1 Chronicles 23

¹ Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel. ² He gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

³ The Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward; and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of Yahweh’s house; and six thousand were officers and judges; ⁵ and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Yahweh with the instruments which I made,” said David, “to praise therewith.”

⁶ David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷ Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. ⁹ The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan. ¹⁰ The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. ¹¹ Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah didn’t have many sons; therefore they became one father’s house in one reckoning.

¹² The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. ¹³ The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before Yahweh, to minister to him, and to bless in his name forever. ¹⁴ But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵ The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief. ¹⁷ The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

¹⁸ The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. ¹⁹ The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second.

²¹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. ²² Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only; and their brothers the sons of Kish took them as wives. ²³ The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

²⁴ These were the sons of Levi after their fathers’ houses, even the heads of the fathers’ houses of those who were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of Yahweh’s house, from twenty years old and upward. ²⁵ For David said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ Also the Levites shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any of the vessels of it for its service.”

²⁷ For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered, from twenty years old and upward. ²⁸ For their duty was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of Yahweh’s house, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of God’s house; ²⁹ 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 kinds of measure and size; ³⁰ and to stand every morning to thank and praise Yahweh, and likewise at evening; ³¹ and to offer all burnt offerings to Yahweh on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning them, continually before Yahweh.

³² They shall keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting, and the responsibility of the holy place, and the responsibility of the sons of Aaron their brothers, for the service of Yahweh’s house.