1 Chronicles 23-25

New International Version

The Levites

23 When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon^(A) king over Israel.^(B)

² He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. ³ The Levites thirty years old or more^(C) were counted,^(D) and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.^{(E) 4} David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge^(F) of the work^(G) of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.^{(H) 5} Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments^(I) I have provided for that purpose.”^(J)

⁶ David separated^(K) the Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi:^(L) Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

Gershonites

⁷ Belonging to the Gershonites:^(M)

Kohathites

¹² The sons of Kohath:^(N)

Merarites

²¹ The sons of Merari:^(Y)

²⁴ These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more^(AB) who served in the temple of the Lord. ²⁵ For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest^(AC) to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, ²⁶ the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”^{(AD) 27} According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

²⁸ The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification^(AE) of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. ²⁹ They were in charge of the bread set out on the table,^(AF) the special flour for the grain offerings,^(AG) the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.^{(AH) 30} They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening^{(AI) 31} and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon^(AJ) feasts and at the appointed festivals.^(AK) They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.

³² And so the Levites^(AL) carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting,^(AM) for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord.^(AN)

The Divisions of Priests

24 These were the divisions^(AO) of the descendants of Aaron:^(AP)

The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^{(AQ) 2} But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did,^(AR) and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests. ³ With the help of Zadok^(AS) a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelek a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering. ⁴ A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants. ⁵ They divided them impartially by casting lots,^(AT) for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁶ The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok the priest, Ahimelek^(AU) son of Abiathar and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.

¹⁹ This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

²⁰ As for the rest of the descendants of Levi:^(BA)

These were the Levites, according to their families. ³¹ They also cast lots,^(BE) just as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelek, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.

The Musicians

25 David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph,^(BF) Heman^(BG) and Jeduthun^(BH) for the ministry of prophesying,^(BI) accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.^(BJ) Here is the list of the men^(BK) who performed this service:^(BL)

² From the sons of Asaph:

³ As for Jeduthun, from his sons:^(BM)

⁴ As for Heman, from his sons:

⁶ All these men were under the supervision of their father^(BO) for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.

Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman^(BP) were under the supervision of the king.^{(BQ) 7} Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288. ⁸ Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots^(BR) for their duties.