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24 These were the descendants of Levi according to their families, that is, the leaders of families as counted and individually listed who carried out assigned tasks in the Lord’s temple and were twenty years old and up.[a] 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given his people rest and has permanently settled in Jerusalem. 26 So the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the items used in its service.” 27 According to David’s final instructions, the Levites twenty years old or older were counted.[b]

28 Their job was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the Lord’s temple. They were to take care of the courtyards, the rooms, ceremonial purification of all holy items, and other jobs related to the service of God’s temple.[c] 29 They also took care of[d] the bread that is displayed, the flour for offerings, the unleavened wafers, the round cakes, the mixing, and all the measuring.[e] 30 They also stood in a designated place[f] every morning and offered thanks and praise to the Lord. They also did this in the evening 31 and whenever burnt sacrifices were offered to the Lord on the Sabbath and at new moon festivals and assemblies. A designated number were to serve before the Lord regularly in accordance with regulations.[g] 32 They were in charge of the meeting tent and the Holy Place, and helped their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, in the service of the Lord’s temple.[h]

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 23:24 tn Heb “these were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, according to their numberings, by number of names, according to their heads, doer[s] of the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from a son of twenty years and upwards.”
  2. 1 Chronicles 23:27 tn Heb “for by the final words of David, they were the number of the sons of Levi, from a son of twenty years and upward.”
  3. 1 Chronicles 23:28 tn Heb “For their assignment was at the hand of the sons of Aaron for the work of the house of the Lord concerning the courtyards and concerning the rooms and concerning the purification of all holiness and the work of the service of the house of God.”
  4. 1 Chronicles 23:29 tn Heb “with respect to.”
  5. 1 Chronicles 23:29 tn The Hebrew terms מְשׂוּרָה (mesurah) and מִדָּה (middah) refer to different types of measurements.
  6. 1 Chronicles 23:30 tn Heb “and to stand.”
  7. 1 Chronicles 23:31 tn Heb “by number according to the manner upon them, regularly before the Lord.”
  8. 1 Chronicles 23:32 tn Heb “and they kept the charge of the tent of meeting and the charge of the holy place and the charge of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.”

24 These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral families[a]—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.(A) 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to his people,(B) 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”(C) 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,(D) the fine flour for the grain offering,(E) the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking,[b](F) the mixing,(G) and all measurements of volume and length.(H) 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,(I) and appointed festivals, they are to offer them regularly in the Lord’s presence according to the number prescribed for them.(J) 32 They are to carry out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the holy place,(K) and for their relatives, the descendants of Aaron,(L) in the service of the Lord’s temple.”

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Footnotes

  1. 23:24 Lit the house of their fathers
  2. 23:29 Lit the griddle