Chronological

23 When David was old, full of years, and near death, he appointed his son Solomon to succeed him as king over Israel. ² Then David gathered together all the leaders of Israel, including the priests and the Levites.

³ At that time, there were 38,000 Levites 30 years of age and older, an employable age. ⁴ Of these, 24,000 directed the work of the temple of the Eternal, 6,000 were officers and judges, ⁵ 4,000 were gatekeepers, and 4,000 were musicians, praising Him with the instruments David made. ⁶ David divided the Levites into their families, the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷ The Gershonites had two families: Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ Ladan had three sons: Jehiel (the first), Zetham, and Joel. ⁹ Shimei had three sons also: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These men were the chiefs of Ladan’s family. ¹⁰ Shimei’s other four sons were Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. ¹¹ Jahath was the first and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have strong lineages. Eventually their families combined to make one family.

¹² The Kohathites had four families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ¹³ Amram had two sons: Aaron and Moses. Aaron’s lineage was chosen to ordain and cleanse themselves as the most holy among the Levites forever. They were charged with burning incense before the Eternal, ministering to Him, and blessing in His name forever. Because they were set apart, their lineage is not included in this genealogy. ¹⁴ Moses, the man of God, had two sons whose family lineages were included in this genealogy of the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ Moses’ sons were Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ Gershom’s son was Shebuel (the chief). ¹⁷ Eliezer had only one son: Rehabiah (the chief). Rehabiah had many sons. ¹⁸ Izhar (the son of Kohath) had one son: Shelomith (the chief). ¹⁹ Hebron (the son of Kohath) had four sons: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ Uzziel (the son of Kohath) had two sons: Micah the first and Isshiah the second.

²¹ The Merarites had two families: Mahli and Mushi. Mahli had two sons: Eleazar and Kish. ²² When Eleazar died he had no sons, only daughters. These women maintained their father’s line by marrying their relatives, the sons of Kish. ²³ Mushi had three sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.

²⁴ This is the genealogy of Levi according to their families. The leaders of the families were counted along with all those working for the Eternal who were 20 years of age and older.

²⁷ These final words of King David changed who was included in the census. From this point forward, the sons of Levi who were 20 years of age and older were included in the genealogies.

²⁸ The Levites help Aaron’s family with their duties in the temple of the Eternal, purifying all the things dedicated to spiritual service in the courts and in the chambers of the temple, and preparing for services in the temple: ²⁹ making the loaves of unleavened bread, selecting the fine flour for a grain offering, making the unleavened wafers, or preparing anything else that is baked in the pan or well-mixed, regardless of the amount and size. ³⁰ They stand and testify about the Eternal regularly, every morning and evening. ³¹ They offer all the burnt offerings to Him on the Sabbath days, the new moons, and the holidays according to the law given to Moses. ³² In these ways, they are responsible for the congregation tent and the holy utensils within the sanctuary. They are helpers of Aaron’s family, and they help maintain the temple of the Eternal.

24 Because Aaron’s family was set apart by God for the service of the temple, his family’s genealogy is separated from the other Levites. The Aaronites were divided into families based on the sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ² The two oldest, Nadab and Abihu, died before their father did, and they had no sons. So Aaron’s youngest sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, became the priests.

³ King David, with the help of Zadok (from the line of Eleazar) and Ahimelech (from the line of Ithamar), divided the Levites by the duties they performed in the temple. ⁴ Since the descendants of Eleazar boasted more chiefs than the descendants of Ithamar did, the three men divided the Levites accordingly. In Eleazar’s line, sixteen families were distinguished, in Ithamar’s line, eight families were distinguished. ⁵ The divisions were determined by a system of lots, one way that God’s will was revealed to men. The descendants of Eleazar and Ithamar filled two positions: officers of the sanctuary and officers of God.

⁶ Shemaiah (son of Nethanel the scribe, a Levite) recorded the results of the lots in front of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech (son of Abiathar), and the heads of the Levite families. As the men drew their lots, they formed two lines: one representing the line of Eleazar and one representing the line of Ithamar. ⁷ Now the first lot went to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, ⁸ the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, ⁹ the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, ¹⁰ the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, ¹¹ the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, ¹² the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, ¹³ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, ¹⁴ the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, ¹⁵ the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, ¹⁶ the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, ¹⁷ the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, ¹⁸ the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. ¹⁹ They performed their appointed offices when they entered the temple of the Eternal in two-week shifts each year as the law requires according to the Eternal God of Israel’s command through their father Aaron. The rest of the year, the Levites served God in their hometowns.

²⁰ This is the continuation of the Levites from Kohath’s line: Shubael (son of Amram) fathered Jehdeiah. ²¹ Rehabiah (son of Eliezer) fathered Isshiah (the first). ²² Shelomoth (son of Izhar) fathered Jahath. ²³ Hebron (son of Kohath) fathered Jeriah first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, and Jekameam fourth. ²⁴ Micah (son of Uzziel) fathered Shamir. ²⁵ Isshiah (brother of Micah) fathered Zechariah.

^26-27 From Merari’s line were Mahli and Mushi; Jaaziah fathered Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri. ²⁸ Mahli fathered Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹ Kish fathered Jerahmeel. ^30-31 Mushi fathered Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These Levites, according to their families, also determined their divisions by the system of lots (as their relatives, the sons of Aaron had done) in the presence of King David, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech, and the leaders of the priests’ families and of the Levites (the leaders of all the families and those of his younger brother).

25 David and the heads of the Levites, also known as the commanders of the army, selected for the service some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. These men were expected to serve in the temple by prophesying with lyres, harps, and cymbals. These are the singers who performed these duties in order of their descent. ² The sons of Asaph (Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah) were directed by Asaph who prophesied because the king appointed him that duty. ³ The six sons of Jeduthun (Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah) were directed by their father Jeduthun who used the harp to prophesy, as well as to testify about the Eternal. ^4-5 The 14 sons of Heman the king’s prophet were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. His many sons and three daughters gave Heman prominence before God. ^6-7 All these were directed by their father to sing with cymbals, harps, and lyres in the temple of the Eternal. These three families, 288 of whom were musically skilled, worked in the temple singing to the Eternal, but they served the king.

⁸ All of these men, the weak and the mighty, the students and the teachers, used a system of lots to determine their duties. These are the singers who performed in the temple in order of their duties: ^9-31 Joseph (son of Asaph) drew the first lot; and the other singers drew lots in this order, second through 24th: Gedaliah, Zaccur, Izri, Nethaniah, Bukkiah, Jesharelah, Jeshaiah, Mattaniah, Shimei, Azarel, Hashabiah, Shubael, Mattithiah, Jeremoth, Hananiah, Joshbekashah, Hanani, Mallothi, Eliathah, Hothir, Giddalti, Mahazioth, and finally, Romamti-ezer. Each man who drew a lot represented 12 men, including his sons, his brothers, and himself, and these 24 groups served in the temple two weeks each year as the Levites did.