1 Chronicles 23
1599 Geneva Bible
23 1 David being old, ordaineth Solomon King. 3 He causeth the Levites to be numbered, 4 and assigneth them to their offices. 13 Aaron and his sons are for the high Priest. 14 The sons of Moses.
1 So when David was old and full of days, (A)he made Solomon his son King over Israel.
2 And he gathered together all the princes of Israel with the Priests and the Levites.
3 And the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above, and their number according to their sum was eight and thirty thousand men.
4 Of these four and twenty thousand were set to [a]advance the work of the house of the Lord, and six thousand were overseers and judges.
5 And four thousand were porters, and four thousand praised the Lord with instruments which [b]he made to praise the Lord.
6 (B)So David divided offices unto them, to wit, to the sons of Levi, to (C)Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 Of the Gershonites were [c]Laadan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Laadan, the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham and Joel, three.
9 The Sons of Shimei, Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three: these were the chief fathers of Laadan.
10 Also the sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah: these four were the sons of Shimei.
11 And Jahath was the chief, and [d]Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons: therefore they were in the families of their father, counted but as one.
12 ¶ The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel, four.
13 (D)The sons of Amram, Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated to [e]sanctify the most holy place, he and his sons forever to burn incense before the Lord, to minister to him, and to bless in his Name forever.
14 ¶ Moses also the man of God and his children were named with the [f]tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses were Gershon, and Eliezer.
16 Of the sons of (E)Gershon was Shebuel the chief.
17 And the son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the [g]chief: for Eliezer had none 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 Michah the first, and Jesshiah the second.
21 ¶ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli, Eleazar and Kish.
22 And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters, and their [h]brethren the sons of Kish took them.
23 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24 These were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, even the chief fathers according to their offices, according to the number of names, and their sum that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord from the age of [i]twenty years and above.
25 For David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever.
26 And also the Levites shall no more bear the Tabernacle and all the vessels for the service thereof.
27 Therefore according to the last words of David, the Levites were numbered from twenty years and above,
28 And their office was under the hand of the sons of Aaron, for the service of the house of the Lord in the courts, and chambers, and in the [j]purifying of all holy things, and in the work of the service of the house of God,
29 Both for the showbread, and for the fine flour, for the meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for the fried things, and for that which was roasted, and for all measures and size,
30 And for to stand every morning, to give thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise at even,
31 And to offer all burnt offerings unto the Lord in the Sabbaths, in the months, and at the appointed times, according to the number and according to their custom, continually before the Lord,
32 And that they should keep the charge of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the service of the house of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 23:4 Or, to have care over.
- 1 Chronicles 23:5 Hebrew, I made, meaning David.
- 1 Chronicles 23:7 Or, Libni, 1 Chron. 6:17.
- 1 Chronicles 23:11 Or, Zina.
- 1 Chronicles 23:13 That is, to serve in the most holy place, and to consecrate the holy things.
- 1 Chronicles 23:14 They were but of the order of the Levites, and not of the Priests as Aaron’s sons.
- 1 Chronicles 23:17 The Scripture useth to call chief or the firstborn, although he be alone and there be none born after, Matt. 1:25.
- 1 Chronicles 23:22 Meaning, their cousins.
- 1 Chronicles 23:24 David did choose the Levites twice, first at the age of thirty, as verse 3 and again afterward at 20, as the necessity of the office did require: at the beginning they had no charge in the Temple, before they were five and twenty years old, and had none after fifty, Num. 4:3.
- 1 Chronicles 23:28 In washing and cleansing all the holy vessels.
1 Chronicles 23
King James Version
23 So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
2 And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.
3 Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.
4 Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges:
5 Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.
6 And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and Shimei.
8 The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
9 The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.
10 And the sons of Shimei were, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.
11 And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father's house.
12 The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
13 The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.
14 Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer.
16 Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.
17 And the sons of Eliezer were, Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
18 Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief.
19 Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
20 Of the sons of Uzziel; Micah the first and Jesiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.
22 And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them.
23 The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24 These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upward.
25 For David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:
26 And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.
27 For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:
28 Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God;
29 Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;
30 And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even:
31 And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord:
32 And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the Lord.
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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