Old/New Testament
The Music Groups
25 David and the leaders of the army separated the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun for special service. Their special service was to prophesy God’s message with harps, lyres, and cymbals. Here is a list of the men who served this way:
2 From Asaph’s family: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. King David chose Asaph to prophesy. And Asaph led his sons.
3 From Jeduthun’s family: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah. There were six of them. Jeduthun led his sons. Jeduthun used harps to prophesy and give thanks and praise to the Lord.
4 Heman’s sons who served were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 5 All these men were Heman’s sons. Heman was David’s seer. God promised to make Heman strong. So Heman had many sons. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6 Heman led all his sons in singing in the Lord’s temple.[a] His sons used cymbals, lyres, and harps. That was their way of serving in God’s temple. King David chose these men. 7 These men and their relatives from the tribe of Levi were trained to sing. There were 288 men who learned to sing praises to the Lord. 8 They threw lots to choose the different kinds of work each person was to do. Everyone was treated the same. Young and old were treated the same. And the teacher was treated the same as the student.
9 The first one chosen was Asaph (Joseph).
Second, there were 12 men chosen from Gedaliah’s sons and relatives.
10 Third, there were 12 men chosen from Zaccur’s sons and relatives.
11 Fourth, there were 12 men chosen from Izri’s sons and relatives.
12 Fifth, there were 12 men chosen from Nethaniah’s sons and relatives.
13 Sixth, there were 12 men chosen from Bukkiah’s sons and relatives.
14 Seventh, there were 12 men chosen from Asarelah’s sons and relatives.
15 Eighth, there were 12 men chosen from Jeshaiah’s sons and relatives.
16 Ninth, there were 12 men chosen from Mattaniah’s sons and relatives.
17 Tenth, there were 12 men chosen from Shimei’s sons and relatives.
18 Eleventh, there were 12 men chosen from Azarel’s sons and relatives.
19 Twelfth, there were 12 men chosen from Hashabiah’s sons and relatives.
20 Thirteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Shubael’s sons and relatives.
21 Fourteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Mattithiah’s sons and relatives.
22 Fifteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Jeremoth’s sons and relatives.
23 Sixteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Hananiah’s sons and relatives.
24 Seventeenth, there were 12 men chosen from Joshbekashah’s sons and relatives.
25 Eighteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Hanani’s sons and relatives.
26 Nineteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Mallothi’s sons and relatives.
27 Twentieth, there were 12 men chosen from Eliathah’s sons and relatives.
28 Twenty-first, there were 12 men chosen from Hothir’s sons and relatives.
29 Twenty-second, there were 12 men chosen from Giddalti’s sons and relatives.
30 Twenty-third, there were 12 men chosen from Mahazioth’s sons and relatives.
31 Twenty-fourth, there were 12 men chosen from Romamti Ezer’s sons and relatives.
The Gatekeepers
26 These are the groups of the gatekeepers from the Korah family:
There was Meshelemiah, son of Kore. Kore was from the family of Asaph. 2 Meshelemiah had sons. Zechariah was the oldest son. Jediael was the second son. Zebadiah was the third son. Jathniel was the fourth son. 3 Elam was the fifth son. Jehohanan was the sixth son. And Eliehoenai was the seventh son.
4 Obed Edom had sons. His oldest son was Shemaiah. Jehozabad was his second son. Joah was his third son. Sacar was his fourth son. Nethanel was his fifth son. 5 Ammiel was his sixth son, Issachar his seventh son, and Peullethai his eighth son. God really blessed Obed Edom.[b] 6 Obed Edom’s son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah also had sons. His sons were leaders in their father’s family because they were brave soldiers. 7 Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semakiah. Elzabad’s relatives were skilled workers. 8 All these men were Obed Edom’s descendants. These men and their sons and relatives were powerful men. They were good guards. Obed Edom had 62 descendants.
9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were powerful men. In all there were 18 sons and relatives.
10 These are the gatekeepers from the Merari family: Hosah, son of Merari, chose his son Shimri to be the leader, even though he was not the oldest son. 11 Hilkiah was Hosah’s second son, Tebaliah his third, and Zechariah his fourth son. In all Hosah had 13 sons and relatives who were gatekeepers.
