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利未人的職務和班次

23 大衛年老,壽數將盡的時候,就立他的兒子所羅門作王統治以色列。 大衛召集了以色列的眾領袖、祭司和利未人。 利未人自三十歲及以上的都被數點;按統計,他們男丁的數目,共有三萬八千人。 其中有二萬四千人,監管耶和華殿宇的工作;有六千人作官長和審判官; 有四千人作守門的,又有四千人用大衛所做(“大衛所做”原文作“我做”)的樂器讚美耶和華。 大衛把利未的兒子革順、哥轄和米拉利的子孫,分成班次。

革順的子孫(“革順的子孫”直譯是“屬於革順人的”)有拉但和示每。 拉但的兒子是:長子耶歇,還有西坦和約珥,共三人。 示每的兒子有示羅密、哈薛和哈蘭,共三人。以上這些人是拉但家族的首領。 10 示每的兒子是雅哈、細拿、耶烏施和比利亞;這四人都是示每的兒子。 11 雅哈是長子,細撒是次子;耶烏施和比利亞的子孫不多,所以合為一個家族,同歸一個班次。

12 哥轄的兒子是暗蘭、以斯哈、希伯倫和烏薛,共四人。 13 暗蘭的兒子是亞倫和摩西。亞倫和他的子孫永遠被分別出來,獻上至聖之物;在耶和華面前燒香,服事他,奉他的名祝福,直到永遠。 14 至於神人摩西,他的子孫記在利未支派的冊上。 15 摩西的兒子是革舜和以利以謝。 16 革舜的長子是細布業。 17 以利以謝的第一個兒子是利哈比雅;以利以謝沒有別的兒子,利哈比雅卻有很多兒子。 18 以斯哈的長子是示羅密。 19 希伯倫的兒子是:長子耶利雅、次子亞瑪利亞、三子雅哈悉、四子耶加面。 20 烏薛的兒子是:長子米迦、次子耶西雅。

21 米拉利的兒子是抹利和母示;抹利的兒子是以利亞撒和基士。 22 以利亞撒死了,沒有兒子,只有女兒;基士的兒子們,就是他們的親族,娶了她們為妻。 23 母示的兒子是末力、以得和耶利摩,共三人。

24 以上這些是利未的子孫,按著他們的家族,各家的首領,照著男丁名字的數目被數點,二十歲及以上的,都是辦理耶和華殿的事務的。 25 因為大衛曾說:“耶和華以色列的 神已經使他的子民得享安寧,他自己永遠住在耶路撒冷。 26 利未人不必再抬帳幕和其中所使用的一切器皿了。” 27 按著大衛臨終所吩咐的話,利未人從二十歲起的都被數點了。 28 他們的職任是協助亞倫的子孫,辦理耶和華殿的事務,管理院子、廂房和潔淨一切聖物,以及辦理神殿的事務; 29 又管

理陳設餅、素祭細麵,或無酵薄餅,或是煎盤烤的,或是用油調和的,以及管理各種量度的器具。 30 每天早晨要侍立稱謝和讚美耶和華,每天晚上也要這樣; 31 又要在安息日,每月初一日和指定的節日,按著數目照著規例,把燔祭不住地獻在耶和華面前。 32 他們要看守會幕和聖所,以及看管他們在耶和華殿裡辦事的親族,亞倫的子孫。

The Levites

23 When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon(A) king over Israel.(B)

He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more(C) were counted,(D) and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.(E) David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge(F) of the work(G) of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.(H) Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments(I) I have provided for that purpose.”(J)

David separated(K) the Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi:(L) Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

Gershonites

Belonging to the Gershonites:(M)

Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Ladan:

Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel—three in all.

The sons of Shimei:

Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran—three in all.

These were the heads of the families of Ladan.

10 And the sons of Shimei:

Jahath, Ziza,[a] Jeush and Beriah.

These were the sons of Shimei—four in all.

11 Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they were counted as one family with one assignment.

Kohathites

12 The sons of Kohath:(N)

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel—four in all.

13 The sons of Amram:(O)

Aaron and Moses.

Aaron was set apart,(P) he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to minister(Q) before him and to pronounce blessings(R) in his name forever. 14 The sons of Moses the man(S) of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.

15 The sons of Moses:

Gershom and Eliezer.(T)

16 The descendants of Gershom:(U)

Shubael was the first.

17 The descendants of Eliezer:

Rehabiah(V) was the first.

Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

18 The sons of Izhar:

Shelomith(W) was the first.

19 The sons of Hebron:(X)

Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

20 The sons of Uzziel:

Micah the first and Ishiah the second.

Merarites

21 The sons of Merari:(Y)

Mahli and Mushi.(Z)

The sons of Mahli:

Eleazar and Kish.

22 Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.(AA)

23 The sons of Mushi:

Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth—three in all.

24 These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more(AB) who served in the temple of the Lord. 25 For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest(AC) to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, 26 the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”(AD) 27 According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

28 The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification(AE) of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. 29 They were in charge of the bread set out on the table,(AF) the special flour for the grain offerings,(AG) the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.(AH) 30 They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening(AI) 31 and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon(AJ) feasts and at the appointed festivals.(AK) They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.

32 And so the Levites(AL) carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting,(AM) for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord.(AN)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 23:10 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint and Vulgate (see also verse 11); most Hebrew manuscripts Zina

David Organizes the Levites

23 When David was old and approaching the end of his life,[a] he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

David[b] assembled all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and the Levites. The Levites who were thirty years old and up were counted; there were 38,000 men.[c] David said,[d] “Of these, 24,000 are to direct the work of the Lord’s temple; 6,000 are to be officials and judges; 4,000 are to be gatekeepers; and 4,000 are to praise the Lord with the instruments I supplied for worship.”[e] David divided them into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The Gershonites included Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the oldest, Zetham, and Joel—three in all.

