Beginning
22 Then David said, “This is the place where the House of Adonai Elohim will be, along with the altar for burnt sacrifices for Israel.”
Preparing for the Temple
2 David gave orders to assemble the foreigners in the land of Israel, and assigned them to be masons to quarry stones to build the House of God. 3 David supplied an abundance of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for the joints, so much bronze that it could not be weighed, 4 and cedar logs without number, for the Zidonians and the Tyrians brought an abundance of cedar logs to David.
5 David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced and the House that is to be built for Adonai must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all the nations. Therefore I will make preparation for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
6 Then He called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a House for Adonai, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a House for the name of Adonai my God. 8 But the word of Adonai came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and fought many battles. You will not build a House for My Name because you have shed much blood before Me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son will be born to you who will be a man at rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon and I will confer shalom and quietness on Israel in his days. 10 He will build a House for My name; he will be My son and I will be His Father.[a] I will establish his royal throne over Israel forever.’
11 “Now, my son, may Adonai be with you, and may you succeed in building the House of Adonai your God as He spoke concerning you. 12 Only may Adonai give you insight and understanding when He gives you charge over Israel so that you may observe the Torah of Adonai your God. 13 Then you will prosper, if you carefully observe the statutes and the ordinances that Adonai commanded Moses concerning Israel. Chazak! And be courageous! Do not be afraid or dismayed.
14 “Now behold, with great pain I have provided for the House of Adonai 100,000 talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing for there is so much of it. I have also prepared wood and stone, and you must add to them. 15 Moreover, you have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters and every kind of craftsmen skilled in every kind of material— 16 in gold, silver, bronze and iron—beyond number. Arise and work! May Adonai be with you.”
17 David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, 18 “Is not Adonai your God with you? Has He not given you rest on every side? For He has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand and the land is subdued before Adonai and before His people. 19 Now set your hearts and souls to seek after Adonai your God. Rise up and build the Sanctuary of Adonai Elohim so that you can bring the Ark of the Covenant of Adonai and the holy vessels of God into the House built for the Name of Adonai.”
Census of Levites
23 When David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
2 He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel along with the kohanim and the Levites. 3 The Levites 30 years old or more were counted; their head count was 38,000 men. 4 Of these, there were 24,000 to oversee the work of the House of Adonai, 6,000 officers and judges, 5 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 for praising Adonai “with the instruments which I made for giving praise.”
6 David organized them into divisions:
The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
7 Of the Gershonites:
Ladan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan:
Jehiel the leader, Zetham and Joel—three.
9 The sons of Shimei:
Shelomith, Haziel and Haran—three.
These were the heads of the clans of Ladan.
10 The sons of Shimei:
Jahath, Zina, Jeush and Beriah.
These were the sons of Shimei—four.
11 Jahath was the first and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were enrolled together as a single clan.
12 The sons of Kohath:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel—four.
13 The sons of Amram:
Aaron and Moses.
Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart to be consecrated as most holy forever, to burn incense before Adonai, to minister to Him, and to bless in His name forever. 14 But as for Moses the man of God, his sons are named among the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses:
Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The sons of Gershom:
Shebuel, the leader.
17 The sons of Eliezer:
Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
18 The sons of Izhar:
Shelomith the leader.
19 The sons of Hebron:
Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel:
Micah the first and Isshiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari:
Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli:
Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died having no sons but only daughters; the sons of Kish, their kinsmen, took them as wives.
23 The sons of Mushi:
Mahli, Eder, and Yeremot—three.
24 These were the sons of Levi by clans, with the heads of clans as they were enrolled and with a list of their names by heads who carried out the task of avodah in the House of Adonai from 20 years old and upward. 25 For David said: “Adonai, the God of Israel, has given His people rest and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 Therefore, the Levites need not carry the Tabernacle and all the vessels for avodah.” 27 For according to David’s final instructions, the Levites 20 years old and upward were counted.
28 For their duty was to help the descendants of Aaron in the avodah of Adonai’s House concerning the courtyards and rooms, the purification of all holy things and the performance of the avodah of God’s House, 29 the rows of bread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the matzot, the cake baked on the griddle or mixed and every measure of capacity and length, 30 and to stand every morning to thank and praise Adonai. They also did this in the evening 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to Adonai on Shabbatot, New Moons and the moadim. They were to serve regularly before Adonai, according to the proper number in the manner prescribed for them. 32 They were to keep watch over the Tent of Meeting, the Holy Place and the sons of Aaron their kinsmen for avodah in the House of Adonai.
24 Now these were the divisions of the sons of Aaron.
The sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as kohanim. 3 David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them into their offices according to their avodah. 4 More leading men were found among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, so they divided them: the sons of Eleazar had 16 leaders of clans and the sons of Ithamar had eight leaders of clans. 5 Thus, they were impartially divided by lot for there were officials of the Holy Place and officials of God, both from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
6 The scribe Shemaiah, son of Nethanel from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the leaders of the clans of the kohanim and of the Levites: one clan taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.
7 Now the first lot came for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah, 8 the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim, 9 the fifth for Malchijah, the sixth for Mijamin, 10 the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for Abijah, 11 the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah, 12 the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim, 13 the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Heshebeab, 14 the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer, 15 the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Hapizzez, 16 the nineteenth for Petahiah the twentieth for Jehezkel, 17 the twentyfirst for Jachin, the twentysecond for Gamul, 18 the twentythird for Delaiah, the twentyfourth for Maaziah.
19 These were their duties for their avodah upon entering into the House of Adonai according to the ordinance given to them by the hand of Aaron their father, just as Adonai the God of Israel had commanded him.
20 As for the rest of the sons of Levi:
from the sons of Amram: Shubael;
from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.
21 As for Rehabiah, from the sons of Rehabiah
Isshiah was the first.
22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth;
from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.
23 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.
24 The sons of Uzziel: Micah;
from the sons of Micah: Shamir.
25 The brother of Micah, Ishiah;
from the sons of Ishiah: Zechariah.
26 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi;
the sons of Jaaziah: Beno.
27 The sons of Merari:
from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri.
28 From Mahli:
Eleazar, who had no sons.
29 From Kish, the sons of Kish: Jerahmeel.
30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth.
These were the sons of the Levites by their clans. 31 These also cast lots even as their kinsmen the sons of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech and the heads of the clans of the kohanim and the Levites—the families of the oldest just like those of his youngest brother.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.