12 These were the leaders of the groups of the gatekeepers. The gatekeepers had a special way to serve in the Lord’s Temple, just as their relatives did. 13 Each family was given a gate to guard. Lots were thrown to choose a gate for a family. Young and old were treated the same.
14 Meshelemiah was chosen to guard the East Gate. Then lots were thrown for Meshelemiah’s son Zechariah. Zechariah was a wise counselor. Zechariah was chosen for the North Gate. 15 Obed Edom was chosen for the South Gate. And Obed Edom’s sons were chosen to guard the house where the valuable things were kept. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were chosen for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road.
Guards stood side by side. 17 Six Levites stood guard every day at the East Gate. Four Levites stood guard every day at the North Gate. Four Levites stood guard at the South Gate. And two Levites guarded the house where the valuable things were kept. 18 There were four guards at the western court[c] and two guards on the road to the court.
19 These were the groups of the gatekeepers from the families of Korah and Merari.
The Treasurers and Other Officials
20 Ahijah was from the tribe of Levi. Ahijah was responsible for taking care of the valuable things in God’s Temple. Ahijah also was responsible for the places where the holy things were kept.
21 Ladan was from Gershon’s family. Jehieli was one of the leaders of the tribe of Ladan. 22 Jehieli’s sons were Zetham and Zetham’s brother Joel. They were responsible for the valuable things in the Lord’s Temple.
23 Other leaders were chosen from the tribes of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
24 Shubael was the leader responsible for the valuable things kept in the Temple. Shubael was Gershom’s son. Gershom was Moses’ son. 25 These were Shubael’s relatives: His relatives from Eliezer were Rehabiah, Eliezer’s son; Jeshaiah, Rehabiah’s son; Joram, Jeshaiah’s son; Zicri, Joram’s son; and Shelomith, Zicri’s son. 26 Shelomith and his relatives were responsible for everything that David had collected for the Temple.
The officers of the army also gave things for the Temple. 27 They gave some of the things taken in wars. They gave these things to be used for the Lord’s Temple. 28 Shelomith and his relatives took care of all the things that people gave to be used for the Temple. This included the things given by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah.
29 Kenaniah was from the Izhar family. Kenaniah and his sons had work outside the Temple. They worked as court officers and judges in different places in Israel. 30 Hashabiah was from the Hebron family. Hashabiah and his relatives were responsible for all the Lord’s work and for the king’s business in Israel west of the Jordan River. There were 1700 powerful men in Hashabiah’s group. 31 The family history of the Hebron family shows that Jeriah was their leader. When David had been king for 40 years, he ordered his people to search through the family histories for strong and skilled men. Some of them were found among the Hebron family living in the town of Jazer in Gilead. 32 Jeriah had 2700 relatives who were powerful men and leaders of families. King David gave these 2700 relatives the responsibility of leading the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh in taking care of God’s work and the king’s business.
Army Groups
27 This is the list of the Israelites who served the king in the army. Each group was on duty one month each year. There were rulers of families, captains, generals, and the court officers who served the king. Each army group had 24,000 men.
2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first group for the first month. There were 24,000 men in Jashobeam’s group. 3 Jashobeam, one of Perez’s descendants, was leader of all the army officers for the first month.
4 Dodai, from the Ahoahites, was in charge of the army group for the second month. Mikloth was a leader in that group. There were 24,000 men in Dodai’s group.
5 The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the leading priest. There were 24,000 men in Benaiah’s group. 6 He was the same Benaiah who was a brave soldier from the Thirty Heroes. He led these men. His son Ammizabad was in charge of Banaiah’s group.
7 The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab. Later, Asahel’s son Zebadiah took his place as commander. There were 24,000 men in Asahel’s group.
8 The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Shamhuth’s group.
9 The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh from the town of Tekoa. There were 24,000 men in Ira’s group.
10 The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Helez from the Pelonites and a descendant of Ephraim. There were 24,000 men in Helez’s group.
11 The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai from Hushah and from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Sibbecai’s group.
12 The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Abiezer from the town of Anathoth and the tribe of Benjamin. There were 24,000 men in Abiezer’s group.
13 The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Maharai from Netophah and from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Maharai’s group.
