1 Chronicles 23
David, now old, appointed Solomon as king over Israel and gathered the leaders, priests, and Levites. The Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward, totaling 38,000 men, with 24,000 chosen for the ministry of the house of the Lord. David distributed them into courses according to the sons of Levi, specifically Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. The Levites were assigned various roles, including ministry, oversight, judging, and singing, with the priests overseeing the bread of the presence and sacrifices.
1Then David, being old and full of days, appointed his son Solomon as king over Israel2And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests as well as the Levites3And the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward. And there were found thirty-eight thousand men4Of these, twenty-four thousand were chosen and distributed to the ministry of the house of the Lord. Then six thousand were overseers and judges5Moreover, four thousand were porters. And the same number were the singers of psalms to the Lord, with the musical instruments which he had made for the music6And David distributed them into courses according to the sons of Levi, specifically, Gershom, and Kohath, and Merari7The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei8The sons of Ladan: the leader Jahiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three9The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the leaders of the families of Ladan10Then the sons of Shimei: Jahath, and Zizah, and Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei, four11Now Jahath was first, Zizah second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, and for this reason they were reckoned as one family and one house12The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel, four13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Now Aaron was separated so that he might minister in the Holy of Holies, he and his sons forever, and so that he might burn incense to the Lord, according to his rite, and so that he might bless his name in perpetuity14The sons of Moses, the man of God, were also numbered in the tribe of Levi15The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer16The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first17Now the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah the first. And there were no other sons for Eliezer. But the sons of Rehabiah were multiplied exceedingly18The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first19The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth20The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, Isshiah the second21The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish22Then Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters. And so the sons of Kish, their brothers, married them23The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three24These are the sons of Levi, in their kindred and families, leaders in turns, and the number of each of the heads who were doing the works of the ministry of the house of the Lord, from twenty years of age and upward25For David said: "The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and a habitation in Jerusalem even unto eternity26Neither shall it be the office of the Levites any more to carry the tabernacle with all its equipment for use in the ministry.27Also, according to the last precepts of David, the sons of Levi shall be counted by number from twenty years of age and upward28And they shall be under the hand of the sons of Aaron, in the care of the house of the Lord, in the vestibule, and in the chambers, and in the place of purification, and in the sanctuary, and in all the works of the ministry of the temple of the Lord29But the priests shall be over the bread of the presence, and the sacrifice of fine wheat flour, and the unleavened cakes, and the frying pan, and the roasting, and over every weight and measure30Yet truly, the Levites shall stand to confess and to sing to the Lord, in the morning, and similarly in the evening31as much in the oblation of the holocausts of the Lord, as in the Sabbaths and new moons and other solemnities, according to the number and ceremonies for each and every matter, perpetually before the Lord32And let them keep the observances of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the rituals of the sanctuary, and the observance of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, so that they may minister in the house of the Lord
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