Chapter 26

Divisions of the Gatekeepers

1 For the divisions of the gatekeepers there were of the Korahites, 1Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of 2Asaph.

2 Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

3 Elam the fifth, Johanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh.

4 aObed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,

5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh and Peullethai the eighth; God had indeed blessed him.

6 Also to his son Shemaiah sons were born who ruled over the house of their father, for they were mighty men of valor.

7 The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad, whose brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were valiant men.

8 All these were of the sons of Obed-edom; they and their sons and their 1relatives were able men with strength for the service, 62 from Obed-edom.

9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, 18 valiant men.

10 Also aHosah, one of the sons of Merari had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father made him first),

11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth; all the sons and relatives of Hosah were 13.

12 To these divisions of the gatekeepers, the chief men, were given duties like their relatives to minister in the house of the Lord.

13 aThey cast lots, the small and the great alike, according to their fathers’ households, for every gate.

14 The lot to the east fell to 1Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a counselor with insight, and his lot came out to the north.

15 For Obed-edom it fell to the south, and to his sons went the storehouse.

16 For Shuppim and Hosah it was to the west, by the gate of Shallecheth, on the ascending highway. Guard corresponded to guard.

17 On the east there were six Levites, on the north four daily, on the south four daily, and at the storehouse two by two.

18 At the 1aParbar on the west there were four at the highway and two at the Parbar.

19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers of the sons of Korah and of the sons of Merari.

Keepers of the Treasure

20 1The Levites, their relatives, 2had acharge of the treasures of the house of God and of the treasures of the dedicated gifts.

21 The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, namely, the Jehielites, were the heads of the fathers’ households, belonging to Ladan the Gershonite.

22 The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel his brother, 1had charge of the treasures of the house of the Lord.

23 As for the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites,

24 Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was officer over the treasures.

25 His relatives by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son and Shelomoth his son.

26 This Shelomoth and his relatives 1had charge of all the treasures of the dedicated gifts awhich King David and the heads of the fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the army, had dedicated.

27 They dedicated 1part of the spoil won in battles to repair the house of the Lord.

28 And all that Samuel the seer had dedicated and Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner and Joab the son of Zeruiah, everyone who had dedicated anything, all of this was 1in the care of 2Shelomoth and his relatives.

Outside Duties

29 As for the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons awere assigned to outside duties for Israel, as bofficers and judges.

30 As for the Hebronites, aHashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of the affairs of Israel 1west of the Jordan, for all the work of the Lord and the service of the king.

31 As for the Hebronites, aJerijah the chief 1(these Hebronites were investigated according to their genealogies and fathers’ households, in the fortieth year of David’s reign, and men of outstanding capability were found among them at bJazer of Gilead)

32 and his relatives, capable men, were 2,700 in number, heads of fathers’ households. And King David made them overseers of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of the Manassites aconcerning 1all the affairs of God and of the king.

Chapter 27

Commanders of the Army

1 Now this is the enumeration of the sons of Israel, the heads of fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all the affairs of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division numbering 24,000:

2 Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel 1ahad charge of the first division for the first month; and in his division were 24,000.

3 He was from the sons of Perez, and was chief of all the commanders of the army for the first month.

4 Dodai the Ahohite and his division had charge of the division for the second month, Mikloth being the chief officer; and in his division were 24,000.

5 The third commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, as chief; and in his division were 24,000.

6 This Benaiah was the mighty man of the thirty, and had charge of thirty; and over his division was Ammizabad his son.

7 The fourth for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; and in his division were 24,000.

8 The fifth for the fifth month was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite; and in his division were 24,000.

9 The sixth for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; and in his division were 24,000.

10 The seventh for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite of the sons of Ephraim; and in his division were 24,000.

11 The eighth for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were 24,000.

12 The ninth for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite of the Benjamites; and in his division were 24,000.

13 The tenth for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were 24,000.

14 The eleventh for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite of the sons of Ephraim; and in his division were 24,000.

15 The twelfth for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite of Othniel; and in his division were 24,000.

Chief Officers of the Tribes

16 Now in charge of the tribes of Israel: chief officer for the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah;

17 for Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; for Aaron, Zadok;

18 for Judah, Elihu, one of David’s brothers; for Issachar, Omri the son of Michael;

19 for Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel;

20 for the sons of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; for the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah;

21 for the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner;

22 for Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. aThese were the princes of the tribes of Israel.

23 But David did not 1count those twenty years of age and under, abecause the Lord had said He would multiply Israel bas the stars of heaven.

24 Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count them, but did not finish; and because of athis, wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not included in the account of the chronicles of King David.

Various Overseers

25 Now Azmaveth the son of Adiel had charge of the king’s storehouses. And Jonathan the son of Uzziah had charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages and in the towers.

26 Ezri the son of Chelub had charge of the 1agricultural workers who tilled the soil.

27 Shimei the Ramathite had charge of the vineyards; and Zabdi the Shiphmite had charge of the 1produce of the vineyards stored in the wine cellars.

