Chapter 23

Solomon Reigns

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.

Offices of 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.

Gershonites

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.

Kohathites

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.

Merarites

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.

Duties Revised

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.