14 The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah from Pirathon and the tribe of Ephraim. There were 24,000 men in Benaiah’s group.
15 The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai from Netophah and from Othniel’s family. There were 24,000 men in Heldai’s group.
Leaders of the Tribes of Israel
16 These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel:
Eliezer son of Zicri, leader of the tribe of Reuben;
Shephatiah son of Maacah, leader of the tribe of Simeon;
17 Hashabiah son of Kemuel, leader of the tribe of Levi;
Zadok, leader of the people of Aaron;
18 Elihu, one of David’s brothers, leader of the tribe of Judah;
Omri son of Michael, leader of the tribe of Issachar;
19 Ishmaiah son of Obadiah, leader of the tribe of Zebulun;
Jeremoth son of Azriel, leader of the tribe of Naphtali;
20 Hoshea son of Azaziah, leader of the tribe of Ephraim;
Joel son of Pedaiah, leader of West Manasseh;
21 Iddo son of Zechariah, leader of East Manasseh;
Jaasiel son of Abner, leader of the tribe of Benjamin;
22 Azarel son of Jeroham, leader of the tribe of Dan.
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
David Counts the Israelites
23 David decided to count the men in Israel. There were very many people because the Lord had promised to make the Israelites as many as the stars in the sky. So David counted only the men who were 20 years old and older. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the people, but he did not finish.[d] God became angry with the Israelites. That is why the number of the people was not put in the book, The History of King David.
The King’s Administrators
25 This is the list of men who were responsible for the king’s property:
Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storerooms.
Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storerooms in the small towns, villages, fields, and towers.
26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers.
27 Shimei from Ramah was in charge of the vineyards.
Zabdi from Shepham was in charge of the storage and care of the wine that came from the vineyards.
28 Baal Hanan from Geder was in charge of the olive trees and sycamore trees in the western hill country.
Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil.
29 Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle around Sharon.
Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the cattle in the valleys.
30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.
Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.
31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the sheep.
All these men were the leaders who took care of King David’s property.
32 Jonathan was a wise counselor and a scribe. He was David’s uncle. Jehiel son of Hacmoni took care of the king’s sons. 33 Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai was the king’s friend. Hushai was from the Arkites. 34 Jehoiada and Abiathar later took Ahithophel’s place as the king’s counselor. Jehoiada was Benaiah’s son. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9 While Jesus was walking, he saw a man who had been blind since the time he was born. 2 Jesus’ followers asked him, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Whose sin made it happen? Was it his own sin or that of his parents?”
3 Jesus answered, “It was not any sin of this man or his parents that caused him to be blind. He was born blind so that he could be used to show what great things God can do. 4 While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the one who sent me. The night is coming, and no one can work at night. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After Jesus said this, he spit on the dirt, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 Jesus told him, “Go and wash in Siloam pool.” (Siloam means “Sent.”) So the man went to the pool, washed and came back. He was now able to see.
8 His neighbors and some others who had seen him begging said, “Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?”
9 Some people said, “Yes! He is the one.” But others said, “No, he can’t be the same man. He only looks like him.”
So the man himself said, “I am that same man.”
10 They asked, “What happened? How did you get your sight?”
11 He answered, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went there and washed. And then I could see.”
12 They asked him, “Where is this man?”
He answered, “I don’t know.”
Some Pharisees Have Questions
13 Then the people brought the man to the Pharisees. 14 The day Jesus had made mud and healed the man’s eyes was a Sabbath day. 15 So the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?”
He answered, “He put mud on my eyes. I washed, and now I can see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “That man does not obey the law about the Sabbath day. So he is not from God.”
Others said, “But someone who is a sinner cannot do these miraculous signs.” So they could not agree with each other.
17 They asked the man again, “Since it was your eyes he healed, what do you say about him?”
He answered, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jewish leaders still did not believe that this really happened to the man—that he was blind and was now healed. But later they sent for his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? You say he was born blind. So how can he see?”
20 His parents answered, “We know that this man is our son. And we know that he was born blind. 21 But we don’t know why he can see now. We don’t know who healed his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to answer for himself.” 22 They said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already decided that they would punish anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah. They would stop them from coming to the synagogue. 23 That is why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International