1 Chronicles 23

Modern

Literal

The Divisions of the Levites

¹When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.

¹And David was old and was full of days, and his son Solomon he made king over Israel.

²Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.

²And he gathered together all the heads of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites.

³The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000.

³And the Levites were numbered from a son of thirty years and above, and the number by their heads of mighty men was thirty-eight thousand.

⁴“Of these,” said David,^a “24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges,

⁴“From these were twenty-four thousand to preside over the work of the house of YHWH, six thousand and officers and judges,

⁵4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.”

⁵and four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand giving praise to YHWH with instruments that I have made for giving praise.”

⁶Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁶And David separated them into divisions among the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The Gershonites

⁷The Gershonites: Ladan^a and Shimei.

⁷Of the Gershonite: Ladan and Shimei.

⁸The sons of Ladan: Jehiel^a the first, Zetham, and Joel—three in all.

⁸The sons of Laadan: The first Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel—three.

⁹The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.

⁹The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran—three. These were the heads of the fathers of Laadan.

¹⁰And the sons of Shimei:^a Jahath, Zina,^b Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei—four in all.

¹⁰And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei—four.

¹¹Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as one family and received a single assignment.

¹¹And Jahath was the head, and Zizah the second. And Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, and they were to a house of a father in one assignment.

The Kohathites

¹²The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.

¹²The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four.

¹³The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever.

¹³The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart for his sanctifying the holy of holies, he and his sons even to forever, to burn incense before the face of YHWH, to minister for him, and to give the blessing in His name even to forever.

¹⁴As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

¹⁴And Moses the man of God, his sons were reckoned to the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

¹⁶The descendants of Gershom: Shebuel was the first.

¹⁶The sons of Gershom: Shebuel was the first.

¹⁷The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

¹⁷And of the sons of Eliezer Rehabiah: Was the first. And Eliezer had no other sons, and the sons of Rehabiah multiplied exceedingly.

¹⁸The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.

¹⁸The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

¹⁹The sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

¹⁹The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁰The sons of Uzziel: Micah was the first and Isshiah the second.

²⁰The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, and Isshiah the second.

The Merarites

²¹The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

²¹The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

²²Eleazar died without having any sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.

²²And Eleazar died; there were unto him no sons, but only daughters. And the sons of Kish, their brothers, lifted them.

²³The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—^athree in all.

²³The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth—three.

Levite Duties Revised

²⁴These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD.

²⁴These were the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers, heads of the fathers, by their appointments, in the number of names, by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of YHWH, from a son of twenty years and above.

²⁵For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever.

²⁵For David said, “YHWH, God of Israel, has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem even to forever.”

²⁶So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service.”

²⁶And also of the Levites, “No longer shall they carry the tabernacle or any of its articles for its service.”

²⁷For according to the final instructions of David, the Levites twenty years of age or older were counted,

²⁷For by the last words of David they were numbering the sons of Levi from a son of twenty years and above.

²⁸but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God,

²⁸For their duty was at the hand of the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of YHWH, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of every holy thing, and the work of the service of the house of God,

²⁹as well as for the rows of the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.

²⁹and for the bread of the arrangement, and the fine flour for the present, and for the unleavened cakes, and for the pan, and for what is mixed, and for all kinds of measures and sizes,

³⁰They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening.

³⁰and to stand morning by morning to thank and to give praise to YHWH, and likewise at the evening,

³¹Whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, they were to serve regularly before the LORD in the numbers prescribed for them.

³¹and at every presentation of burnt offerings to YHWH on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and for the appointed seasons, by number, according to the ordinance upon them, regularly before the face of YHWH.

³²So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the LORD.

³²And they were to keep the charge of the Tent of Meeting, and the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brothers in the work of the house of YHWH.