1 Chronicles 23 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

David Organizes the Levites

1Ch 23:1When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

1Ch 23:2David[fn] assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites.

1Ch 23:3The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men.

1Ch 23:4“Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said,[fn] “shall have charge of the work in the house of the LORD, 6,000 shall be officers and judges,

1Ch 23:5

1Ch 23:54,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the LORD with the instruments that I have made for praise.”

1Ch 23:6

1Ch 23:6And David organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

1Ch 23:7

1Ch 23:7The sons of Gershon[fn] were Ladan and Shimei.

1Ch 23:8

1Ch 23:8The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

1Ch 23:9

1Ch 23:9The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan.

1Ch 23:10

1Ch 23:10And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

1Ch 23:11

1Ch 23:11Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, therefore they became counted as a single father’s house.

1Ch 23:12

1Ch 23:12The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

1Ch 23:13

1Ch 23:13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should make offerings before the LORD and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name forever.

1Ch 23:14

1Ch 23:14But the sons of Moses the man of God were named among the tribe of Levi.

1Ch 23:15

1Ch 23:15The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

1Ch 23:16

1Ch 23:16The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief.

1Ch 23:17

1Ch 23:17The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

1Ch 23:18

1Ch 23:18The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief.

1Ch 23:19

1Ch 23:19The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

1Ch 23:20

1Ch 23:20The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.

1Ch 23:21

1Ch 23:21The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

1Ch 23:22

1Ch 23:22Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters; their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them.

1Ch 23:23

1Ch 23:23The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

1Ch 23:24

1Ch 23:24These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

1Ch 23:25

1Ch 23:25For David said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.

1Ch 23:26

1Ch 23:26And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.”

1Ch 23:27

1Ch 23:27For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward.

1Ch 23:28

1Ch 23:28For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God.

1Ch 23:29

1Ch 23:29Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size.

1Ch 23:30

1Ch 23:30And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening,

1Ch 23:31

1Ch 23:31and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the LORD on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the LORD.

1Ch 23:32

1Ch 23:32Thus they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the LORD.

See the ESV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

ESV Footnotes

(23:2)

Hebrew He

(23:4)

Hebrew lacks David said

(23:7)

Vulgate (compare Septuagint, Syriac); Hebrew to the Gershonite

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