1 Chronicles 23

New International Version

The Levites

23 When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon^(A) king over Israel.^(B)

²He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. ³The Levites thirty years old or more^(C) were counted,^(D) and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.^(E) ⁴David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge^(F) of the work^(G) of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.^(H) ⁵Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments^(I) I have provided for that purpose.”^(J)

⁶David separated^(K) the Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi:^(L) Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

Gershonites

⁷Belonging to the Gershonites:^(M)

Ladan and Shimei.

⁸The sons of Ladan:

Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel—three in all.

⁹The sons of Shimei:

Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran—three in all.

These were the heads of the families of Ladan.

¹⁰And the sons of Shimei:

Jahath, Ziza,^[a] Jeush and Beriah.

These were the sons of Shimei—four in all.

¹¹Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they were counted as one family with one assignment.

Kohathites

¹²The sons of Kohath:^(N)

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel—four in all.

¹³The sons of Amram:^(O)

Aaron and Moses.

Aaron was set apart,^(P) he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to minister^(Q) before him and to pronounce blessings^(R) in his name forever. ¹⁴The sons of Moses the man^(S) of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵The sons of Moses:

Gershom and Eliezer.^(T)

¹⁶The descendants of Gershom:^(U)

Shubael was the first.

¹⁷The descendants of Eliezer:

Rehabiah^(V) was the first.

Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

¹⁸The sons of Izhar:

Shelomith^(W) was the first.

¹⁹The sons of Hebron:^(X)

Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁰The sons of Uzziel:

Micah the first and Ishiah the second.

Merarites

²¹The sons of Merari:^(Y)

Mahli and Mushi.^(Z)

The sons of Mahli:

Eleazar and Kish.

²²Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.^(AA)

²³The sons of Mushi:

Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth—three in all.

²⁴These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more^(AB) who served in the temple of the Lord. ²⁵For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest^(AC) to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, ²⁶the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”^(AD) ²⁷According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

²⁸The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification^(AE) of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. ²⁹They were in charge of the bread set out on the table,^(AF) the special flour for the grain offerings,^(AG) the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.^(AH) ³⁰They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening^(AI) ³¹and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon^(AJ) feasts and at the appointed festivals.^(AK) They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.

³²And so the Levites^(AL) carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting,^(AM) for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord.^(AN)

Footnotes

1 Chronicles 23:10 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint and Vulgate (see also verse 11); most Hebrew manuscripts Zina

Micah 2

New International Version

Human Plans and God’s Plans

2 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil^(A) on their beds!^(B)
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it.
²They covet fields^(C) and seize them,^(D)
    and houses, and take them.
They defraud^(E) people of their homes,
    they rob them of their inheritance.^(F)

³Therefore, the Lord says:

“I am planning disaster^(G) against this people,
    from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,^(H)
    for it will be a time of calamity.
⁴In that day people will ridicule you;
    they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;^(I)
    my people’s possession is divided up.^(J)
He takes it from me!
    He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

⁵Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord
to divide the land^(K) by lot.^(L)

False Prophets

⁶“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
    “Do not prophesy about these things;
    disgrace^(M) will not overtake us.^(N)”
⁷You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
    “Does the Lord become^[a] impatient?
    Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good^(O)
    to the one whose ways are upright?^(P)
⁸Lately my people have risen up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by without a care,
    like men returning from battle.
⁹You drive the women of my people
    from their pleasant homes.^(Q)
You take away my blessing
    from their children forever.
¹⁰Get up, go away!
    For this is not your resting place,^(R)
because it is defiled,^(S)
    it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
¹¹If a liar and deceiver^(T) comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’^(U)
    that would be just the prophet for this people!^(V)

Deliverance Promised

¹²“I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
    I will surely bring together the remnant^(W) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture;
    the place will throng with people.^(X)
¹³The One who breaks open the way will go up before^(Y) them;
    they will break through the gate^(Z) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head.”