1 Chronicles 24–26

The Divisions of Priests

24These were the divisions^p of the descendants of Aaron:^q

The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^{r 2}But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did,^s and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests. ³With the help of Zadok^t a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelek a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering. ⁴A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants. ⁵They divided them impartially by casting lots,^u for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁶The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok the priest, Ahimelek^v son of Abiathar and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.

⁷The first lot fell to Jehoiarib,

the second to Jedaiah,^w

⁸the third to Harim,^x

the fourth to Seorim,

⁹the fifth to Malkijah,

the sixth to Mijamin,

¹⁰the seventh to Hakkoz,

the eighth to Abijah,^y

¹¹the ninth to Jeshua,

the tenth to Shekaniah,

¹²the eleventh to Eliashib,

the twelfth to Jakim,

¹³the thirteenth to Huppah,

the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

¹⁴the fifteenth to Bilgah,

the sixteenth to Immer,^z

¹⁵the seventeenth to Hezir,^a

the eighteenth to Happizzez,

¹⁶the nineteenth to Pethahiah,

the twentieth to Jehezkel,

¹⁷the twenty-first to Jakin,

the twenty-second to Gamul,

¹⁸the twenty-third to Delaiah

and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

¹⁹This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

²⁰As for the rest of the descendants of Levi:^b

from the sons of Amram: Shubael;

from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.

²¹As for Rehabiah,^c from his sons:

Ishiah was the first.

²²From the Izharites: Shelomoth;

from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.

²³The sons of Hebron:^d Jeriah the first,^a Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁴The son of Uzziel: Micah;

from the sons of Micah: Shamir.

²⁵The brother of Micah: Ishiah;

from the sons of Ishiah: Zechariah.

²⁶The sons of Merari:^e Mahli and Mushi.

The son of Jaaziah: Beno.

²⁷The sons of Merari:

from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zakkur and Ibri.

²⁸From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

²⁹From Kish: the son of Kish:

Jerahmeel.

³⁰And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth.

These were the Levites, according to their families. ³¹They also cast lots,^f just as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelek, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.

The Musicians

25David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph,^g Heman^h and Jeduthunⁱ for the ministry of prophesying,^j accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.^k Here is the list of the men^l who performed this service:^m

²From the sons of Asaph:

Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.

³As for Jeduthun, from his sons:ⁿ

Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei,^a Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp^o in thanking and praising the Lord.

⁴As for Heman, from his sons:

Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. ⁵(All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)

⁶All these men were under the supervision of their father^p for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.

Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman^q were under the supervision of the king.^{r 7}Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288. ⁸Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots^s for their duties.

⁹The first lot, which was for Asaph,^t fell to Joseph,

his sons and relatives^b 12^c

the second to Gedaliah,

him and his relatives and sons 12

¹⁰the third to Zakkur,

his sons and relatives 12

¹¹the fourth to Izri,^d

his sons and relatives 12

¹²the fifth to Nethaniah,

his sons and relatives 12

¹³the sixth to Bukkiah,

his sons and relatives 12

¹⁴the seventh to Jesarelah,^e

his sons and relatives 12

¹⁵the eighth to Jeshaiah,

his sons and relatives 12

¹⁶the ninth to Mattaniah,

his sons and relatives 12

¹⁷the tenth to Shimei,

his sons and relatives 12

¹⁸the eleventh to Azarel,^f

his sons and relatives 12

¹⁹the twelfth to Hashabiah,

his sons and relatives 12

²⁰the thirteenth to Shubael,

his sons and relatives 12

²¹the fourteenth to Mattithiah,

his sons and relatives 12

²²the fifteenth to Jerimoth,

his sons and relatives 12

²³the sixteenth to Hananiah,

his sons and relatives 12

²⁴the seventeenth to Joshbekashah,

his sons and relatives 12

²⁵the eighteenth to Hanani,

his sons and relatives 12

²⁶the nineteenth to Mallothi,

his sons and relatives 12

²⁷the twentieth to Eliathah,

his sons and relatives 12

²⁸the twenty-first to Hothir,

his sons and relatives 12

²⁹the twenty-second to Giddalti,

his sons and relatives 12

³⁰the twenty-third to Mahazioth,

his sons and relatives 12

³¹the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer,

his sons and relatives 12.^u

The Gatekeepers

26The divisions of the gatekeepers:^v

From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

²Meshelemiah had sons:

Zechariah^w the firstborn,

Jediael the second,

Zebadiah the third,

Jathniel the fourth,

³Elam the fifth,

Jehohanan the sixth

and Eliehoenai the seventh.

⁴Obed-Edom also had sons:

Shemaiah the firstborn,

Jehozabad the second,

Joah the third,

Sakar the fourth,

Nethanel the fifth,

⁵Ammiel the sixth,

Issachar the seventh

and Peullethai the eighth.

(For God had blessed Obed-Edom.^x)

⁶Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders in their father’s family because they were very capable men. ⁷The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also able men. ⁸All these were descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work—descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.

⁹Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, who were able men—18 in all.

¹⁰Hosah the Merarite had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him the first),^{y 11}Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were 13 in all.

¹²These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their leaders, had duties for ministering^z in the temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had. ¹³Lots^a were cast for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.

¹⁴The lot for the East Gate^b fell to Shelemiah.^a Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah,^c a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him. ¹⁵The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-Edom,^d and the lot for the storehouse fell to his sons. ¹⁶The lots for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road fell to Shuppim and Hosah.

Guard was alongside of guard: ¹⁷There were six Levites a day on the east, four a day on the north, four a day on the south and two at a time at the storehouse. ¹⁸As for the court^b to the west, there were four at the road and two at the court^c itself.

¹⁹These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.^e

The Treasurers and Other Officials

²⁰Their fellow Levites^f were^d in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries for the dedicated things.^g

²¹The descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and who were heads of families belonging to Ladan the Gershonite,^h were Jehieli, ²²the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuriesⁱ of the temple of the Lord.

²³From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites:^j

²⁴Shubael,^k a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the official in charge of the treasuries. ²⁵His relatives through Eliezer: Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zikri his son and Shelomith^l his son. ²⁶Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated^m by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and by the other army commanders. ²⁷Some of the plunder taken in battle they dedicated for the repair of the temple of the Lord. ²⁸And everything dedicated by Samuel the seerⁿ and by Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah, and all the other dedicated things were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.

²⁹From the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were assigned duties away from the temple, as officials and judges^o over Israel.

³⁰From the Hebronites: Hashabiah^p and his relatives—seventeen hundred able men—were responsible in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the king’s service. ³¹As for the Hebronites,^q Jeriah was their chief according to the genealogical records of their families. In the fortieth^r year of David’s reign a search was made in the records, and capable men among the Hebronites were found at Jazer in Gilead. ³²Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives, who were able men and heads of families, and King David put them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the…