Rebuilding the Temple

⁸ Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, ^(A)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and ^(B)Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They ^(C)appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to ^(D)supervise the work of the house of the Lord.

³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, ^(A)“You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(B)as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

⁴ “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said,^{[a] (A)}“shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be ^(B)officers and judges,

^24 (A)These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, the heads of fathers' houses ^(B)as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from ^(C)twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. ²⁵ For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, ^(D)has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ And so the Levites no longer need ^(E)to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” ²⁷ For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from ^(F)twenty years old and upward. ²⁸ For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. ²⁹ Their duty was also to assist with the ^(G)showbread, the ^(H)flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the ^(I)baked offering, the ^(J)offering mixed with oil, and all ^(K)measures of quantity or size. ³⁰ And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, ³¹ and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord ^(L)on Sabbaths, ^(M)new moons, and feast days, ^(N)according to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord. ³² Thus ^(O)they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the ^(P)service of the house of the Lord.

^3 (A)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.