May 7 Reading – I Chronicles 23-25

Read our I Chronicles 23-25 commentary here.

I Chronicles 23 ASV

1 Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

2 And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

3 And the Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.

4 Of these, twenty and four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah; and six thousand were officers and judges;

5 and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Jehovah with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.

6 And David divided them into courses according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

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

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

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

11 And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they became a fathers’ house in one reckoning.

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

13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, for ever, to burn incense before  Jehovah, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, for ever.

14 But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16 The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief.

17 And the sons of Eliezer were: Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief.

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

20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second.

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

22 And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them to wife.

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

24 These were the sons of Levi after their fathers’ houses, even the heads of the fathers’ houses of those of them that were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from twenty years old and upward.

25 For David said, Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath given rest unto his people; and he dwelleth in Jerusalem for ever:

26 and also the Levites shall no more have need to carry the tabernacle and all the vessels of it for the service thereof.

27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered, from twenty years old and upward.

28 For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of Jehovah, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God;

29 for the showbread also, and for the fine flour for a meal-offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is baked in the pan, or of that which is soaked, and for all manner of measure and size;

30 and to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah, and likewise at even;

31 and to offer all burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, on the sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning them, continually before Jehovah;

32 and that they should keep the charge of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, for the service of the house of Jehovah.

I Chronicles 24

1 And the courses of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s office.

3 And David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their ordering in their service.

4 And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided: of the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen, heads of fathers’ houses; and of the sons of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ houses, eight.

5 Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for there were princes of the sanctuary, and princes of God, both of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.

6 And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was of the Levites, wrote them in the presence of the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites; one fathers’ house being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.

7 Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

8 the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

9 the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

17 the one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to Gamul,

18 the three and twentieth to Delaiah, the four and twentieth to Maaziah.

19 This was the ordering of them in their service, to come into the house of Jehovah according to the ordinance [given] unto them by Aaron their father, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

20 And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.

21 Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief.

22 Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath.

23 And the sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.

24 The sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir.

25 The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah.

26 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah: Beno.

27 The sons of Merari: of Jaaziah, Beno, and Shoham, and Zaccur, and Ibri.

28 Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

29 Of Kish; the sons of Kish: Jerahmeel.

30 And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites after their fathers’ houses.

31 These likewise cast lots even as their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites; the fathers’ house of the chief even as those of his younger brother.

I Chronicles 25

1 Moreover David and the captains of the host set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of them that did the work according to their service was:

2 of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asharelah, the sons of Asaph, under the hand of Asaph, who prophesied after the order of the king.

3 Of Jeduthun; the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Jehovah.

4 Of Heman; the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth.

5 All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

6 All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God; Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king.

7 And the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in singing unto Jehovah, even all that were skilful, was two hundred fourscore and eight.

8 And they cast lots for their offices, all alike, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.

9 Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah; he and his brethren and sons were twelve:

10 the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

11 the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

14 the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

18 the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

20 for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

21 for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

22 for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

23 for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

24 for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

25 for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

26 for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

27 for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

28 for the one and twentieth to Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

29 for the two and twentieth to Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

30 for the three and twentieth to Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

31 for the four and twentieth to Romamtiezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.

Next Passage: I Chronicles 26-29

American Standard Version (ASV): Public Domain