⁸ In the second month^(A) of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel^(B) son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty^(C) years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord.

³ But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”^(A)

⁴ David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge^(A) of the work^(B) of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.^(C)

²⁴ These 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^(A) who served in the temple of the Lord. ²⁵ For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest^(B) to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, ²⁶ the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”^{(C) 27} According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

²⁸ The 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^(D) of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. ²⁹ They were in charge of the bread set out on the table,^(E) the special flour for the grain offerings,^(F) the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.^{(G) 30} They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening^{(H) 31} and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon^(I) feasts and at the appointed festivals.^(J) They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.

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

³ Count^(A) all the men from thirty to fifty years of age^(B) who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.