28 Baal-hanan the Gederite had charge of the olive and asycamore trees in the 1Shephelah; and Joash had charge of the stores of oil.

29 Shitrai the Sharonite had charge of the cattle which were grazing in aSharon; and Shaphat the son of Adlai had charge of the cattle in the valleys.

30 Obil the Ishmaelite had charge of the camels; and Jehdeiah the Meronothite had charge of the donkeys.

31 Jaziz the aHagrite had charge of the flocks. All these were 1overseers of the property which belonged to King David.

Counselors

32 Also Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of understanding, and a scribe; and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni 1tutored the king’s sons.

33 aAhithophel was counselor to the king; and bHushai the Archite was the king’s friend.

34 Jehoiada the son of aBenaiah, and bAbiathar 1succeeded Ahithophel; and Joab was the ccommander of the king’s army.

Chapter 28

David’s Address about the Temple

1 Now aDavid assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the commanders of the divisions that served the king, and the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, with the officials and bthe mighty men, even all the valiant men.

2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brethren and my people; I ahad 1intended to build a 2permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for bthe footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it.

3 “But God said to me, ‘aYou shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’

4 “Yet, the Lord, the God of Israel, achose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel bforever. For cHe has chosen Judah to be a leader; and din the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.

5 “aOf all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons), bHe has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.

6 “He said to me, ‘Your son aSolomon is the one who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him.

7 ‘I will establish his kingdom forever aif he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as 1is done now.’

8 “So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek after all the commandments of the Lord your God so that you may possess the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you forever.

9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and aserve Him with 1a whole heart and a willing 2mind; bfor the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. cIf you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

10 “Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; abe courageous and act.”

11 Then David gave to his son Solomon athe plan of bthe porch of the temple, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms and cthe room for the mercy seat;

12 and the plan of all that he had in 1mind, for the courts of the house of the Lord, and for all the surrounding rooms, for athe storehouses of the house of God and for the storehouses of the dedicated things;

13 also for athe divisions of the priests and bthe Levites and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord and for all the utensils of service in the house of the Lord;

14 for the golden utensils, the weight of gold for all utensils for every kind of service; for the silver utensils, the weight of silver for all utensils for every kind of service;

15 and the weight of gold for the agolden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for the silver lampstands, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps according to the use of each lampstand;

16 and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for each table; and silver for the silver tables;

17 and the forks, the basins, and the pitchers of pure gold; and for the golden bowls with the weight for each bowl; and for the silver bowls with the weight for each bowl;

18 and for athe altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the model of the chariot, even bthe cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

19 “All this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, aall the 1details of this pattern.”

20 Then David said to his son Solomon, “aBe strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. bHe will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.

21 “Now behold, athere are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God, and bevery willing man of any skill will be with you in all the work for all kinds of service. The officials also and all the people will be entirely at your command.”

Chapter 29

Offerings for the Temple

1 Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, ais still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for bthe 1temple is not for man, but for the Lord God.

2 “Now awith all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance.

3 “Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy 1temple,

4 namely, a3,000 talents of gold, of bthe gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the 1buildings;

5 of gold for the things of gold and of silver for the things of silver, that is, for all the work 1done by the craftsmen. Who then is willing 2to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”

6 Then athe rulers of the fathers’ households, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with bthe overseers over the king’s work, offered willingly;

7 and for the service for the house of God they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 adarics of gold, and 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of brass, and 100,000 talents of iron.

8 1Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, 2in care of aJehiel the Gershonite.

9 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord awith a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

10 So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, O Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

11 “aYours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

12 “aBoth riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and bin Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.

13 “Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.

14 “But who am I and who are my people that we should 1be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.

15 “For awe are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; bour days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.

16 “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours.

17 “Since I know, O my God, that aYou try the heart and bdelight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.

18 “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the 1intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You;

19 and agive to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and bto build the 1temple, for which I have made provision.”

20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” And aall the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bbowed low and did homage to the Lord and to the king.

Sacrifices

21 On the next day athey 1made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

22 So they ate and drank that day before the Lord with great gladness.

Solomon Again Made King

And they made Solomon the son of David king aa second time, and they banointed him as ruler for the Lord and Zadok as priest.

23 Then aSolomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father; and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.

24 All the officials, the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David 1pledged allegiance to King Solomon.

25 aThe Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and bbestowed on him royal majesty which had not been on any king before him in Israel.

26 Now aDavid the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

27 aThe period which he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and 1in Jerusalem thirty-three years.

Death of David

28 Then he died in aa 1ripe old age, bfull of days, riches and honor; and his son Solomon reigned in his place.

29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of aSamuel the seer, in the chronicles of bNathan the prophet and in the chronicles of cGad the seer,

30 with all his reign, his power, and the circumstances which came on him, on Israel, and on all the kingdoms of the lands.

The Second Book of the

CHRONICLES