Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments(A) I have provided for that purpose.”(B)

Read full chapter

You strum away on your harps(A) like David
    and improvise on musical instruments.(B)

Read full chapter

25 He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David(A) and Gad(B) the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. 26 So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments,(C) and the priests with their trumpets.(D)

Read full chapter

As they make music(A) they will sing,
    “All my fountains(B) are in you.”

Read full chapter

73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants,(A) along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.(B)

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,(C)

Read full chapter

Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.(A)

Read full chapter

15 The musicians,(A) the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

Read full chapter

19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith(A) in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.(B) 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[a] holiness(C) as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”(D)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 20:21 Or him with the splendor of

14 In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions(A) of the priests for their duties, and the Levites(B) to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers(C) by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God(D) had ordered.(E)

Read full chapter

The Gatekeepers

26 The divisions of the gatekeepers:(A)

From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

Meshelemiah had sons:

Zechariah(B) the firstborn,

Jediael the second,

Zebadiah the third,

Jathniel the fourth,

Elam the fifth,

Jehohanan the sixth

and Eliehoenai the seventh.

Obed-Edom also had sons:

Shemaiah the firstborn,

Jehozabad the second,

Joah the third,

Sakar the fourth,

Nethanel the fifth,

Ammiel the sixth,

Issachar the seventh

and Peullethai the eighth.

(For God had blessed Obed-Edom.(C))

Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders in their father’s family because they were very capable men. The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also able men. All these were descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work—descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.

Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, who were able men—18 in all.

10 Hosah the Merarite had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him the first),(D) 11 Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were 13 in all.

12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their leaders, had duties for ministering(E) in the temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had.

Read full chapter

The Musicians

25 David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph,(A) Heman(B) and Jeduthun(C) for the ministry of prophesying,(D) accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.(E) Here is the list of the men(F) who performed this service:(G)

From the sons of Asaph:

Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.

As for Jeduthun, from his sons:(H)

Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei,[a] Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp(I) in thanking and praising the Lord.

As for Heman, from his sons:

Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. (All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)

All these men were under the supervision of their father(J) for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.

Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman(K) were under the supervision of the king.(L) Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 25:3 One Hebrew manuscript and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also verse 17); most Hebrew manuscripts do not have Shimei.

41 With them were Heman(A) and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, “for his love endures forever.” 42 Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song.(B) The sons of Jeduthun(C) were stationed at the gate.

Read full chapter

38 He also left Obed-Edom(A) and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah,(B) were gatekeepers.

Read full chapter

16 David(A) told the leaders of the Levites(B) to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians(C) to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.(D)

17 So the Levites appointed Heman(E) son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph(F) son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites,(G) Ethan son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,[a] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom(H) and Jeiel,[b] the gatekeepers.

19 The musicians Heman,(I) Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20 Zechariah, Jaaziel,[c] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,[d] 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.[e] 22 Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

23 Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark. 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets(J) before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 15:18 Three Hebrew manuscripts and most Septuagint manuscripts (see also verse 20 and 16:5); most Hebrew manuscripts Zechariah son and or Zechariah, Ben and
  2. 1 Chronicles 15:18 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also verse 21) Jeiel and Azaziah
  3. 1 Chronicles 15:20 See verse 18; Hebrew Aziel, a variant of Jaaziel.
  4. 1 Chronicles 15:20 Probably a musical term
  5. 1 Chronicles 15:21 Probably a musical term

33 Those who were musicians,(A) heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.(B)

Read full chapter

17 The gatekeepers:(A)

Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their fellow Levites, Shallum their chief 18 being stationed at the King’s Gate(B) on the east, up to the present time. These were the gatekeepers belonging to the camp of the Levites. 19 Shallum(C) son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his fellow gatekeepers from his family (the Korahites) were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the tent just as their ancestors had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of the Lord. 20 In earlier times Phinehas(D) son of Eleazar was the official in charge of the gatekeepers, and the Lord was with him. 21 Zechariah(E) son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

22 Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers(F) at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer.(G) 23 They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord—the house called the tent of meeting. 24 The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south. 25 Their fellow Levites in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day(H) periods. 26 But the four principal gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries(I) in the house of God. 27 They would spend the night stationed around the house of God,(J) because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key(K) for opening it each morning.

Read full chapter

The Temple Musicians(A)

31 These are the men(B) David put in charge of the music(C) in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there. 32 They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

33 Here are the men who served, together with their sons:

From the Kohathites:

Heman,(D) the musician,

the son of Joel,(E) the son of Samuel,

34 the son of Elkanah,(F) the son of Jeroham,

the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

35 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah,

the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

36 the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel,

the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

37 the son of Tahath, the son of Assir,

the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,(G)

38 the son of Izhar,(H) the son of Kohath,

the son of Levi, the son of Israel;

39 and Heman’s associate Asaph,(I) who served at his right hand:

Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,(J)

40 the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah,[a]

the son of Malkijah, 41 the son of Ethni,

the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

42 the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah,

the son of Shimei, 43 the son of Jahath,

the son of Gershon, the son of Levi;

44 and from their associates, the Merarites,(K) at his left hand:

Ethan son of Kishi, the son of Abdi,

the son of Malluk, 45 the son of Hashabiah,

the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

46 the son of Amzi, the son of Bani,

the son of Shemer, 47 the son of Mahli,

the son of Mushi, the son of Merari,

the son of Levi.

48 Their fellow Levites(L) were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 6:40 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, one Septuagint manuscript and Syriac Maaseiah

12 The king used the almugwood to make supports[a] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 10:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Bible Gateway Recommends