The Lord’s Covenant with David

17 When David(A) had settled into his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, “Look! I am living in a cedar house while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under tent curtains.”(B)

So Nathan told David, “Do all that is on your mind, for God is with you.”

But that night(C) the word of God came to Nathan: “Go to David my servant and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.(D) From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until today I have not dwelt in a house; instead, I have moved from one tent site to another, and from one tabernacle location to another.[a](E) In all my journeys throughout Israel, have I ever spoken a word to even one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, asking: Why haven’t you built me a house of cedar?’ (F)

“So now this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.(G) I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a name for you like that of the greatest on the earth. I will designate a place for my people Israel and plant them,(H) so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not continue to oppress them as they have done 10 ever since the day I ordered judges to be over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.

“‘Furthermore, I declare to you that the Lord himself will build a house for you. 11 When your time comes to be with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who is one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He is the one who will build a house for me,(I) and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son.(J) I will not remove my faithful love from him as I removed it from the one who was before you.(K) 14 I will appoint him over my house and my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.’”(L)

15 Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.

David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving

16 Then(M) King David went in, sat in the Lord’s presence, and said,

Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far? 17 This was a little thing to you,[b] God, for you have spoken about your servant’s house in the distant future. You regard me as a man of distinction,[c] Lord God. 18 What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? You know your servant. 19 Lord, you have done this whole great thing, making known all these great promises for the sake of your servant and according to your will.(N) 20 Lord, there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, as all we have heard confirms. 21 And who is like your people Israel? God, you came to one nation on earth to redeem a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself through great and awesome works by driving out nations before your people you redeemed from Egypt.(O) 22 You made your people Israel your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.(P)

23 Now, Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and his house be confirmed forever, and do as you have promised. 24 Let your name be confirmed and magnified forever in the saying, “The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.” May the house of your servant David be established before you. 25 Since you, my God, have revealed to[d](Q) your servant that you will build him a house, your servant has found courage to pray in your presence. 26 Lord, you indeed are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 27 So now, you have been pleased to bless your servant’s house that it may continue before you forever. For you, Lord, have blessed it, and it is blessed forever.

Footnotes

  1. 17:5 Lit I was from tent to tent and from tabernacle
  2. 17:17 Lit thing in your eyes
  3. 17:17 Hb obscure
  4. 17:25 Lit have uncovered the ear of

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) Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more were counted;(C) the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand by headcount.(D) “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) four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the instruments that I have made for worship.”(G)

Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons:(H) Gershom,[a] Kohath, and Merari.

The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel—three.

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.”

Footnotes

  1. 23:6 Lit Gershon
  2. 23:10 LXX, Vg; MT reads Zina
  3. 23:11 Lit a father’s house
  4. 23:24 Lit the house of their fathers
  5. 23:29 Lit the griddle

The Divisions of the Priests

24 The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.(A) But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.(B) Together with Zadok(C) from the descendants of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the descendants of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service. Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than Ithamar’s, they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of ancestral families[a] were from Eleazar’s descendants, and eight heads of ancestral families were from Ithamar’s. They(D) were assigned by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech(E) son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral family[b] was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.

The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,(F)

11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

17 the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,

18 the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

19 These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the Lord’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

20 As for the rest of Levi’s sons:

from Amram’s sons: Shubael;

from Shubael’s sons: Jehdeiah.

21 From Rehabiah:

from Rehabiah’s sons: Isshiah was the first.

22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth;

from Shelomoth’s sons: Jahath.

23 Hebron’s[c](G) sons:

Jeriah the first, Amariah the second,

Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

24 From Uzziel’s sons: Micah;

from Micah’s sons: Shamir.

25 Micah’s brother: Isshiah;

from Isshiah’s sons: Zechariah.

26 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi,

and from his sons, Jaaziah his son.[d]

27 Merari’s sons, by his son Jaaziah:[e]

Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

29 From Kish, from Kish’s sons: Jerahmeel.

30 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

Those were the descendants of the Levites according to their ancestral families.[f] 31 They also cast lots the same way as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.(H)

Footnotes

  1. 24:4 Lit house of fathers
  2. 24:6 Lit father’s house
  3. 24:23 Some Hb mss, some LXX mss; other Hb mss omit Hebron’s; 1Ch 23:19
  4. 24:26 Or Mushi; Jaaziah’s sons: Beno.
  5. 24:27 Or sons, Jaaziah: Beno,
  6. 24:30 Lit the house of their fathers

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