Numbers 1:50

New King James Version

⁵⁰^(A)but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall attend to it ^(B)and camp around the tabernacle.

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Numbers 1:50

New International Version

⁵⁰Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle^(A) of the covenant law^(B)—over all its furnishings^(C) and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it.

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Exodus 38:21

New King James Version

Materials of the Tabernacle

²¹^[a]This is the inventory of the tabernacle, ^(A)the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, ^(B)by the hand of ^(C)Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.

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Footnotes

Exodus 38:21 Lit. These are the things appointed for

Exodus 38:21

New International Version

The Materials Used

²¹These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law,^(A) which were recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar^(B) son of Aaron, the priest.

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Numbers 4:15

New King James Version

¹⁵And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then ^(A)the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; ^(B)but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.

“^(C)These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

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Numbers 4:15

New International Version

¹⁵“After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move,^(A) only then are the Kohathites^(B) to come and do the carrying.^(C) But they must not touch the holy things^(D) or they will die.^(E) The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting.

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Exodus 31:18

New King James Version

¹⁸And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses ^(A)two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

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Exodus 31:18

New International Version

¹⁸When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai,^(A) he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone^(B) inscribed by the finger of God.^(C)

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Nehemiah 13:22

New King James Version

²²And I commanded the Levites that ^(A)they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!

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Nehemiah 13:22

New International Version

²²Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Remember^(A) me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.

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Nehemiah 13:10-13

New King James Version

¹⁰I also realized that the portions for the Levites had ^(A)not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to ^(B)his field. ¹¹So ^(C)I contended with the rulers, and said, ^(D)“Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place. ¹²^(E)Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. ¹³^(F)And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered ^(G)faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.

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Nehemiah 13:10-13

New International Version

¹⁰I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them,^(A) and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields.^(B) ¹¹So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?”^(C) Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

¹²All Judah brought the tithes^(D) of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms.^(E) ¹³I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.^(F)

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1 Chronicles 23

New King James Version

The Divisions of the Levites

23 So when David was old and full of days, he made his son ^(A)Solomon king over Israel.

²And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. ³Now the Levites were numbered from the age of ^(B)thirty years and above; and the number of individual males was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴Of these, twenty-four thousand were to ^(C)look after the work of the house of the Lord, six thousand were ^(D)officers and judges, ⁵four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand ^(E)praised the Lord with musical instruments, ^(F)“which I made,” said David, “for giving praise.”

⁶Also ^(G)David separated them into ^[a]divisions among the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷Of the ^(H)Gershonites: ^[b]Laadan and Shimei. ⁸The sons of Laadan: the first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel—three in all. ⁹The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Laadan. ¹⁰And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, ^[c]Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the four sons of Shimei. ¹¹Jahath was the first and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they were assigned as one father’s house.

¹²^(I)The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all. ¹³The sons of ^(J)Amram: Aaron and Moses; and ^(K)Aaron was set apart, he and his sons forever, that he should ^[d]sanctify the most holy things, ^(L)to burn incense before the Lord, ^(M)to minister to Him, and ^(N)to give the blessing in His name forever. ¹⁴Now ^(O)the sons of Moses the man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵^(P)The sons of Moses were ^[e]Gershon and Eliezer. ¹⁶Of the sons of Gershon, ^(Q)Shebuel^[f] was the first. ¹⁷Of the descendants of Eliezer, ^(R)Rehabiah was the first. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. ¹⁸Of the sons of Izhar, ^(S)Shelomith was the first. ¹⁹^(T)Of the sons of Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah was the first and Jesshiah the second.

²¹^(U)The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and ^(V)Kish. ²²And Eleazar died, and ^(W)had no sons, but only daughters; and their ^[g]brethren, the sons of Kish, ^(X)took them as wives. ²³^(Y)The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all.

²⁴These were the sons of ^(Z)Levi by their fathers’ houses—the heads of the fathers’ houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of ^(AA)twenty years and above.

²⁵For David said, “The Lord God of Israel ^(AB)has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever”; ²⁶and also to the Levites, “They shall no longer ^(AC)carry the tabernacle, or any of the articles for its service.” ²⁷For by the ^(AD)last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above; ²⁸because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God, ²⁹both with ^(AE)the showbread and ^(AF)the fine flour for the grain offering, with ^(AG)the unleavened cakes and ^(AH)what is baked in the pan, with what is mixed and with all kinds of ^(AI)measures and sizes; ³⁰to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening; ³¹and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the Lord ^(AJ)on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the ^(AK)set^[h] feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the Lord; ³²and that they should ^(AL)attend to the ^(AM)needs of the tabernacle of meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the ^(AN)needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of the Lord.

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Footnotes

1 Chronicles 23:6 groups
1 Chronicles 23:7 Libni, Ex. 6:17
1 Chronicles 23:10 LXX, Vg. Zizah and v. 11
1 Chronicles 23:13 consecrate
1 Chronicles 23:15 Heb. Gershom, 1 Chr. 6:16
1 Chronicles 23:16 Shubael, 1 Chr. 24:20
1 Chronicles 23:22 kinsmen
1 Chronicles 23:31 appointed feasts

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)

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Footnotes

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

Numbers 20:11

New King James Version

¹¹Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; ^(A)and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

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Numbers 20:11

New International Version

¹¹Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water^(A) gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

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Numbers 4:25-33

New King James Version

²⁵^(A)They shall carry the ^(B)curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meeting with its covering, the covering of ^(C)badger skins that is on it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, ²⁶the screen for the door of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve.

