1 Chronicles 23

¹ When David had become old and ful of days, he made his son Solomon king of Israel,

² and then summoned al the leaders of Israel, with the priests and Levites.

³ A census was taken of those Levites thirty years old and upwards. On a count of heads, theynumbered thirty-eight thousand men;

⁴ twenty-four thousand were responsible for the service of the House of Yahweh, six thousand wereofficials and judges,

⁵ four thousand were gatekeepers and four thousand praised Yahweh on the instruments which Davidhad made for praising him.

⁶ David then divided the Levites into classes: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

⁷ Of the Gershonites there were Ladan and Shimei.

⁸ Sons of Ladan: Jehiel first, Zetham, Joel; three in al .

⁹ Sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, Haran; three in al . These are the heads of families of Ladan.

¹⁰ Sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, Beriah; these were the sons of Shimei; four in al .

¹¹ Jahath was the eldest, Zizah the second, then Jeush and Beriah, who had not many children andwere reckoned as one family.

¹² Sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel; four in al .

¹³ Sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to consecrate the things that were especial yholy, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense in the presence of Yahweh, to serve him and to bless in his namefor ever.

¹⁴ Moses, man of God, and his sons were reckoned with the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵ Sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

¹⁶ Sons of Gershom: Shebuel, the first.

¹⁷ Of the sons of Eliezer, Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiahwere very numerous.

¹⁸ Sons of Izhar: Shelomith, the first.

¹⁹ Sons of Hebron: Jeriah first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, Jekameam fourth.

²⁰ Sons of Uzziel: Micah first, Isshiah second.

²¹ Sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. Sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

²² Eleazar died without sons, but he did have daughters, whom their cousins, the sons of Kish, married.

²³ Sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, Jeremoth: three in al .

²⁴ These were the sons of Levi by their families, the heads of families, and those registered by name,individual y; whoever was twenty years old or upwards had his function in the service of the Temple of Yahweh.

²⁵ For David said, 'Since Yahweh, God of Israel, has given rest to his people Israel and has taken upresidence in Jerusalem for ever,

²⁶ the Levites need no longer carry the Dwel ing or any of the objects required for its service.'

²⁷ For, according to the last words of David, the Levites who had been registered were of twenty yearsand upwards.

²⁸ Their duty now is to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the House of Yahweh, in the care of thecourts and rooms, the purification of al the holy things, the work for the service of the House of God,

²⁹ the loaves of permanent offering, the flour for the oblation, the wafers of unleavened bread, the pan-baked materials, the unmixed materials and all measures of volume and length.

³⁰ Furthermore, they have to be present every morning to give thanks and praise to Yahweh, and alsoin the evening,

³¹ and at the bringing of every burnt offering to Yahweh on Sabbath, New Moon or solemn feast,appearing regularly before Yahweh in accordance with the numbers required of them.

³² In serving the Temple of Yahweh they observe the ritual of the Tent of Meeting, the ritual of thesanctuary and the ritual of their kinsmen, the sons of Aaron.'