The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran—three in all.

These were the leaders of the family of Ladan.

10 The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina,[f] Jeush, and Beriah. These were Shimei’s sons—four in all.[g] 11 Jahath was the oldest and Zizah the second oldest. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were considered one family with one responsibility.

12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.

13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses.

Aaron and his descendants were chosen on a permanent basis to consecrate the most holy items, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to serve him, and to praise his name.[h] 14 The descendants of Moses the man of God were considered Levites.[i]

15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16 The son[j] of Gershom: Shebuel[k] the oldest.

17 The son of Eliezer was[l] Rehabiah, the oldest. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many descendants.

18 The son[m] of Izhar: Shelomith the oldest.

19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah the oldest, and Isshiah the second.

21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

22 Eleazar died without having sons; he had only daughters. The sons of Kish, their cousins, married them.[n]

23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all.

24 These were the descendants of Levi according to their families, that is, the leaders of families as counted and individually listed who carried out assigned tasks in the Lord’s temple and were twenty years old and up.[o] 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given his people rest and has permanently settled in Jerusalem. 26 So the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the items used in its service.” 27 According to David’s final instructions, the Levites twenty years old or older were counted.[p]

28 Their job was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the Lord’s temple. They were to take care of the courtyards, the rooms, ceremonial purification of all holy items, and other jobs related to the service of God’s temple.[q] 29 They also took care of[r] the bread that is displayed, the flour for offerings, the unleavened wafers, the round cakes, the mixing, and all the measuring.[s] 30 They also stood in a designated place[t] every morning and offered thanks and praise to the Lord. They also did this in the evening 31 and whenever burnt sacrifices were offered to the Lord on the Sabbath and at new moon festivals and assemblies. A designated number were to serve before the Lord regularly in accordance with regulations.[u] 32 They were in charge of the meeting tent and the Holy Place, and helped their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, in the service of the Lord’s temple.[v]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 23:1 tn Heb “and full of years.”
  2. 1 Chronicles 23:2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 1 Chronicles 23:3 tn Heb “and their number by their heads, by men, was 38,000.”
  4. 1 Chronicles 23:4 tn The words “David said” are supplied here in the translation for clarification. The appearance of the first person verb “I supplied” in v. 5 indicates that David is speaking here.
  5. 1 Chronicles 23:5 tn Heb “made to [or “for”] praise.”
  6. 1 Chronicles 23:10 tc The MT reads “Zina” here and “Zizah” in v. 11. One Hebrew ms, the LXX, and the Vulgate, harmonizing the form of the name to that found in v. 11, read “Zizah” here.
  7. 1 Chronicles 23:10 sn Verses 8-10 are confusing. Two different lists of Shimei’s sons appear. In between these lists is the statement “these were the leaders of the family of Ladan,” suggesting that the list just before this includes the sons of Ladan, not Shimei. But verse 8 already lists Ladan’s sons. Apparently the text as it stands is a conflation of differing traditions.
  8. 1 Chronicles 23:13 tn Heb “and Aaron was set apart to consecrate it, the most holy things, he and his sons, permanently, to sacrifice before the Lord, to serve him, and to bless his name permanently.”
  9. 1 Chronicles 23:14 tn Heb “and Moses the man of God, his sons were called to the tribe of Levi.”
  10. 1 Chronicles 23:16 tn The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this. The attached phrase “the oldest” might indicate that Shebuel was not Gershom’s only son, but note v. 17.
  11. 1 Chronicles 23:16 tc The LXX reads Σουβαηλ (Soubaēl) here, a reading followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV (“Shubael”); cf. 24:20.
  12. 1 Chronicles 23:17 tn The Hebrew text has “the sons of Eliezer were,” but only one name appears after this in the verse, and we are specifically told that Eliezer had no other sons.
  13. 1 Chronicles 23:18 tn The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this. The attached phrase “the oldest” might indicate that Shelomith was not Izhar’s only son, but note v. 17.
  14. 1 Chronicles 23:22 tn Heb “the sons of Kish, their brothers [i.e., relatives/cousins] lifted them up.” For other uses of נָאָשׂ (naʾas, “lift up”) in the sense of “marry,” see BDB 671 s.v. Qal.3.d.
  15. 1 Chronicles 23:24 tn Heb “these were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, according to their numberings, by number of names, according to their heads, doer[s] of the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from a son of twenty years and upwards.”
  16. 1 Chronicles 23:27 tn Heb “for by the final words of David, they were the number of the sons of Levi, from a son of twenty years and upward.”
  17. 1 Chronicles 23:28 tn Heb “For their assignment was at the hand of the sons of Aaron for the work of the house of the Lord concerning the courtyards and concerning the rooms and concerning the purification of all holiness and the work of the service of the house of God.”
  18. 1 Chronicles 23:29 tn Heb “with respect to.”
  19. 1 Chronicles 23:29 tn The Hebrew terms מְשׂוּרָה (mesurah) and מִדָּה (middah) refer to different types of measurements.
  20. 1 Chronicles 23:30 tn Heb “and to stand.”
  21. 1 Chronicles 23:31 tn Heb “by number according to the manner upon them, regularly before the Lord.”
  22. 1 Chronicles 23:32 tn Heb “and they kept the charge of the tent of meeting and the charge of the holy place and the charge of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.”