The First Book of the Chronicles

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 23 -

Then David, being old and full of days, appointed his son Solomon as king over Israel.

And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests as well as the Levites.

And the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward. And there were found thirty-eight thousand men.

Of these, twenty-four thousand were chosen and distributed to the ministry of the house of the Lord. Then six thousand were overseers and judges.

Moreover, 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 music.

And David distributed them into courses according to the sons of Levi, specifically, Gershom, and Kohath, and Merari.

The Gershonites

(Numbers 3:21–26; Numbers 4:21–28)

The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Ladan: the leader Jahiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the leaders of the families of Ladan.

Then the sons of Shimei: Jahath, and Zizah, and Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei, four.

Now 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 house.

The Kohathites

(Numbers 3:27–32; Numbers 4:1–20)

The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel, four.

The 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 perpetuity.

The sons of Moses, the man of God, were also numbered in the tribe of Levi.

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

Now the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah the first. And there were no other sons for Eliezer. But the sons of Rehabiah were multiplied exceedingly.

The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.

The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, Isshiah the second.

The Merarites

(Numbers 3:33–37; Numbers 4:29–33)

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

Then Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters. And so the sons of Kish, their brothers, married them.

The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

Levite Duties Revised

These 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 upward.

For David said: “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and a habitation in Jerusalem even unto eternity.

Neither shall it be the office of the Levites any more to carry the tabernacle with all its equipment for use in the ministry.”

Also, according to the last precepts of David, the sons of Levi shall be counted by number from twenty years of age and upward.

And 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 Lord.

But 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 measure.

Yet truly, the Levites shall stand to confess and to sing to the Lord, in the morning, and similarly in the evening,

as 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 Lord.

And 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.

Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

He gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

The Levites were counted from thirty years old and upward; and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand.

David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the LORD’s house, six thousand were officers and judges,

four thousand were doorkeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made for giving praise.”

David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The Gershonites

(Numbers 3:21–26; Numbers 4:21–28)

Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, Zetham, and Joel, three.

The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan.

The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah didn’t have many sons; therefore they became a fathers’ house in one reckoning.

The Kohathites

(Numbers 3:27–32; Numbers 4:1–20)

The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister to him, and to bless in his name forever.

But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief.

The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

The son of Izhar: Shelomith the chief.

The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second.

The Merarites

(Numbers 3:33–37; Numbers 4:29–33)

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only; and their relatives, the sons of Kish, took them as wives.

The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

Levite Duties Revised

These were the sons of Levi after their fathers’ houses, even the heads of the fathers’ houses of those who were counted individually, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the LORD’s house, from twenty years old and upward.

For David said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.

Also the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its vessels for its service.”

For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were counted, from twenty years old and upward.

For their duty was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the LORD’s house—in the courts, in the rooms, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of God’s house;

for the show bread also, and for the fine flour for a meal offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is baked in the pan, or of that which is soaked, and for all measurements of quantity and size;

and to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise in the evening;

and to offer all burnt offerings to the LORD on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning them, continually before the LORD;

and that they should keep the duty of the Tent of Meeting, the duty of the holy place, and the duty of the sons of Aaron their brothers for the service of the LORD’s house.