1 Chronicles 23
Christian Standard Bible
The Divisions of the Levites
23 When David was old and full of days,(A) he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.(B) 2 Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites. 3 The Levites thirty years old or more were counted;(C) the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand by headcount.(D) 4 “Of these,” David said, “twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work on the Lord’s temple,(E) six thousand are to be officers and judges,(F) 5 four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the instruments that I have made for worship.”(G)
6 Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons:(H) Gershom,[a] Kohath, and Merari.
7 The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.
8 Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel—three.
9 Shimei’s sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran—three. Those were the heads of the families of Ladan.
10 Shimei’s sons: Jahath, Zizah,[b] Jeush, and Beriah. Those were Shimei’s sons—four. 11 Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; however, Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became one family[c] and received a single assignment.
12 Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four.
13 Amram’s sons:(I) Aaron and Moses.
Aaron, along with his descendants,(J) was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of the Lord,(K) to minister to him, and to pronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 As for Moses the man of God,(L) his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
15 Moses’s sons: Gershom and Eliezer.
16 Gershom’s sons: Shebuel was first.
17 Eliezer’s sons were Rehabiah, first; Eliezer did not have any other sons, but Rehabiah’s sons were very numerous.
18 Izhar’s sons: Shelomith was first.
19 Hebron’s sons: Jeriah was first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, and Jekameam fourth.
20 Uzziel’s sons: Micah was first, and Isshiah second.
21 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi.
Mahli’s sons: Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died having no sons, only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
23 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three.
24 These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral families[d]—the family heads, according to their registration by name in the headcount—twenty years old or more, who worked in the service of the Lord’s temple.(M) 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to his people,(N) and he has come to stay in Jerusalem forever. 26 Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service”(O)— 27 for according to the last words of David, the Levites twenty years old or more were to be counted— 28 “but their duty will be to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the Lord’s temple, being responsible for the courts and the chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of God’s temple— 29 as well as the rows of the Bread of the Presence,(P) the fine flour for the grain offering,(Q) the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking,[e](R) the mixing,(S) and all measurements of volume and length.(T) 30 They are also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise in the evening. 31 Whenever burnt offerings are offered to the Lord on the Sabbaths, New Moons,(U) and appointed festivals, they are to offer them regularly in the Lord’s presence according to the number prescribed for them.(V) 32 They are to carry out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the holy place,(W) and for their relatives, the descendants of Aaron,(X) in the service of the Lord’s temple.”
1 Chronicles 23
International Standard Version
The Levitical Divisions
23 After David had reached old age, and had completed his reign,[a] he set his son Solomon as king over Israel. 2 David then gathered together all of the leaders of Israel, including the priests and descendants of Levi. 3 descendants of Levi 30 years old and above were counted for a total of 38,000. 4 “24,000 of these,” David said, “are to be set in charge of the work of the Temple of the Lord, with 6,000 serving as officers and judges, 5 with 4,000 gatekeepers, and with 4,000 offering praises to the Lord with the musical instruments that I have had crafted.”
6 David divided them into divisions based on Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, Levi’s sons.
An Abbreviated Genealogy of Levi’s Sons
7 The descendants of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei. 8 The three descendants of Ladan included[b] Jehiel (their chief), Zetham, and Joel. 9 The three descendants of Shimei included Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These were the heads of families of Ladan.
10 The descendants of Shimei included Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were sons of Shimei. 11 Jahath served as chief and Zizah was second in rank, but since Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, they were enrolled as a single family unit.
12 The four descendants of Kohath included Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 13 The descendants of Amram included Aaron and Moses. Aaron had been set apart to consecrate the most holy things, with the intent that he and his sons should present offerings in the Lord’s presence forever, ministering to him and pronouncing blessings in his name forever.
14 Meanwhile, as for Moses the man of God, his sons were considered among the tribe of Levi. 15 The descendants of Moses included Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The descendants of Gershom included Shebuel as their chief.
17 The descendants of Eliezer included Rehabiah as their chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many descendants.
18 The descendants of Izhar included Shelomith their chief.
19 The descendants of Hebron included Jeriah their chief, Amariah their second in rank, Jahaziel their third, and Jekameam their fourth.
20 The descendants of Uzziel included Micah their chief and Isshiah their second in rank.
21 The descendants of Merari included Mahli and Mushi. The descendants of Mahli included Eleazar and Kish, 22 but Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters. Their relatives (the descendants of Kish) married them. 23 The three descendants of Mushi included Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.
24 These were the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral households, with family heads documented according to the names of persons 20 years and older who were appointed to perform work in service to the Temple of the Lord.
25 For David had said “The Lord God of Israel has granted rest to his people, and he has taken Israel as his eternal residence. 26 Therefore[c] the descendants of Levi are no longer to carry the Tent or its service implements.”[d] 27 Since, according to David’s final instructions, the list above[e] contains the total number of descendants of Levi from the age of 20 years and upward, 28 David issued these orders:[f]
“Instead, they are to assist by lending a hand to the descendants of Aaron regarding service to the Temple of the Lord relating to the courts, the chambers, purification of everything pertaining to holiness, and to anything else pertaining to service on behalf of the Temple of God, 29 including assisting with the rows of showbread, selecting flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened bread, baked offerings, and oil-based offerings, no matter what the quantity or sizes. 30 They are to take their stand morning by morning, thanking and praising the Lord right through until the evening, 31 whenever burnt offerings are presented to the Lord, whether on Sabbaths, New Moons, or scheduled festivals, regularly in the Lord’s presence in accordance with the number required to conduct their service. 32 By doing this, they will fulfill their obligation as trustees over the Tent of Assembly and the Sanctuary, attending to the needs of[g] their relatives, who are descendants of Aaron, in keeping with their service on behalf of the Temple of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 23:1 Lit. days
- 1 Chronicles 23:8 The Heb. lacks included; and so throughout the chapter.
- 1 Chronicles 23:26 Lit. Also
- 1 Chronicles 23:26 The quotation possibly concludes at the end of vs. 25.
- 1 Chronicles 23:27 The Heb. lacks above
- 1 Chronicles 23:28 The Heb. lacks David issued these orders
- 1 Chronicles 23:32 The Heb. lacks to the needs of
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