1 Chronicles 23
Expanded Bible
The Levites
23 After David ·had lived long [L was full of years] and was old, he made his son Solomon the new king of Israel. 2 David gathered all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and Levites. 3 He counted the Levites who were thirty years old and older, and they totaled thirty-eight thousand. 4 David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand Levites will ·direct [oversee; supervise] the work of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, six thousand Levites will be ·officers [officials] and judges, 5 four thousand Levites will be gatekeepers, and four thousand Levites will praise the Lord with musical instruments I made for ·giving praise [worship].”
6 David separated the Levites into three groups that were led by Levi’s three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The People of Gershon
7 From the people of Gershon [6:1], there were Ladan and Shimei.
8 Ladan had three sons. His first son was Jehiel, and his other sons were Zetham and Joel.
9 Shimei’s sons were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These three sons were leaders of Ladan’s ·families [clans]. 10 Shimei had four sons: Jahath, Ziza,[a] Jeush, and Beriah. 11 Jahath was the ·first son [eldest; chief; family leader], and Ziza was the second son. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many children, so they were counted as if they were one family, with one ·assignment [responsibility].
The People of Kohath
12 Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
13 Amram’s sons were Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were ·chosen to be special [set apart] forever. They were chosen to ·prepare [dedicate; sanctify] the holy things, to ·offer sacrifices [burn incense] before the Lord, and to ·serve [minister to] him. They were to ·give [pronounce] blessings in his name forever.
14 Moses was the man of God, and his sons were counted as part of the tribe of Levi. 15 Moses’ sons were Gershom [Judg. 18:30] and Eliezer. 16 Gershom’s ·first [oldest; chief] son was Shubael. 17 Eliezer’s ·first [oldest; chief] son was Rehabiah. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many sons.
18 Izhar’s ·first [oldest; chief] son was Shelomith.
19 Hebron’s ·first [oldest; chief] son was Jeriah, his second was Amariah, his third was Jahaziel, and his fourth was Jekameam.
20 Uzziel’s ·first [oldest; chief] son was Micah and his second was Isshiah.
The People of Merari
21 Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli’s sons were Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died without sons; he had only daughters. Eleazar’s daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish. 23 Mushi’s three sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
The Levites’ Work
24 These were Levi’s descendants listed by ·their families [clans]. They were the leaders of families. Each person who was twenty years old or older was ·listed [counted]. They served in the Lord’s ·Temple [L house].
25 David had said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given ·rest [peace] to his people. He ·has come to live [dwells] in Jerusalem forever. 26 So the Levites don’t need to carry the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] or any of the ·things [articles; objects] used in its services anymore.” 27 David’s ·last [final] instructions were to count the Levites who were twenty years old and older.
28 The Levites had the ·job [duty; office] of ·helping [assisting] Aaron’s descendants in the service of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. They cared for the ·Temple [L house] ·courtyard [courts] and side rooms, and they ·made all the holy things pure [ceremonially purified all holy/sacred things]. Their job was to serve in the ·Temple [L house] of God. 29 They were ·responsible for [in charge of] putting the ·holy bread [T showbread] on the table, for the choice flour in the grain offerings, for the ·bread made without yeast [unleaven bread/wafers], for the ·baking and mixing [or the round cakes], and for the measuring of quantity or size. 30 The Levites also stood every morning and gave thanks and praise to the Lord. They also did this every evening. 31 The Levites offered all the burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord on the ·special days of rest [sabbaths], at the New Moon festivals [Num. 10:10; 29:6; 1 Sam. 20:5; 2 Kin. 4:23; Ezra 3:5; Ps. 81:3; Is. 1:13; Amos 8:5], and at all appointed feasts. They served before the Lord ·every day [continually]. They were to follow the rules for how many Levites should serve each time. 32 So the Levites ·took care [were in charge] of the ·Meeting Tent [Tabernacle] and the ·Holy Place [sanctuary]. And they helped their relatives, Aaron’s descendants, with the services at the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 23:10 Ziza Some Hebrew, Greek and Latin copies read “Ziza.” Other Hebrew copies read “Zina.”
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