1 Chronicles 23
23
David Organizes the Levites
1 When David was old and approaching the end of his life,#tn Heb “and full of years.” he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
2 David#tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity. assembled all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and the Levites. 3 The Levites who were thirty years old and up were counted; there were 38,000 men.#tn Heb “and their number by their heads, by men, was 38,000.” 4 David said,#tn The words “David said” are supplied here in the translation for clarification. The appearance of the first person verb “I supplied” in v. 5 indicates that David is speaking here. “Of these, 24,000 are to direct the work of the Lord’s temple; 6,000 are to be officials and judges; 5 4,000 are to be gatekeepers; and 4,000 are to praise the Lord with the instruments I supplied for worship.”#tn Heb “made to [or “for”] praise.” 6 David divided them into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 The Gershonites included Ladan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan:
Jehiel the oldest, Zetham, and Joel – three in all.
9 The sons of Shimei:
Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran – three in all.
These were the leaders of the family of Ladan.
10 The sons of Shimei:
Jahath, Zina,#tc The MT reads “Zina” here and “Zizah” in v. 11. One Hebrew ms, the LXX, and the Vulgate, harmonizing the form of the name to that found in v. 11, read “Zizah” here. Jeush, and Beriah. These were Shimei’s sons – four in all.#sn Verses 8-10 are confusing. Two different lists of Shimei’s sons appear. In between these lists is the statement “these were the leaders of the family of Ladan,” suggesting that the list just before this includes the sons of Ladan, not Shimei. But verse 8 already lists Ladan’s sons. Apparently the text as it stands is a conflation of differing traditions. 11 Jahath was the oldest and Zizah the second oldest. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were considered one family with one responsibility.
12 The sons of Kohath:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel – four in all.
13 The sons of Amram:
Aaron and Moses.
Aaron and his descendants were chosen on a permanent basis to consecrate the most holy items, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to serve him, and to praise his name.#tn Heb “and Aaron was set apart to consecrate it, the most holy things, he and his sons, permanently, to sacrifice before the Lord, to serve him, and to bless his name permanently.” 14 The descendants of Moses the man of God were considered Levites.#tn Heb “and Moses the man of God, his sons were called to the tribe of Levi.”
15 The sons of Moses:
Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The son#tn The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this. The attached phrase “the oldest” might indicate that Shebuel was not Gershom’s only son, but note v. 17. of Gershom:
Shebuel#tc The LXX reads Σουβαηλ (Soubahl) here, a reading followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV (“Shubael”); cf. 24:20. the oldest.
17 The son of Eliezer was#tn The Hebrew text has “the sons of Eliezer were,” but only one name appears after this in the verse, and we are specifically told that Eliezer had no other sons. Rehabiah, the oldest. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many descendants.
18 The son#tn The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this. The attached phrase “the oldest” might indicate that Shelomith was not Izhar’s only son, but note v. 17. of Izhar:
Shelomith the oldest.
19 The sons of Hebron:
Jeriah the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel:
Micah the oldest, and Isshiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari:
Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli:
Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died without having sons; he had only daughters. The sons of Kish, their cousins, married them.#tn Heb “the sons of Kish, their brothers [i.e., relatives/cousins] lifted them up.” For other uses of נָאָשׂ (na’as, “lift up”) in the sense of “marry,” see BDB 671 s.v. Qal.3.d.
23 The sons of Mushi:
Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth – three in all.
24 These were the descendants of Levi according to their families, that is, the leaders of families as counted and individually listed who carried out assigned tasks in the Lord’s temple and were twenty years old and up.#tn Heb “these were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, according to their numberings, by number of names, according to their heads, doer[s] of the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from a son of twenty years and upwards.” 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given his people rest and has permanently settled in Jerusalem.#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 26 So the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the items used in its service.” 27 According to David’s final instructions, the Levites twenty years old and up were counted.#tn Heb “for by the final words of David, they were the number of the sons of Levi, from a son of twenty years and upward.”
