Contributions for Worship^(A)

² Hezekiah^(B) assigned the priests and Levites to divisions^(C)—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister,^(D) to give thanks and to sing praises^(E) at the gates of the Lord’s dwelling.^(F)

The Divisions of Priests

24 These were the divisions^(A) of the descendants of Aaron:^(B)

The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^(C)

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

⁵ In the time of Herod king of Judea^(A) there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;^(B) his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

¹¹ the sounds of joy and gladness,^(A) the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings^(B) to the house of the Lord, saying,

For I will restore the fortunes^(E) of the land as they were before,^(F)’ says the Lord.

Psalm 134

A song of ascents.

Psalm 135^(I)

¹⁸ And they installed the priests in their divisions^(A) and the Levites in their groups^(B) for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.^(C)

²⁴ The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone^(A) for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.^(B)

²⁵ He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David^(C) and Gad^(D) the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. ²⁶ So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments,^(E) and the priests with their trumpets.^(F)

⁸ The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered.^(A) Each one took his men—those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.^(B)