1 Chronicles Chapter 23 (NIV)
undefined
The LevitesWhen David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
undefined
He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.
undefined
The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.
undefined
David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.
undefined
Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”
undefined
David divided the Levites into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
undefined
GershonitesBelonging to the Gershonites:Ladan and Shimei.
undefined
The sons of Ladan:Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel—three in all.
undefined
The sons of Shimei:Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran—three in all.These were the heads of the families of Ladan.
undefined
And the sons of Shimei:Jahath, Ziza, Jeush and Beriah.These were the sons of Shimei—four in all.
undefined
Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they were counted as one family with one assignment.
undefined
KohathitesThe sons of Kohath:Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel—four in all.
undefined
The sons of Amram:Aaron and Moses.Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.
undefined
The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.
undefined
The sons of Moses:Gershom and Eliezer.
undefined
The descendants of Gershom:Shubael was the first.
undefined
The descendants of Eliezer:Rehabiah was the first.Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
undefined
The sons of Izhar:Shelomith was the first.
undefined
The sons of Hebron:Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.
undefined
The sons of Uzziel:Micah the first and Isshiah the second.
undefined
MeraritesThe sons of Merari:Mahli and Mushi.The sons of Mahli:Eleazar and Kish.
undefined
Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
undefined
The sons of Mushi:Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth—three in all.
undefined
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 who served in the temple of the Lord.
undefined
For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever,
undefined
the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”
undefined
According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.
undefined
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 of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.
undefined
They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.
undefined
They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening
undefined
and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.
undefined
And so the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting, for the Holy Place and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord.
Deepen Your Study
Use AI-powered tools to understand this passage better
Ask AI About This Chapter Search Related Verses