1 Chronicles 23
1 When David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
2 He gathered all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and the Levites.
3 The Levites were counted from thirty years old and up, and their number, counted head by head among the men, was thirty-eight thousand.
4 Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, and six thousand were officers and judges;
5 four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand were to praise the LORD with the instruments I made for praise.
6 David divided them into groups according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 From the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan were Jehiel, the chief, Zetham, and Joel—three.
9 The sons of Shimei were Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran—three. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.
10 The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.
11 Jahath was the chief, and Ziza was second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they formed one ancestral house, in one division.
12 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four.
13 The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to be consecrated as most holy, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the LORD, to serve him, and to bless in his name forever.
14 As for Moses, the man of God, his sons were counted in the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The son of Gershom was Shebuel, the chief.
17 The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah, the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
18 The son of Izhar was Shelomith, the chief.
19 The sons of Hebron were Jeriah, the chief; Amariah, second; Jahaziel, third; and Jekameam, fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel were Micah, the chief, and Isshiah, second.
21 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died and had no sons, only daughters; and the sons of Kish, their brothers, married them.
23 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three.
24 These were the sons of Levi according to their ancestral houses: heads of families, registered by the number of names, head by head, who did the work of service in the house of the LORD, from twenty years old and up.
25 For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given his people rest, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.
26 The Levites also no longer have to carry the tabernacle or any of its furnishings for its service.”
27 For according to David’s final words, this is the number of the sons of Levi from twenty years old and up.
28 Their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the LORD: in the courtyards and rooms, in the purification of everything holy, and in the work of service in the house of God;
29 also with the rows of bread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the unleavened wafers, the baking pans and the mixed dough, and every measure and quantity.
30 They were to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening;
31 and for every burnt offering to the LORD on the Sabbaths, new moons, and festivals, in the number prescribed for them, continually before the LORD.
32 Thus they kept watch over the tent of meeting, the holy place, and their brothers, the sons of Aaron, in the service of the house of the LORD.
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