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Divisions of the priests
24 The divisions of the Aaronites:
Aaron’s family: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
2 Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, without having sons, and so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. 3 David, with the help of Zadok from Eleazar’s family and Ahimelech from Ithamar’s family, divided them according to their appointed duties. 4 Since Eleazar’s family was found to have more male heads than Ithamar’s family, they divided them so that Eleazar’s family had sixteen household heads and Ithamar’s family had eight. 5 They divided both groups by lots because there were holy leaders, even outstanding leaders, among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants. 6 Shemaiah, Nethanel’s son, the levitical scribe, recorded their names in the presence of the king; the leaders; Zadok the priest; Ahimelech, Abiathar’s son; and the household heads of the priests and Levites. One household was taken from Eleazar followed by one from Ithamar.
7 The first lot fell 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 These were to enter the Lord’s temple according to their appointed duty and by the procedure established for them by their ancestor Aaron, just as the Lord God of Israel had instructed him.
Rest of the Levites
20 The rest of the Levites included:
from Amram’s family: Shubael;
from Shubael’s family: Jehdeiah;
21 from Rehabiah and his family: Isshiah the first;
22 from the Izharites: Shelomoth;
from Shelomoth’s family: Jahath;
23 Hebron’s family:[a] Jeriah the first,[b] Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth;
24 Uzziel’s family: Micah;
from Micah’s family: Shamir;
25 Micah’s brother Isshiah;
from Isshiah’s family: Zechariah;
26 Merari’s family: Mahli, Mushi and his son Jaaziah’s family;
27 Merari’s family by his son Jaaziah: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri;
28 from Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons;
29 from Kish and his family: Jerahmeel;
30 and Mushi’s family: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the Levites according to their households. 31 Both the household head and his youngest brother cast lots, just as their relatives, Aaron’s descendants, had done in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the priestly and levitical households.
Temple musicians
25 David and the army officers[c] set apart Asaph’s family, Heman and Jeduthun, for service to prophesy[d] accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals.
This is the list of those who performed this special service:
2 From Asaph’s family: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. Asaph’s family was under Asaph’s direction and prophesied by order of the king.
3 From Jeduthun and his family: Gedaliah, Izri,[e] Jeshaiah, Shimei,[f] Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all. They were under their father Jeduthun’s direction, prophesying with the lyre and giving thanks and praise to the Lord.
4 From Heman and his family: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
5 All these were the family of Heman the king’s seer, according to God’s promise to honor him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6 They were all under their father’s direction when singing in the Lord’s temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres to provide service in God’s temple, by order of the king.
As for Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman, 7 the number of themselves and their relatives, who were trained in singing to the Lord and who were all skillful, was 288.
8 They cast lots for their assigned duties, small as well as great, teacher and pupil alike.
9 The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedaliah, his relatives, and his family, 12;
10 the third to Zaccur, his family, and his relatives, 12;
11 the fourth to Izri, his family, and his relatives, 12;
12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
14 the seventh to Jesarelah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
17 the tenth to Shimei, his family, and his relatives, 12;
18 the eleventh to Uzziel,[g] his family, and his relatives, 12;
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
20 the thirteenth to Shubael, his family, and his relatives, 12;
21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
22 the fifteenth to Jerimoth,[h] his family, and his relatives, 12;
23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his family, and his relatives, 12;
26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, his family, and his relatives, 12;
27 the twentieth to Eliathah, his family, and his relatives, 12;
28 the twenty-first to Hothir, his family, and his relatives, 12;
29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, his family, and his relatives, 12;
30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his family, and his relatives, 12;
31 and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his family, and his relatives, 12.
Gatekeepers
26 The divisions of the gatekeepers: from the Korahites: Meshelemiah, Kore’s son, one of Ebiasaph’s[i] family.
2 Meshelemiah’s family: Zechariah the oldest, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh.
4 Obed-edom’s family: Shemaiah the oldest, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth. God truly blessed him. 6 To his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled over their household, because they were valiant men. 7 Shemaiah’s family: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, and his relatives, Elihu and Semachiah, who were valiant men. 8 All these were members of Obed-edom’s family, they, their sons, and their relatives. They were valiant and strong in their service, 62 men belonging to Obed-edom. 9 Meshelemiah’s family and relatives, valiant men, numbered 18.
10 Hosah, one of Merari’s family, also had a family: Shimri the first (though he wasn’t the oldest, his father gave him that status), 11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. All of Hosah’s family and relatives numbered 13.
Abraham’s faith was credited as righteousness
4 So what are we going to say? Are we going to find that Abraham is our ancestor on the basis of genealogy? 2 Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God. 3 What does the scripture say? Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.[a] 4 Workers’ salaries aren’t credited to them on the basis of an employer’s grace but rather on the basis of what they deserve. 5 But faith is credited as righteousness to those who don’t work, because they have faith in God who makes the ungodly righteous. 6 In the same way, David also pronounces a blessing on the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from actions:
7 Happy are those whose actions outside the Law are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered.
8 Happy are those whose sin isn’t counted against them by the Lord.[b]
9 Is this state of happiness only for the circumcised or is it also for those who aren’t circumcised? We say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 So how was it credited? When he was circumcised, or when he wasn’t circumcised? In fact, it was credited while he still wasn’t circumcised, not after he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that comes from the faith he had while he still wasn’t circumcised. It happened this way so that Abraham could be the ancestor of all those people who aren’t circumcised, who have faith in God, and so are counted as righteous. 12 He could also be the ancestor of those circumcised people, who aren’t only circumcised but who also walk in the path of faith, like our ancestor Abraham did while he wasn’t circumcised.
Psalm 13
For the music leader. A song of David.
13 How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long will I be left to my own wits,
agony filling my heart? Daily?
How long will my enemy keep defeating me?
3 Look at me!
Answer me, Lord my God!
Restore sight to my eyes!
Otherwise, I’ll sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I won!”
My foes will rejoice over my downfall.
5 But I have trusted in your faithful love.
My heart will rejoice in your salvation.
6 Yes, I will sing to the Lord
because he has been good to me.
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep;
a slacker goes hungry.
16 Those who keep the commandment preserve their lives;
those who disregard their ways will die.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible