Discovery Box1 Chronicles 23:1--26:32 
Context23:1 When David was old and approaching the end of his life, 1 he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
23:2 David 2 assembled all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and the Levites. 23:3 The Levites who were thirty years old and up were counted; there were 38,000 men. 3 23:4 David said, 4 “Of these, 24,000 are to direct the work of the Lord’s temple; 6,000 are to be officials and judges; 23:5 4,000 are to be gatekeepers; and 4,000 are to praise the Lord with the instruments I supplied for worship.” 5 23:6 David divided them into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
23:7 The Gershonites included Ladan and Shimei.
23:8 The sons of Ladan:
Jehiel the oldest, Zetham, and Joel – three in all.
23:9 The sons of Shimei:
Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran – three in all.
These were the leaders of the family of Ladan.
23:10 The sons of Shimei:
Jahath, Zina, 6 Jeush, and Beriah. These were Shimei’s sons – four in all. 7 23:11 Jahath was the oldest and Zizah the second oldest. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were considered one family with one responsibility.
23:12 The sons of Kohath:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel – four in all.
23:13 The sons of Amram:
Aaron and Moses.
Aaron and his descendants were chosen on a permanent basis to consecrate the most holy items, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to serve him, and to praise his name. 8 23:14 The descendants of Moses the man of God were considered Levites. 9
23:15 The sons of Moses:
Gershom and Eliezer.
Shebuel 11 the oldest.
23:17 The son of Eliezer was 12 Rehabiah, the oldest. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many descendants.
Shelomith the oldest.
23:19 The sons of Hebron:
Jeriah the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
23:20 The sons of Uzziel:
Micah the oldest, and Isshiah the second.
23:21 The sons of Merari:
Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli:
Eleazar and Kish.
23:22 Eleazar died without having sons; he had only daughters. The sons of Kish, their cousins, married them. 14
23:23 The sons of Mushi:
Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth – three in all.
23:24 These were the descendants of Levi according to their families, that is, the leaders of families as counted and individually listed who carried out assigned tasks in the Lord’s temple and were twenty years old and up. 15 23:25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given his people rest and has permanently settled in Jerusalem. 16 23:26 So the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the items used in its service.” 23:27 According to David’s final instructions, the Levites twenty years old and up were counted. 17
23:28 Their job was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the Lord’s temple. They were to take care of the courtyards, the rooms, ceremonial purification of all holy items, and other jobs related to the service of God’s temple. 18 23:29 They also took care of 19 the bread that is displayed, the flour for offerings, the unleavened wafers, the round cakes, the mixing, and all the measuring. 20 23:30 They also stood in a designated place 21 every morning and offered thanks and praise to the Lord. They also did this in the evening 23:31 and whenever burnt sacrifices were offered to the Lord on the Sabbath and at new moon festivals and assemblies. A designated number were to serve before the Lord regularly in accordance with regulations. 22 23:32 They were in charge of the meeting tent and the holy place, and helped their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, in the service of the Lord’s temple. 23
24:1 The divisions of Aaron’s descendants were as follows:
The sons of Aaron:
Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
24:2 Nadab and Abihu died before their father did; they had no sons. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
24:3 David, Zadok (a descendant of Eleazar), and Ahimelech (a descendant of Ithamar) divided them into groups to carry out their assigned responsibilities. 24 24:4 The descendants of Eleazar had more leaders than the descendants of Ithamar, so they divided them up accordingly; the descendants of Eleazar had sixteen leaders, while the descendants of Ithamar had eight. 25 24:5 They divided them by lots, for there were officials of the holy place and officials designated by God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar. 26 24:6 The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, wrote down their names before the king, the officials, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the leaders of the priestly and Levite families. One family was drawn by lot from Eleazar, and then the next from Ithamar. 27
24:7 The first lot went to Jehoiarib,
the second to Jedaiah,
24:8 the third to Harim,
the fourth to Seorim,
24:9 the fifth to Malkijah,
the sixth to Mijamin,
24:10 the seventh to Hakkoz,
the eighth to Abijah,
24:11 the ninth to Jeshua,
the tenth to Shecaniah,
24:12 the eleventh to Eliashib,
the twelfth to Jakim,
24:13 the thirteenth to Huppah,
the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
24:14 the fifteenth to Bilgah,
the sixteenth to Immer,
24:15 the seventeenth to Hezir,
the eighteenth to Happizzez,
24:16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah,
the twentieth to Jehezkel,
24:17 the twenty-first to Jakin,
the twenty-second to Gamul,
24:18 the twenty-third to Delaiah,
the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
24:19 This was the order in which they carried out their assigned responsibilities when they entered the Lord’s temple, according to the regulations given them by their ancestor 28 Aaron, just as the Lord God of Israel had instructed him. 29
24:20 The rest of the Levites included: 30
Shubael 31 from the sons of Amram,
Jehdeiah from the sons of Shubael,
24:21 the firstborn Isshiah from Rehabiah and the sons of Rehabiah,
24:22 Shelomoth from the Izharites,
Jahath from the sons of Shelomoth.
Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
Micah;
Shamir from the sons of Micah.
24:25 The brother of Micah:
Isshiah.
Zechariah from the sons of Isshiah.
24:26 The sons of Merari:
Mahli and Mushi.
The son of Jaaziah:
Beno. 34
24:27 The sons of Merari, from Jaaziah:
Beno, 35 Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
24:28 From Mahli:
Eleazar, who had no sons.
