³David didn’t count those under 20 years old, because the Lord had promised that the people of Israel would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. ²⁴Joab, son of Zeruiah, started to count them but didn’t finish. God was angry with Israel because of this, and the report from it was never included in the official records of King David. 

²⁵These were all the commanders in charge of King David’s property:^a

for the royal treasuries 

Azmaveth, son of Adiel 

for the goods in the fields, cities, 

villages, and watchtowers 

Jonathan, son of Uzziah 

²⁶

for the farm workers in the fields 

Ezri, son of Chelub 

²⁷

for the vineyards 

Shimei from Ramah 

for storing wine that came from the vineyards 

Zabdi from Shepham 

²⁸

for the olive and fig trees in the foothills 

Baal Hanan from Gedor 

for storing olive oil 

Joash 

²⁹

for the herds grazing in Sharon 

Shitrai from Sharon 

for the herds in the valleys 

Shaphat, son of Adlai 

for the camels 

Obil, a descendant of Ishmael 

for the donkeys 

Jehdeiah from Meronoth 

³¹

for the flocks 

Jaziz from Hagar 

³²David’s uncle Jonathan, an educated man who possessed insight, was David’s adviser. Jonathan and Jehiel, son of Hachmoni, were in charge of the king’s sons. ³³Ahithophel was the king’s adviser. Hushai, a descendant of Archi, was the king’s friend. ³⁴Jehoiada (son of Benaiah) and Abiathar succeeded Ahithophel. Joab was the commander of the royal army. 

28TH CHAPTER

David’s Public Assembly at Jerusalem

¹David held a meeting in Jerusalem for all the leaders of Israel—the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the army units that served the king, the commanders of regiments and battalions, the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, the palace officials, the soldiers, and the fighting men. 

²David stood in front of them and said, “Listen to me, my relatives and subjects. I had my heart set on building the temple where the ark of the Lord’s promise could be placed. This temple would be a stool for our God’s feet, and I have made preparations to build it. ³But God told me, ‘You must not build the temple for my name. You have fought wars and caused bloodshed.’ ⁴Yet, from my entire family the Lord God of Israel chose me to be king of Israel permanently. He had chosen the tribe of Judah to lead ⸤Israel⸥. From the families of Judah he chose my father’s family. From among my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king of all Israel. ⁵And of all my sons (the Lord has given me many sons) he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord’s kingdom to rule Israel. 

⁶“He told me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my temple and my courtyards because I have chosen him to be my son. I will be his father. ⁷I will establish his kingdom forever if he will remain determined to obey my commands and laws, as he is doing today.’ ⁸Now, ⸤leaders, I order you⸥ in the sight of Israel (the Lord’s congregation) and as our God listens to dedicate your lives to doing everything the Lord your God has commanded. Then you will be able to possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants. 

⁹“And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve the Lord wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought ⸤we have⸥. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on. ¹⁰So be careful, because the Lord has chosen you to build the temple as his holy place. Be strong, and do it.” 

¹¹Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the entrance hall and the temple, its storerooms, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the throne of mercy. ¹²He gave him plans for the courtyards of the Lord’s temple and for all the rooms around it. (These rooms served as treasuries for God’s temple and the gifts dedicated to God.) ¹³He determined the divisions of priests and Levites. He planned all the work done for worship in the Lord’s temple. He designed all the utensils for worship in the Lord’s temple. ¹⁴⸤David specified⸥ the weight of gold to be used for each of the utensils for worship, ¹⁵the weight of the gold lamp stands and their gold lamps (⸤that is,⸥ the weight of gold for each lamp stand and its lamps), the weight of silver for each silver lamp stand and its lamps (according to the use of each lamp stand for worship), ¹⁶the weight of gold for each table with the rows of bread, and the silver for the silver tables, ¹⁷the pure gold for the forks, bowls, and pitchers, the weight of each gold bowl, the weight of each silver bowl, ¹⁸and the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave Solomon the plans for the chariot, that is, the gold angels^awith their wings spread to cover the ark of the Lord’s promise. ¹⁹⸤David said,⸥ “All this was written for me by the Lord’s hand. He made all the details of the plan clear to me.” 

²⁰David also told his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or terrified. The Lord God, my God, will be with you. He will not abandon you before all the work on the Lord’s temple is finished. ²¹Here are also the divisions of the priests and Levites for every type of worship in God’s temple. You have with you every skilled worker to do all the work. In addition, all the leaders and people are at your command.” 

29TH CHAPTER

¹Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. Yet, the work is important because this palace is not for a person but for the Lord God. ²With all my might I gathered ⸤the materials⸥ for the temple of my God: gold for gold objects, silver for silver objects, bronze for bronze objects, iron for iron objects, wood for wooden objects, onyx stones and settings, black stones, stones of different colors, gems, and marble. ³Moreover, I delight in the temple of my God. I have a personal treasury of gold and silver that I’m giving to my God’s temple in addition to everything else I gathered for the holy temple. ⁴There are 225,000 pounds of gold from Ophir and 525,000 pounds of refined silver. They are to be used to cover the walls of the buildings, ⁵to make gold objects, silver objects, and everything else the craftsmen will make. Who else is willing to make an offering and dedicate himself to the Lord today?” 

⁶Then the leaders of the families, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of regiments and battalions, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave generously. ⁷They gave 375,186 pounds of gold, 750,000 pounds of silver, 135,000 pounds of bronze, and 7,500,000 pounds of iron for the work on God’s temple. ⁸Whoever happened to have precious stones gave them to Jehiel, Gershon’s descendant, for the treasury of the Lord’s temple. ⁹The people were overjoyed that the leaders gave so generously and wholeheartedly to the Lord. 

King David was also overjoyed, and ¹⁰he praised the Lord while the whole assembly watched. David said, 

“May you be praised, Lord God of Israel, 

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