Old/New Testament

25 David and the officials of the Tabernacle then appointed men to prophesy to the accompaniment of zithers, harps, and cymbals. These men were from the groups of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. Here is a list of their names and their work:

² Under the leadership of Asaph, the king’s private prophet, were his sons Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah.

³ Under Jeduthun, who led in giving thanks and praising the Lord (while accompanied by the zither), were his six sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah.

^4-5 Under the direction of Heman, the king’s private chaplain, were his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Geddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. (For God had honored him with fourteen sons and three daughters.) ^6-7 Their music ministry included the playing of cymbals, harps, and zithers; all were under the direction of their father as they performed this ministry in the Tabernacle.

Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman reported directly to the king. They and their families were all trained in singing praises to the Lord; each one—288 of them in all—was a master musician. ⁸ The singers were appointed to their particular term of service by coin-toss, without regard to age or reputation.

26 The Temple guards were from the Asaph division of the Korah clan. The captain of the guard was Meshelemiah, the son of Kore.

^2-3 His sergeants were his sons: Zechariah (the oldest), Jediael (the second), Zebadiah (the third), Jathniel (the fourth), Elam (the fifth), Jehohanan (the sixth), Eliehoenai (the seventh).

^4-5 The sons of Obed-edom were also appointed as Temple guards: Shemaiah (the oldest), Jehozabad (the second), Joah (the third), Sacar (the fourth), Nethanel (the fifth), Ammiel (the sixth), Issachar (the seventh), Peullethai (the eighth). What a blessing God gave him with all those sons!

^6-7 Shemaiah’s sons were all outstanding men and had positions of great authority in their clan. Their names were: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad.

Their brave brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were also very able men.

⁸ All of these sons and grandsons of Obed-edom—all sixty-two of them—were outstanding men who were particularly well qualified for their work. ⁹ Meshelemiah’s eighteen sons and brothers, too, were real leaders. ¹⁰ Hosah, one of the Merari group, appointed Shimri as the leader among his sons, though he was not the oldest. ¹¹ The names of some of his other sons were: Hilkiah, the second; Tebaliah, the third; Zechariah, the fourth. Hosah’s sons and brothers numbered thirteen in all.

¹² The divisions of the Temple guards were named after the leaders. Like the other Levites, they were responsible to minister at the Temple. ¹³ They were assigned guard duty at the various gates without regard to the reputation of their families, for it was all done by coin-toss. ^14-15 The responsibility of the east gate went to Shelemiah and his group; of the north gate to his son Zechariah, a man of unusual wisdom; of the south gate to Obed-edom and his group (his sons were given charge of the storehouses); ¹⁶ of the west gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road, to Shuppim and Hosah. ¹⁷ Six guards were assigned daily to the east gate, four to the north gate, four to the south gate, and two to each of the storehouses. ¹⁸ Six guards were assigned each day to the west gate, four to the upper road, and two to the nearby areas. ¹⁹ The Temple guards were chosen from the clans of Korah and Merari.

^20-22 Other Levites, led by Ahijah, were given the care of the gifts brought to the Lord and placed in the Temple treasury. These men of the Ladan subclan from the clan of Gershom included Zetham and Joel, the sons of Jehieli. ^23-24 Shebuel, son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, was the chief officer of the treasury. He was in charge of the divisions named after Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

²⁵ The line of descendants from Eliezer went through Rehabiah, Jeshaiah, Joram, Zichri, and Shelomoth. ²⁶ Shelomoth and his brothers were appointed to care for the gifts given to the Lord by King David and the other leaders of the nation such as the officers and generals of the army. ²⁷ For these men dedicated their war loot to support the operating expenses of the Temple. ²⁸ Shelomoth and his brothers were also responsible for the care of the items dedicated to the Lord by Samuel the prophet, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, Joab the son of Zeruiah, and anyone else of distinction^[a] who brought gifts to the Lord.

²⁹ Chenaniah and his sons (from the subclan of Izhar) were appointed public administrators and judges. ³⁰ Hashabiah and 1,700 of his clansmen from Hebron, all outstanding men, were placed in charge of the territory of Israel west of the Jordan River; they were responsible for the religious affairs and public administration of that area. ^31-32 Twenty-seven hundred outstanding men of the clan of the Hebronites, under the supervision of Jerijah, were appointed to control the religious and public affairs of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. These men, all of whom had excellent qualifications, were appointed on the basis of their ancestry and ability at Jazer in Gilead in the fortieth year of King David’s reign.

27 The Israeli army was divided into twelve regiments, each with 24,000 troops, including officers and administrative staff. These units were called up for active duty one month each year. Here is the list of the units and their regimental commanders:

^2-3 The commander of the First Division was Jashobeam. He had charge of 24,000 troops who were on duty the first month of each year.

⁴ The commander of the Second Division was Dodai (a descendant of Ahohi). He had charge of 24,000 troops who were on duty the second month of each year. Mikloth was his executive officer.

