圣殿的歌乐手

25 大卫和众首领派亚萨、希幔和耶杜顿的后代伴着琴、瑟和钹宣讲上帝的话。以下是担当这职务的人:

撒刻、约瑟、尼探雅、亚萨利拉受他们的父亲亚萨指挥,照王的旨意宣讲上帝的话。 基大利、西利、耶筛亚、示每、哈沙比雅、玛他提雅六人受他们的父亲耶杜顿的指挥,伴着琴声称谢、颂赞耶和华,宣讲祂的话。 希幔的儿子是布基雅、玛探雅、乌薛、细布业、耶利摩、哈拿尼雅、哈拿尼、以利亚他、基大利提、罗幔提·以谢、约施比加沙、玛罗提、何提、玛哈秀。 希幔是王的先见,上帝恩宠他,按应许赐给他十四个儿子、三个女儿。 这些人由他们的父亲指挥,在耶和华的殿唱歌、敲钹、弹琴、鼓瑟,事奉耶和华。亚萨、耶杜顿、希幔听命于王。 他们和其他训练有素、负责歌颂耶和华的亲族共有二百八十八人。 这些人不分长幼、师徒,都抽签分班。

第一签抽出来的是亚萨的儿子约瑟。第二签是基大利及其亲族和儿子共十二人。 10 第三签是撒刻及其儿子和亲族共十二人。 11 第四签是伊洗利和他儿子及亲族共十二人。 12 第五签是尼探雅及其众子和亲族共十二人。 13 第六签是布基雅及其众子和亲族共十二人。 14 第七签是耶萨利拉及其众子和亲族共十二人。 15 第八签是耶筛亚及其众子和亲族共十二人。 16 第九签是玛探雅及其众子和亲族共十二人。 17 第十签是示每及其众子和亲族共十二人。 18 第十一签是亚萨烈及其众子和亲族共十二人。 19 第十二签是哈沙比雅及其众子和亲族共十二人。 20 第十三签是书巴业及其众子和亲族共十二人。 21 第十四签是玛他提雅及其众子和亲族共十二人。 22 第十五签是耶利摩及其众子和亲族共十二人。 23 第十六签是哈拿尼雅及其众子和亲族共十二人。 24 第十七签是约施比加沙及其众子和亲族共十二人。 25 第十八签是哈拿尼及其众子和亲族共十二人。 26 第十九签是玛罗提及其众子和亲族共十二人。 27 第二十签是以利亚他及其众子和亲族共十二人。 28 第二十一签是何提及其众子和亲族共十二人。 29 第二十二签是基大利提及其众子和亲族共十二人。 30 第二十三签是玛哈秀及其众子和亲族共十二人。 31 第二十四签是罗幔提·以谢及其众子和亲族共十二人。

Temple musicians

25 David and the army officers[a] set apart Asaph’s family, Heman and Jeduthun, for service to prophesy[b] accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals.

This is the list of those who performed this special service:

From Asaph’s family: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. Asaph’s family was under Asaph’s direction and prophesied by order of the king.

From Jeduthun and his family: Gedaliah, Izri,[c] Jeshaiah, Shimei,[d] Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all. They were under their father Jeduthun’s direction, prophesying with the lyre and giving thanks and praise to the Lord.

From Heman and his family: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.

All these were the family of Heman the king’s seer, according to God’s promise to honor him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. They were all under their father’s direction when singing in the Lord’s temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres to provide service in God’s temple, by order of the king.

As for Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman, the number of themselves and their relatives, who were trained in singing to the Lord and who were all skillful, was 288.

They cast lots for their assigned duties, small as well as great, teacher and pupil alike.

The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedaliah, his relatives, and his family, 12;

10 the third to Zaccur, his family, and his relatives, 12;

11 the fourth to Izri, his family, and his relatives, 12;

12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

14 the seventh to Jesarelah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

17 the tenth to Shimei, his family, and his relatives, 12;

18 the eleventh to Uzziel,[e] his family, and his relatives, 12;

19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

20 the thirteenth to Shubael, his family, and his relatives, 12;

21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

22 the fifteenth to Jerimoth,[f] his family, and his relatives, 12;

23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his family, and his relatives, 12;

26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, his family, and his relatives, 12;

27 the twentieth to Eliathah, his family, and his relatives, 12;

28 the twenty-first to Hothir, his family, and his relatives, 12;

29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, his family, and his relatives, 12;

30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his family, and his relatives, 12;

31 and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his family, and his relatives, 12.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 25:1 Or liturgical officers
  2. 1 Chronicles 25:1 DSS, LXX, Vulg; MT the prophets
  3. 1 Chronicles 25:3 Cf 25:11: MT Zeri
  4. 1 Chronicles 25:3 LXX, cf 25:17; MT lacks Shimei.
  5. 1 Chronicles 25:18 LXX, Syr; MT Azrael
  6. 1 Chronicles 25:22 Cf 25:4; MT Jeremoth

25 David and the heads of the Levites, also known as the commanders of the army, selected for the service some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. These men were expected to serve in the temple by prophesying with lyres, harps, and cymbals. These are the singers who performed these duties in order of their descent. The sons of Asaph (Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah) were directed by Asaph who prophesied because the king appointed him that duty. The six sons of Jeduthun (Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah) were directed by their father Jeduthun who used the harp to prophesy, as well as to testify about the Eternal. 4-5 The 14 sons of Heman the king’s prophet were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. His many sons and three daughters gave Heman prominence before God. 6-7 All these were directed by their father to sing with cymbals, harps, and lyres in the temple of the Eternal. These three families, 288 of whom were musically skilled, worked in the temple singing to the Eternal, but they served the king.

All of these men, the weak and the mighty, the students and the teachers, used a system of lots to determine their duties. These are the singers who performed in the temple in order of their duties: 9-31 Joseph (son of Asaph) drew the first lot; and the other singers drew lots in this order, second through 24th: Gedaliah, Zaccur, Izri, Nethaniah, Bukkiah, Jesharelah, Jeshaiah, Mattaniah, Shimei, Azarel, Hashabiah, Shubael, Mattithiah, Jeremoth, Hananiah, Joshbekashah, Hanani, Mallothi, Eliathah, Hothir, Giddalti, Mahazioth, and finally, Romamti-ezer. Each man who drew a lot represented 12 men, including his sons, his brothers, and himself, and these 24 groups served in the temple two weeks each year as the Levites did.