Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more were counted;(A) the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand by headcount.(B) “Of these,” David said, “twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work on the Lord’s temple,(C) six thousand are to be officers and judges,(D) four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the instruments that I have made for worship.”(E)

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

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 23:6 Lit Gershon

David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. The Levites, thirty years old and up, were counted, and the total head count of men was thirty-eight thousand.(A) “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,(B) four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.”(C) And David organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.(D)

Read full chapter