28 Their job was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the Lord’s temple. They were to take care of the courtyards, the rooms, ceremonial purification of all holy items, and other jobs related to the service of God’s temple.#tn Heb “For their assignment was at the hand of the sons of Aaron for the work of the house of the Lord concerning the courtyards and concerning the rooms and concerning the purification of all holiness and the work of the service of the house of God.” 29 They also took care of#tn Heb “with respect to.” the bread that is displayed, the flour for offerings, the unleavened wafers, the round cakes, the mixing, and all the measuring.#tn The Hebrew terms מְשׂוּרָה (mÿsurah) and מִדָּה (middah) refer to different types of measurements. 30 They also stood in a designated place#tn Heb “and to stand.” every morning and offered thanks and praise to the Lord. They also did this in the evening 31 and whenever burnt sacrifices were offered to the Lord on the Sabbath and at new moon festivals and assemblies. A designated number were to serve before the Lord regularly in accordance with regulations.#tn Heb “by number according to the manner upon them, regularly before the Lord.” 32 They were in charge of the meeting tent and the holy place, and helped their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, in the service of the Lord’s temple.#tn Heb “and they kept the charge of the tent of meeting and the charge of the holy place and the charge of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.”
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1 Chronicles 23
23
1So when Dauid was olde and full of dayes, he made Salomon his sonne King ouer Israel. 2And hee gathered together all the princes of Israel with the Priestes and the Leuites. 3And the Leuites were numbred from ye age of thirtie yeere and aboue, and their nomber according to their summe was eight and thirtie thousand men. 4Of these foure and twentie thousande were set to aduance the worke of the house of the Lord, and sixe thousand were ouerseers and iudges. 5And foure thousand were porters, and foure thousande praised the Lord with instruments which he made to praise the Lord. 6So Dauid deuided offices vnto them, to wit, to the sonnes of Leui, to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 7Of the Gershonites were Laadan and Shimei. 8The sonnes of Laadan, the chiefe was Iehiel, and Zetham and Ioel, three. 9The Sonnes of Shimei, Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haram, three: these were the chiefe fathers of Laadan. 10Also the sonnes of Shimei were Iahath, Zina, Ieush, and Beriah: these foure were ye sonnes of Shimei. 11And Iahath was the chiefe, and Zizah the seconde, but Ieush and Beriah had not many sonnes: therfore they were in the families of their father, counted but as one. 12The sonnes of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron aud Vzziel, foure. 13The sonnes of Amram, Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated to sanctifie the most holy place, hee and his sonnes for euer to burne incense before the Lord, to minister to him, and to blesse in his Name for euer. 14Moses also the man of God, and his children were named with the tribe of Leui. 15The sonnes of Moses were Gershom, and Eliezer, 16Of the sonnes of Gershom was Shebuel the chiefe. 17And the sonne of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chiefe: for Eliezer had none other sonnes: but the sonnes of Rehabiah were very many. 18The sone of Izhar was Shelomith ye chiefe. 19The sonnes of Hebron were Ieriah the first, Amariah the second, Iahaziel the third, and Iekamiam the fourth. 20The sones of Vzziel were Michah the first, and Isshiah the second. 21The sonnes of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sonnes of Mahli, Eleazar and Kish. 22And Eleazar dyed, and had no sonnes, but daughters, and their brethren the sonnes of Kish tooke them. 23The sonnes of Mushi were Mahli, and Eder, and Ierimoth, three. 24These were the sonnes of Leui according to the house of their fathers, euen the chiefe fathers according to their offices, according to the nomber of names and their summe that did the worke for the seruice of the house of the Lord from the age of twentie yeeres and aboue. 25For Dauid sayde, The Lord God of Israel hath giuen rest vnto his people, that they may dwell in Ierusalem for euer. 26And also the Leuites shall no more beare the Tabernacle and al the vessels for the seruice thereof. 27Therefore according to the last wordes of Dauid, the Leuites were nombred from twentie yeere and aboue, 28And their office was vnder the hand of the sonnes of Aaron, for the seruice of the house of the Lord in the courtes, and chambers, and in the purifiyng of all holy thinges, and in the worke of the seruice of the house of God, 29Both for the shewbread, and for the fine floure, for the meate offring, and for the vnleauened cakes, and for the fryed things, and for that which was rosted, and for all measures and cise, 30And for to stand euery morning, to giue thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise at euen, 31And to offer all burnt offrings vnto the Lord, in the Sabbaths, in the moneths, and at the appointed times, according to the nomber and according to their custome continually before the Lord, 32And that they should keepe the charge of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the charge of ye holy place, and the charge of ye sonnes of Aaron their brethren in the seruice of ye house of the Lord.
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