利未人的職務

23 大衛年紀老邁,壽數將盡,就立他兒子所羅門為以色列王。 他召集了以色列的眾首領、祭司和利未人。 凡三十歲以上的利未人都在統計之列,共有三萬八千男子, 其中有兩萬四千人在耶和華的殿裡司職,六千人做官長和審判官, 四千人守門,四千人用大衛提供的樂器頌讚耶和華。 大衛將利未人革順、哥轄和米拉利的子孫分成班次。

革順的兒子有拉但和示每。 拉但有長子耶歇,還有細坦和約珥,共三個兒子, 都是拉但族的族長。示每的兒子有示羅密、哈薛和哈蘭三人。 10 示每的兒子還有雅哈、細拿、耶烏施和比利亞四人。 11 雅哈是長子,細拿是次子。耶烏施和比利亞的子孫不多,所以合為一族。

12 哥轄有暗蘭、以斯哈、希伯崙、烏薛四個兒子。 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事奉耶和華,向祂獻至聖之物,在祂面前燒香,奉祂的名祝福,直到永遠。 14 上帝的僕人摩西的子孫歸在利未支派的名下。 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 以利以謝只有一個兒子利哈比雅,但利哈比雅子孫眾多。 18 以斯哈的長子是示羅密。 19 希伯崙的長子是耶利雅,次子是亞瑪利亞,三子是雅哈悉,四子是耶加緬。 20 烏薛的長子是米迦,次子是耶西雅。

21 米拉利的兒子是抹利、姆示。抹利的兒子是以利亞撒、基士。 22 以利亞撒終生沒有兒子,只有女兒,同族人基士的兒子娶了她們為妻。 23 姆示的三個兒子是末力、以得和耶利摩。 24 以上是利未各宗族的子孫,他們登記在各自族長的名下,凡二十歲以上的男子都在耶和華的殿裡任職。 25 大衛說:「以色列的上帝耶和華已使祂的子民安享太平,祂永遠住在耶路撒冷。 26 利未人再不用抬聖幕和其中的器皿了。」 27 按照大衛臨終時的囑咐,二十歲以上的利未人都已被統計。 28 他們的任務是幫助亞倫的子孫在耶和華的殿裡司職,管理殿的院子和廂房,負責潔淨聖物等事務。 29 他們還負責供餅、做素祭的細麵粉、無酵薄餅的調和、烤製、分量和尺寸。 30 他們每天早晚要肅立、頌讚耶和華, 31 每逢安息日、朔日[a]或其他節期,他們要按照規定的數目將燔祭獻給耶和華, 32 並負責看守會幕和聖所,幫助他們的親族——亞倫的子孫在耶和華的殿裡供職。

Footnotes

  1. 23·31 朔日」即每月初一。

Solomon Reigns

23 (A)Now when David [a]reached old age, (B)he made his son Solomon king over Israel. And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.

Offices of the Levites

(C)Now the Levites were counted from thirty years old and upward, and (D)their number by [b]head count of men was thirty-eight thousand. Of these, twenty-four thousand were (E)to oversee the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were (F)officers and judges, and four thousand were gatekeepers, and (G)four thousand were praising the Lord with the instruments which [c]David made for giving praise. David divided them into divisions (H)according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Gershonites

Of the Gershonites there were [d]Ladan and Shimei. The sons of Ladan were Jehiel the first, and Zetham and Joel, three. The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan. 10 The sons of Shimei were Jahath, [e]Zina, 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 group for duty.

Kohathites

12 The sons of Kohath were four in number: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 13 (I)The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And (J)Aaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, (K)to burn incense before the Lord, to serve Him and bless in His name forever. 14 But as for (L)Moses, the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The [f]son of Gershom was [g]Shebuel the chief. 17 The [h]son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 The [i]son of Izhar was [j]Shelomith 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 only daughters; so their relatives, the sons of Kish, took them as wives. 23 The sons of Mushi were three: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.

Duties Revised

24 (M)These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ households, the heads of the fathers’ households of those among them who were [k]counted, in the number of names by their [l]head count, doing the work for the service of the house of the Lord, (N)from twenty years old and upward. 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel (O)has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 Also, (P)the 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 counted from twenty years old and upward. 28 For their office is [m]to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the Lord, in the courtyards and in the chambers, and in the purification of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God, 29 (Q)and with the showbread, and (R)the fine flour for a grain offering, and unleavened wafers, or (S)what is baked in the pan or (T)what is well-mixed, and (U)all 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, (V)on the Sabbaths, the new moons and (W)the appointed festivals, in the number determined by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the Lord. 32 So (X)they are to perform the [n]duties of the tent of meeting, the holy place, and (Y)of assisting the sons of Aaron their relatives, for the service of the house of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 23:1 Lit became old and sated with days
  2. 1 Chronicles 23:3 Lit their heads
  3. 1 Chronicles 23:5 Lit I made
  4. 1 Chronicles 23:7 In Ex 6:17, Libni
  5. 1 Chronicles 23:10 In v 11, Zizah
  6. 1 Chronicles 23:16 Lit sons
  7. 1 Chronicles 23:16 In 24:20, Shubael
  8. 1 Chronicles 23:17 Lit sons...were
  9. 1 Chronicles 23:18 Lit sons
  10. 1 Chronicles 23:18 In 24:22, Shelomoth
  11. 1 Chronicles 23:24 Lit mustered
  12. 1 Chronicles 23:24 Lit heads
  13. 1 Chronicles 23:28 Lit at the hand of
  14. 1 Chronicles 23:32 Lit duty of...the duty of...

The Levites

23 Now David was old and full of days when he made Solomon his son king over Israel. So he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.

The Levites from thirty years old and up were counted, and their head count of men was thirty-eight thousand. Twenty-four thousand of these, David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord; six thousand shall be officers and judges, four thousand shall be gatekeepers, and four thousand shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.”

David assigned them to divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Gershonites

From the Gershonites:

Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Ladan were

first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel, three in all.

The sons of Shimei were

Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran, three.

These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan.

10 The sons of Shimei were

Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah.

These four were the sons of Shimei.

11 Now Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as one unit for their father’s house.

Kohathites

12 The sons of Kohath were

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

13 The sons of Amram were

Aaron and Moses,

but Aaron was set apart to consecrate the most holy things, he and his sons forever, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to minister to Him, and to bless in His name forever. 14 As for Moses, the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

15 The sons of Moses were

Gershom and Eliezer.

16 The son of Gershom was

Shubael the chief.

17 The son of Eliezer was

Rehabiah the chief.

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

18 The son of Izhar was

Shelomith 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 Ishiah the second.

Merarites

21 The sons of Merari were

Mahli and Mushi.

The sons of Mahli were

Eleazar and Kish.

22 Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters, so the sons of Kish, their brothers, took them as wives.

23 The sons of Mushi were

Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth, three.

24 These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ houses, the heads of the fathers’ houses as they were registered by the number of their names according to their head count, those doing the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from twenty years old and up.

25 For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its implements for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David, the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and up; 28 because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers, with the purifying of all holy things, even the work of service of the house of God, 29 and with the showbread, the fine flour for a grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity and size, 30 to stand morning by morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise in the evening, 31 and to offer up all burnt offerings to the Lord, for Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, by number as the judgment concerning them, continually before the Lord, 32 and that they should keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary and attend to the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.