1 Chronicles 6

New International Version

Levi

6 ^[a]The sons of Levi:^(A)

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

²The sons of Kohath:

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.^(B)

³The children of Amram:

Aaron, Moses and Miriam.^(C)

The sons of Aaron:

Nadab, Abihu,^(D) Eleazar^(E) and Ithamar.^(F)

⁴Eleazar was the father of Phinehas,^(G)

Phinehas the father of Abishua,

⁵Abishua the father of Bukki,

Bukki the father of Uzzi,

⁶Uzzi the father of Zerahiah,

Zerahiah the father of Meraioth,

⁷Meraioth the father of Amariah,

Amariah the father of Ahitub,

⁸Ahitub the father of Zadok,^(H)

Zadok the father of Ahimaaz,

⁹Ahimaaz the father of Azariah,

Azariah the father of Johanan,

¹⁰Johanan the father of Azariah^(I) (it was he who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem),

¹¹Azariah the father of Amariah,

Amariah the father of Ahitub,

¹²Ahitub the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Shallum,

¹³Shallum the father of Hilkiah,^(J)

Hilkiah the father of Azariah,

¹⁴Azariah the father of Seraiah,^(K)

and Seraiah the father of Jozadak.^[b]

¹⁵Jozadak^(L) was deported when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁶The sons of Levi:^(M)

Gershon,^[c] Kohath and Merari.^(N)

¹⁷These are the names of the sons of Gershon:

Libni and Shimei.^(O)

¹⁸The sons of Kohath:

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.^(P)

¹⁹The sons of Merari:^(Q)

Mahli and Mushi.^(R)

These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:

²⁰Of Gershon:

Libni his son, Jahath his son,

Zimmah his son, ²¹Joah his son,

Iddo his son, Zerah his son

and Jeatherai his son.

²²The descendants of Kohath:

Amminadab his son, Korah^(S) his son,

Assir his son, ²³Elkanah his son,

Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

²⁴Tahath his son, Uriel^(T) his son,

Uzziah his son and Shaul his son.

²⁵The descendants of Elkanah:

Amasai, Ahimoth,

²⁶Elkanah his son,^[d] Zophai his son,

Nahath his son, ²⁷Eliab his son,

Jeroham his son, Elkanah^(U) his son

and Samuel^(V) his son.^[e]

²⁸The sons of Samuel:

Joel^[f]^(W) the firstborn

and Abijah the second son.

²⁹The descendants of Merari:

Mahli, Libni his son,

Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

³⁰Shimea his son, Haggiah his son

and Asaiah his son.

The Temple Musicians^(X)

³¹These are the men^(Y) David put in charge of the music^(Z) in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there. ³²They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

³³Here are the men who served, together with their sons:

From the Kohathites:

Heman,^(AA) the musician,

the son of Joel,^(AB) the son of Samuel,

³⁴the son of Elkanah,^(AC) the son of Jeroham,

the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

³⁵the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah,

the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

³⁶the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel,

the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

³⁷the son of Tahath, the son of Assir,

the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,^(AD)

³⁸the son of Izhar,^(AE) the son of Kohath,

the son of Levi, the son of Israel;

³⁹and Heman’s associate Asaph,^(AF) who served at his right hand:

Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,^(AG)

⁴⁰the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah,^[g]

the son of Malkijah, ⁴¹the son of Ethni,

the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

⁴²the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah,

the son of Shimei, ⁴³the son of Jahath,

the son of Gershon, the son of Levi;

⁴⁴and from their associates, the Merarites,^(AH) at his left hand:

Ethan son of Kishi, the son of Abdi,

the son of Malluk, ⁴⁵the son of Hashabiah,

the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

⁴⁶the son of Amzi, the son of Bani,

the son of Shemer, ⁴⁷the son of Mahli,

the son of Mushi, the son of Merari,

the son of Levi.

⁴⁸Their fellow Levites^(AI) were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God. ⁴⁹But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar^(AJ) of burnt offering and on the altar of incense^(AK) in connection with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

⁵⁰These were the descendants of Aaron:

Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son,

Abishua his son, ⁵¹Bukki his son,

Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

⁵²Meraioth his son, Amariah his son,

Ahitub his son, ⁵³Zadok^(AL) his son

and Ahimaaz his son.

