Divisions of the Levites

24 Now the divisions of the ^[a]descendants of Aaron were these: ^(A)the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ^2 (B)But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no ^[b]sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. ³ David, with ^(C)Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices ^[c]for their ministry. ⁴ Since more chief men were found from the ^[d]descendants of Eleazar than the ^[e]descendants of Ithamar, they divided them this way: there were sixteen heads of fathers’ households of the ^[f]descendants of Eleazar, and eight of the ^[g]descendants of Ithamar according to their fathers’ households. ^5 (D)So they were divided by lot, the one as the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God, both from the ^[h]descendants of Eleazar and the ^[i]descendants of Ithamar. ⁶ Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, ^(E)Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and 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 ^(F)Abijah, 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, and the twenty-fourth for Maaziah. ^19 (G)These were their offices for their ministry when they entered the house of the Lord according to the ordinance given to them through their father Aaron, 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, ^[j]Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. ²¹ Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah, the first. ²² Of the Izharites, ^[k]Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. ²³ The sons ^(H)of 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 (I)These also cast lots just as their relatives, the sons of Aaron did in the presence of David the king, ^(J)Zadok, 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

25 Moreover, David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of ^(K)Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who were to ^(L)prophesy with lyres, ^(M)harps, and cymbals; and the number of ^[l]those who performed this service was: ² Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and ^[m]Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were ^[n]under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied ^[o]under the direction of the king. ^3 (N)Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, ^[p]Zeri, Jeshaiah, ^[q]Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all, ^[r]under the direction 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, ^[s]Uzziel, ^[t]Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were the sons of Heman ^(O)the king’s seer to ^[u]exalt him according to the words of God, for God gave fourteen sons and three daughters to Heman. ⁶ All of these were under the ^[v]direction of their father to sing in the house of the Lord, ^(P)with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God. ^(Q)Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were ^[w]under the direction of the king. ⁷ Their number who were trained in singing to the Lord, with their relatives, all who were skillful, was ^(R)288.

Divisions of the Musicians

^8 (S)They 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 ^[x]Izri, 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 ^[y]Jesharelah, 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.

Serve God Willingly

5 ^(A)Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your ^(B)fellow elder and a ^(C)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and one who is also a ^[a](D)fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed: ² shepherd ^(E)the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, ^(F)not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and ^(G)not ^[b]with greed but with eagerness; ³ nor yet as ^(H)domineering over ^[c]those assigned to your care, but by ^[d]proving to be ^[e](I)examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief ^(J)Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^(K)unfading ^[f](L)crown of glory. ^5 (M)You ^[g]younger men, likewise, ^(N)be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with ^(O)humility toward one another, because ^(P)God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

⁶ Therefore ^(Q)humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷ having cast all your ^(R)anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. ^8 (S)Be of sober spirit, ^(T)be on the alert. Your adversary, ^(U)the devil, prowls around like a roaring ^(V)lion, seeking someone to devour. ^9 [h](W)So resist him, ^(X)firm in your faith, knowing that ^(Y)the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your ^[i]brothers and sisters who are in the world. ¹⁰ After you have suffered ^(Z)for a little while, the ^(AA)God of all grace, who ^(AB)called you to His ^(AC)eternal glory in Christ, will Himself ^(AD)perfect, ^(AE)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ^11 (AF)To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

¹² Through ^(AG)Silvanus, our faithful brother ^[j](for so I regard him), ^(AH)I have written to you briefly, ^[k]exhorting and testifying that this is ^(AI)the true grace of God. ^(AJ)Stand firm in it! ¹³ She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, ^(AK)Mark. ^14 (AL)Greet one another with a kiss of love.

^(AM)Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

Rulers Denounced

3 And I said,

⁵ This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who ^(I)lead my people astray:

God Knows and Cares

12 Under these circumstances, after ^[a]so many thousands of ^[b]people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “^(A)Beware of the ^[c]leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ^2 (B)But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. ³ Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have ^[d]whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on ^(C)the housetops.

⁴ “Now I say to you, ^(D)My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you whom to fear: ^(E)fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person into ^[e](F)hell; yes, I tell you, fear ^[f]Him! ⁶ Are ^(G)five sparrows not sold for two ^[g]assaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God. ^7 (H)But even the hairs of your head are all counted. ^[h]Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

⁸ “Now I say to you, everyone who ^(I)confesses Me before people, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God; ⁹ but ^(J)the one who denies Me before people will be denied ^(K)before the angels of God. ^10 (L)And everyone who ^[i]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. ¹¹ Now when they bring you before ^(M)the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not ^(N)worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; ¹² for ^(O)the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Greed Denounced

¹³ Now someone ^[j]in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But He said to him, “^[k](P)You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?” ¹⁵ But He said to them, “^(Q)Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. ¹⁷ And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. ¹⁹ And I will say to ^[l]myself, “^(R)You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘^(S)You fool! This very night ^[m](T)your soul is demanded of you; and ^(U)as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ ²¹ Such is the one who ^(V)stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”

²² And He said to His disciples, “^(W)For this reason I tell you, ^[n]do not worry about your ^[o]life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ^(X)ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor ^(Y)barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add a ^[p](Z)day to his ^[q]life’s span? ²⁶ Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor ^[r]spin; but I tell you, not even ^(AA)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ²⁸ Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? ^(AB)You of little faith! ²⁹ And do not ^[s]seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not ^(AC)keep worrying. ³⁰ For ^[t]all these things are what the nations of the world ^[u]eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ But ^[v]seek His kingdom, and ^(AD)these things will be ^[w]provided to you. ^32 [x](AE)Do not be afraid, ^(AF)little flock, because ^(AG)your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

³³ “^(AH)Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, ^(AI)an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy. ³⁴ For ^(AJ)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Be in Readiness

³⁵ “^[y](AK)Be prepared, and keep your ^(AL)lamps lit. ³⁶ You are also to be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door for him when he comes and knocks. ³⁷ Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find ^(AM)on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that ^(AN)he will ^[z]prepare himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and he will come up and serve them. ^38 (AO)Whether he comes in the ^[aa]second watch, or even in the ^[ab]third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

³⁹ “^(AP)But ^[ac]be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be ^(AQ)broken into. ^40 (AR)You too, be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think He will.”

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, are You telling this parable to us, or ^(AS)to everyone else as well?” ⁴² And ^(AT)the Lord said, “^(AU)Who then is the faithful and sensible ^(AV)steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that ^(AW)slave whom his ^[ad]master finds so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will take a long time to come,’ and he begins to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; ⁴⁶ then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, and will ^[ae]cut him in two, and assign ^[af]him a place with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accordance with his will, will ^(AX)receive many blows, ⁴⁸ but the one who did not ^(AY)know it, and committed acts deserving of ^[ag]a beating, will receive only a few blows. ^(AZ)From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Christ Divides People

⁴⁹ “I ^[ah]have come to cast fire upon the earth; and ^[ai]how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a ^(BA)baptism ^[aj]to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! ^51 (BB)Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; ⁵² for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, ^(BC)father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

⁵⁴ And He was also saying to the crowds, “^(BD)Whenever you see a cloud rising ^[ak]in the west, you immediately say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. ⁵⁵ And whenever you feel a ^[al]south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a ^(BE)hot day,’ and it turns out that way. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! ^(BF)You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you do not know how to analyze this present time?

⁵⁷ “And ^(BG)why do you not even judge by yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ For ^(BH)when you are going with your accuser to appear before the magistrate, on the way, make an effort to ^[am]settle with him, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid up ^[an]the very last ^[ao](BI)lepton.”