1 When David was very old, he made his son Solomon king of Israel.
The Work of the Levites
2 King David brought together all the Israelite leaders and all the priests and Levites. 3 He took a census of all the male Levites aged thirty or older. The total was thirty-eight thousand. 4 The king assigned twenty-four thousand to administer the work of the Temple, six thousand to keep records and decide disputes, 5 four thousand to do guard duty, and four thousand to praise the Lord, using the musical instruments provided by the king for this purpose.
6 David divided the Levites into three groups, according to their clans: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 Gershon had two sons: Ladan and Shimei. 8 Ladan had three sons: Jehiel, Zetham, and Joel, 9 who were the heads of the clans descended from Ladan. (Shimei had three sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran.) 10-11 Shimei had four sons: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah, in order of age. Jeush and Beriah did not have many descendants, so they were counted as one clan.
12 Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 13 His oldest son, Amram, was the father of Aaron and Moses. (Aaron and his descendants were set apart to be in charge of the sacred objects forever, to burn incense in the worship of the Lord, to serve him, and to bless the people in his name. 14 But the sons of Moses, the man of God, were included among the Levites.) 15 Moses had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The leader among Gershom's sons was Shebuel. 17 Eliezer had only one son, Rehabiah, but Rehabiah had many descendants.
18 Kohath's second son, Izhar, had a son, Shelomith, the head of the clan. 19 Kohath's third son, Hebron, had four sons: Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam. 20 Kohath's fourth son, Uzziel, had two sons, Micah and Isshiah.
21 Merari had two sons, Mahli and Mushi. Mahli also had two sons, Eleazar and Kish, 22 but Eleazar died without having any sons, only daughters. His daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish. 23 Merari's second son, Mushi, had three sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.
24 These were the descendants of Levi, by clans and families, every one of them registered by name. Each of his descendants, twenty years of age or older, had a share in the work of the Lord's Temple.
25 David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given peace to his people, and he himself will live in Jerusalem forever. 26 So there is no longer any need for the Levites to carry the Tent of the Lord's presence and all the equipment used in worship.” 27 On the basis of David's final instructions all Levites were registered for service when they reached the age of twenty, 28 and were assigned the following duties: to help the priests descended from Aaron with the Temple worship, to take care of its courtyards and its rooms, and to keep undefiled everything that is sacred; 29 to be responsible for the bread offered to God, the flour used in offerings, the wafers made without yeast, the baked offerings, and the flour mixed with olive oil; to weigh and measure the Temple offerings; 30 and to praise and glorify the Lord every morning and every evening 31 and whenever offerings to the Lord are burned on the Sabbath, the New Moon Festival, and other festivals. Rules were made specifying the number of Levites assigned to do this work each time. The Levites were assigned the duty of worshiping the Lord for all time. 32 They were given the responsibility of taking care of the Tent of the Lord's presence and the Temple, and of assisting their relatives, the priests descended from Aaron, in the Temple worship.
1 So when Dauid was olde and full of dayes, he made Salomon his sonne King ouer Israel. 2 And hee gathered together all the princes of Israel with the Priestes and the Leuites. 3 And 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. 4 Of these foure and twentie thousande were set to aduance the worke of the house of the Lord, and sixe thousand were ouerseers and iudges. 5 And foure thousand were porters, and foure thousande praised the Lord with instruments which he made to praise the Lord. 6 So Dauid deuided offices vnto them, to wit, to the sonnes of Leui, to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 7 Of the Gershonites were Laadan and Shimei. 8 The sonnes of Laadan, the chiefe was Iehiel, and Zetham and Ioel, three. 9 The Sonnes of Shimei, Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haram, three: these were the chiefe fathers of Laadan. 10 Also the sonnes of Shimei were Iahath, Zina, Ieush, and Beriah: these foure were ye sonnes of Shimei. 11 And 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. 12 The sonnes of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron aud Vzziel, foure. 13 The 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. 14 Moses also the man of God, and his children were named with the tribe of Leui. 15 The sonnes of Moses were Gershom, and Eliezer, 16 Of the sonnes of Gershom was Shebuel the chiefe. 17 And the sonne of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chiefe: for Eliezer had none other sonnes: but the sonnes of Rehabiah were very many. 18 The sone of Izhar was Shelomith ye chiefe. 19 The sonnes of Hebron were Ieriah the first, Amariah the second, Iahaziel the third, and Iekamiam the fourth. 20 The sones of Vzziel were Michah the first, and Isshiah the second. 21 The sonnes of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sonnes of Mahli, Eleazar and Kish. 22 And Eleazar dyed, and had no sonnes, but daughters, and their brethren the sonnes of Kish tooke them. 23 The sonnes of Mushi were Mahli, and Eder, and Ierimoth, three. 24 These 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. 25 For Dauid sayde, The Lord God of Israel hath giuen rest vnto his people, that they may dwell in Ierusalem for euer. 26 And also the Leuites shall no more beare the Tabernacle and al the vessels for the seruice thereof. 27 Therefore according to the last wordes of Dauid, the Leuites were nombred from twentie yeere and aboue, 28 And 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, 29 Both 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, 30 And for to stand euery morning, to giue thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise at euen, 31 And 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, 32 And 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.