⁵⁴These were the locations of their settlements^(AM) allotted as their territory (they were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clan, because the first lot was for them):

⁵⁵They were given Hebron in Judah with its surrounding pasturelands. ⁵⁶But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.^(AN)

⁵⁷So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), and Libnah,^[h]^(AO) Jattir,^(AP) Eshtemoa, ⁵⁸Hilen, Debir,^(AQ) ⁵⁹Ashan,^(AR) Juttah^[i] and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands. ⁶⁰And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon,^[j] Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth,^(AS) together with their pasturelands.

The total number of towns distributed among the Kohathite clans came to thirteen.

⁶¹The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of half the tribe of Manasseh.

⁶²The descendants of Gershon, clan by clan, were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali, and from the part of the tribe of Manasseh that is in Bashan.

⁶³The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, were allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

⁶⁴So the Israelites gave the Levites these towns^(AT) and their pasturelands. ⁶⁵From the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin they allotted the previously named towns.

⁶⁶Some of the Kohathite clans were given as their territory towns from the tribe of Ephraim.

⁶⁷In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge), and Gezer,^[k]^(AU) ⁶⁸Jokmeam,^(AV) Beth Horon,^(AW) ⁶⁹Aijalon^(AX) and Gath Rimmon,^(AY) together with their pasturelands.

⁷⁰And from half the tribe of Manasseh the Israelites gave Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands, to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

⁷¹The Gershonites^(AZ) received the following:

From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh

they received Golan in Bashan^(BA) and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands;

⁷²from the tribe of Issachar

they received Kedesh, Daberath,^(BB) ⁷³Ramoth and Anem, together with their pasturelands;

⁷⁴from the tribe of Asher

they received Mashal, Abdon,^(BC) ⁷⁵Hukok^(BD) and Rehob,^(BE) together with their pasturelands;

⁷⁶and from the tribe of Naphtali

they received Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon^(BF) and Kiriathaim,^(BG) together with their pasturelands.

⁷⁷The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following:

From the tribe of Zebulun

they received Jokneam, Kartah,^[l] Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands;

⁷⁸from the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan east of Jericho

they received Bezer^(BH) in the wilderness, Jahzah, ⁷⁹Kedemoth^(BI) and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands;

⁸⁰and from the tribe of Gad

they received Ramoth in Gilead,^(BJ) Mahanaim,^(BK) ⁸¹Heshbon and Jazer,^(BL) together with their pasturelands.^(BM)

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Footnotes

1 Chronicles 6:1 In Hebrew texts 6:1-15 is numbered 5:27-41, and 6:16-81 is numbered 6:1-66.
1 Chronicles 6:14 Hebrew Jehozadak, a variant of Jozadak; also in verse 15
1 Chronicles 6:16 Hebrew Gershom, a variant of Gershon; also in verses 17, 20, 43, 62 and 71
1 Chronicles 6:26 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Ahimoth ²⁶and Elkanah. The sons of Elkanah:
1 Chronicles 6:27 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Samuel 1:19,20 and 1 Chron. 6:33,34); Hebrew does not have and Samuel his son.
1 Chronicles 6:28 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 1 Samuel 8:2 and 1 Chron. 6:33); Hebrew does not have Joel.
1 Chronicles 6:40 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, one Septuagint manuscript and Syriac Maaseiah
1 Chronicles 6:57 See Joshua 21:13; Hebrew given the cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah.
1 Chronicles 6:59 Syriac (see also Septuagint and Joshua 21:16); Hebrew does not have Juttah.
1 Chronicles 6:60 See Joshua 21:17; Hebrew does not have Gibeon.
1 Chronicles 6:67 See Joshua 21:21; Hebrew given the cities of refuge: Shechem, Gezer.
1 Chronicles 6:77 See Septuagint and Joshua 21:34; Hebrew does not have Jokneam, Kartah.