²⁷“Aaron and his sons shall ^[a]assign all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall ^[b]appoint to them all their tasks as their duty. ²⁸This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their duties shall be ^(D)under the ^[c]authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Sons of Merari

²⁹“As for the sons of ^(E)Merari, you shall number them by their families and by their fathers’ house. ³⁰^(F)From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. ³¹And ^(G)this is ^(H)what they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: ^(I)the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, ³²and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings and all their service; and you shall ^(J)assign to each man by name the items he must carry. ³³This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting, under the ^[d]authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

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Footnotes

Numbers 4:27 command
Numbers 4:27 assign
Numbers 4:28 Lit. hand
Numbers 4:33 Lit. hand

Numbers 4:25-33

New International Version

²⁵They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle,^(A) that is, the tent of meeting,^(B) its covering^(C) and its outer covering of durable leather, the curtains for the entrance to the tent of meeting, ²⁶the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar,^(D) the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard,^(E) the ropes and all the equipment^(F) used in the service of the tent. The Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things. ²⁷All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons.^(G) You shall assign to them as their responsibility^(H) all they are to carry. ²⁸This is the service of the Gershonite clans^(I) at the tent of meeting. Their duties are to be under the direction of Ithamar^(J) son of Aaron, the priest.

The Merarites

²⁹“Count^(K) the Merarites by their clans and families.^(L) ³⁰Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting. ³¹As part of all their service at the tent, they are to carry the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases,^(M) ³²as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes,^(N) all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry. ³³This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the tent of meeting under the direction of Ithamar^(O) son of Aaron, the priest.”

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Numbers 3:23-38

New King James Version

²³^(A)The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward. ²⁴And the leader of the father’s house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. ²⁵^(B)The duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting included ^(C)the tabernacle, ^(D)the tent with ^(E)its covering, ^(F)the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, ²⁶^(G)the screen for the door of the court, ^(H)the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and the altar, and ^(I)their cords, according to all the work relating to them.

²⁷^(J)From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. ²⁸According to the number of all the males, from a month old and above, there were eight thousand ^[a]six hundred ^[b]keeping charge of the sanctuary. ²⁹^(K)The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. ³⁰And the leader of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of ^(L)Uzziel. ³¹^(M)Their duty included ^(N)the ark, ^(O)the table, ^(P)the lampstand, ^(Q)the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, ^(R)the screen, and all the work relating to them.

³²And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites, with oversight of those who kept charge of the sanctuary.

³³From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. ³⁴And those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, were six thousand two hundred. ³⁵The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. ^(S)These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. ³⁶And ^(T)the appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them, ³⁷and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.

³⁸^(U)Moreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, ^(V)keeping charge of the sanctuary, ^(W)to meet the needs of the children of Israel; but ^(X)the outsider who came near was to be put to death.

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Footnotes

Numbers 3:28 Some LXX mss. three
Numbers 3:28 taking care of

Numbers 3:23-38

New International Version

²³The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle.^(A) ²⁴The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. ²⁵At the tent of meeting the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle^(B) and tent, its coverings,^(C) the curtain at the entrance^(D) to the tent of meeting,^(E) ²⁶the curtains of the courtyard^(F), the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar,^(G) and the ropes^(H)—and everything^(I) related to their use.

²⁷To Kohath^(J) belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites;^(K) these were the Kohathite^(L) clans. ²⁸The number of all the males a month old or more^(M) was 8,600.^[a] The Kohathites were responsible^(N) for the care of the sanctuary.^(O) ²⁹The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side^(P) of the tabernacle. ³⁰The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan^(Q) son of Uzziel. ³¹They were responsible for the care of the ark,^(R) the table,^(S) the lampstand,^(T) the altars,^(U) the articles^(V) of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain,^(W) and everything related to their use.^(X) ³²The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar^(Y) son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible^(Z) for the care of the sanctuary.^(AA)

³³To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites;^(AB) these were the Merarite clans.^(AC) ³⁴The number of all the males a month old or more^(AD) who were counted was 6,200. ³⁵The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.^(AE) ³⁶The Merarites were appointed^(AF) to take care of the frames of the tabernacle,^(AG) its crossbars,^(AH) posts,^(AI) bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use,^(AJ) ³⁷as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard^(AK) with their bases, tent pegs^(AL) and ropes.

³⁸Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east^(AM) of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting.^(AN) They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary^(AO) on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.^(AP)

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Footnotes

Numbers 3:28 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts 8,300

Exodus 32:26-29

New King James Version

²⁶then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. ²⁷And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and ^(A)let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” ²⁸So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. ²⁹^(B)Then Moses said, ^[a]“Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”

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Footnotes

Exodus 32:29 Lit. Fill your hand

Exodus 32:26-29

New International Version

²⁶So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

²⁷Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”^(A) ²⁸The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. ²⁹Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

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Psalm 122:4

New King James Version

⁴^(A)Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the Lord,
^[a]To ^(B)the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.

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Footnotes

Psalm 122:4 Or As a testimony to

Psalm 122:4

New International Version

⁴That is where the tribes go up—
the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.

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Nehemiah 13:5

New King James Version

⁵And he had prepared for him a large room, ^(A)where previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, ^(B)which were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests.

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Nehemiah 13:5

New International Version

⁵and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes^(A) of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.

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