^5-6 The commander of the Third Division was Benaiah. His 24,000 men were on duty the third month of each year. (He was the son of Jehoiada the High Priest and was the chief of The Thirty, a group including the mightiest of David’s men.) His son Ammizabad succeeded him as division commander.

⁷ The commander of the Fourth Division was Asahel (the brother of Joab), who was later replaced by his son Zebadiah. He had 24,000 men on duty the fourth month of each year.

⁸ The commander of the Fifth Division was Shamuth from Izrah, with 24,000 men on duty the fifth month of each year.

⁹ The commander of the Sixth Division was Ira, the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; he had 24,000 men on duty the sixth month of each year.

¹⁰ The commander of the Seventh Division was Helez from Pelona in Ephraim, with 24,000 men on duty the seventh month of each year.

¹¹ The commander of the Eighth Division was Sibbecai of the Hushite subclan from Zerah, who had 24,000 men on duty the eighth month of each year.

¹² The commander of the Ninth Division was Abiezer (from Anathoth in the tribe of Benjamin), who commanded 24,000 troops during the ninth month of each year.

¹³ The commander of the Tenth Division was Maharai from Netophah in Zerah, with 24,000 men on duty the tenth month of each year.

¹⁴ The commander of the Eleventh Division was Benaiah from Pirathon in Ephraim, with 24,000 men on duty during the eleventh month of each year.

¹⁵ The commander of the Twelfth Division was Heldai from Netophah in the area of Othniel, who commanded 24,000 men on duty during the twelfth month of each year.

^16-22 The top political officers of the tribes of Israel were as follows:

²³ When David took his census, he didn’t include the twenty-year-olds or those younger, for the Lord had promised a population explosion for his people.^{[b] 24} Joab began the census, but he never finished it, for the anger of God broke out upon Israel; the final total was never put into the annals of King David.

²⁵ Azmaveth (son of Adiel) was the chief financial officer in charge of the palace treasuries, and Jonathan (son of Uzziah) was chief of the regional treasuries throughout the cities, villages, and fortresses of Israel.

²⁶ Ezri (son of Chelub) was manager of the laborers on the king’s estates. ²⁷ And Shimei from Ramath had the oversight of the king’s vineyards; and Zabdi from Shiphma was responsible for his wine production and storage. ²⁸ Baal-hanan from Gedera was responsible for the king’s olive yards and sycamore trees in the lowlands bordering Philistine territory, while Joash had charge of the supplies of olive oil.

²⁹ Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle on the plains of Sharon, and Shaphat (son of Adlai) had charge of those in the valleys. ³⁰ Obil, from the territory of Ishmael, had charge of the camels, and Jehdeiah from Meronoth had charge of the donkeys. ³¹ The sheep were under the care of Jaziz the Hagrite. These men were King David’s overseers.

³² The attendant to the king’s sons was Jonathan, David’s uncle, a wise counselor and an educated man.^[c] Jehiel (the son of Hachmoni) was their tutor.

³³ Ahithophel was the king’s official counselor, and Hushai the Archite was his personal advisor. ³⁴ Ahithophel was assisted by Jehoiada (the son of Benaiah) and by Abiathar. Joab was commander-in-chief of the Israeli army.

9 As he was walking along, he saw a man blind from birth.

² “Master,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?”

³ “Neither,” Jesus answered. “But to demonstrate the power of God. ⁴ All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, for there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. ⁵ But while I am still here in the world, I give it my light.”

⁶ Then he spat on the ground and made mud from the spittle and smoothed the mud over the blind man’s eyes, ⁷ and told him, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam” (the word Siloam means “Sent”). So the man went where he was sent and washed and came back seeing!

⁸ His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Is this the same fellow—that beggar?”

⁹ Some said yes, and some said no. “It can’t be the same man,” they thought, “but he surely looks like him!”

And the beggar said, “I am the same man!”

¹⁰ Then they asked him how in the world he could see. What had happened?

¹¹ And he told them, “A man they call Jesus made mud and smoothed it over my eyes and told me to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash off the mud. I did, and I can see!”

¹² “Where is he now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

¹³ Then they took the man to the Pharisees. ¹⁴ Now as it happened, this all occurred on a Sabbath.^{[a] 15} Then the Pharisees asked him all about it. So he told them how Jesus had smoothed the mud over his eyes, and when it was washed away, he could see!

¹⁶ Some of them said, “Then this fellow Jesus is not from God because he is working on the Sabbath.”

Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miracles?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

¹⁷ Then the Pharisees turned on the man who had been blind and demanded, “This man who opened your eyes—who do you say he is?”

“I think he must be a prophet sent from God,” the man replied.

¹⁸ The Jewish leaders wouldn’t believe he had been blind, until they called in his parents ¹⁹ and asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he see?”

²⁰ His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, ²¹ but we don’t know what happened to make him see, or who did it. He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him.”

^22-23 They said this in fear of the Jewish leaders who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be excommunicated.