24:29 From Kish:
Jerahmeel. 36
24:30 The sons of Mushi:
Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the Levites, listed by their families.
24:31 Just like their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, they also cast lots before King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, the leaders of families, the priests, and the Levites. The families of the oldest son cast lots along with the those of the youngest. 37
25:1 David and the army officers selected some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy as they played stringed instruments and cymbals. 38 The following men were assigned this responsibility: 39
25:2 From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were supervised by Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision. 40
25:3 From the sons of Jeduthun: 41 Gedaliah, Zeri, 42 Jeshaiah, 43 Hashabiah, and Mattithiah – six in all, 44 under supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied as he played a harp, giving thanks and praise to the Lord.
25:4 From the sons of Heman: 45 Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 25:5 All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s prophet. God had promised him these sons in order to make him prestigious. 46 God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
25:6 All of these were under the supervision of their fathers; they were musicians in the Lord’s temple, playing cymbals and stringed instruments as they served in God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the supervision of the king. 25:7 They and their relatives, all of them skilled and trained to make music to the Lord, numbered two hundred eighty-eight. 47
25:8 They cast lots to determine their responsibilities – oldest as well as youngest, teacher as well as student. 48
25:9 The first lot went to Asaph’s son Joseph and his relatives and sons – twelve in all, 49
the second to Gedaliah and his relatives and sons – twelve in all,
25:10 the third to Zaccur and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:11 the fourth to Izri 50 and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:12 the fifth to Nethaniah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:13 the sixth to Bukkiah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:14 the seventh to Jesharelah 51 and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:15 the eighth to Jeshaiah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:16 the ninth to Mattaniah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:17 the tenth to Shimei and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:18 the eleventh to Azarel 52 and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:19 the twelfth to Hashabiah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:20 the thirteenth to Shubael and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:22 the fifteenth to Jerimoth and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:23 the sixteenth to Hananiah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:25 the eighteenth to Hanani and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:26 the nineteenth to Mallothi and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:27 the twentieth to Eliathah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:28 the twenty-first to Hothir and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:29 the twenty-second to Giddalti and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
25:31 the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer and his sons and relatives – twelve in all.
26:1 The divisions of the gatekeepers:
From the Korahites: Meshelemiah, son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.
26:2 Meshelemiah’s sons:
The firstborn Zechariah, the second Jediael, the third Zebadiah, the fourth Jathniel, 26:3 the fifth Elam, the sixth Jehohanan, and the seventh Elihoenai.
26:4 Obed-Edom’s sons:
The firstborn Shemaiah, the second Jehozabad, the third Joah, the fourth Sakar, the fifth Nethanel, 26:5 the sixth Ammiel, the seventh Issachar, and the eighth Peullethai. (Indeed, God blessed Obed-Edom.)
26:6 His son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders of their families, for they were highly respected. 26:7 The sons of Shemaiah:
Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. His relatives 53 Elihu and Semakiah were also respected.
26:8 All these were the descendants of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and relatives were respected men, capable of doing their responsibilities. There were sixty-two of them related to Obed-Edom.
26:9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were respected – eighteen in all.
26:10 Hosah, one of the descendants of Merari, had sons:
The firstborn Shimri (he was not actually the firstborn, but his father gave him that status), 26:11 the second Hilkiah, the third Tebaliah, and the fourth Zechariah. All of Hosah’s sons and relatives numbered thirteen.
26:12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their leaders, had assigned responsibilities, like their relatives, as they served in the Lord’s temple.
26:13 They cast lots, both young and old, according to their families, to determine which gate they would be responsible for. 54 26:14 The lot for the east gate went to Shelemiah. 55 They then cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise adviser, and the lot for the north gate went to him. 26:15 Obed-Edom was assigned the south gate, and his sons were assigned the storehouses. 26:16 Shuppim and Hosah were assigned the west gate, along with the Shalleketh gate on the upper road. One guard was adjacent to another. 56 26:17 Each day there were six Levites posted on the east, four on the north, and four on the south. At the storehouses they were posted in pairs. 26:18 At the court on the west there were four posted on the road and two at the court. 26:19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.
26:20 Their fellow Levites were in charge of the storehouses 57 in God’s temple and the storehouses containing consecrated items. 26:21 The descendants of Ladan, 58 who were descended from Gershon through Ladan and were leaders of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, included Jehieli 59 26:22 and the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the storehouses in the Lord’s temple.
26:23 As for the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and Uzzielites:
26:24 Shebuel 60 son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was the supervisor of the storehouses. 26:25 His relatives through Eliezer included: Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zikri his son, and Shelomith 61 his son. 26:26 Shelomith 62 and his relatives were in charge of all the storehouses containing the consecrated items dedicated by King David, the family leaders who led units of a thousand and a hundred, and the army officers. 26:27 They had dedicated some of the plunder taken in battles to be used for repairs on the Lord’s temple. 26:28 They were also in charge of everything dedicated by Samuel the prophet, 63 Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah; Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of everything that had been dedicated.
26:29 As for the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were given responsibilities outside the temple 64 as officers and judges over Israel.
26:30 As for the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 respected men, were assigned responsibilities in Israel west of the Jordan; they did the Lord’s work and the king’s service.
26:31 As for the Hebronites: Jeriah was the leader of the Hebronites according to the genealogical records. In the fortieth year of David’s reign, they examined the records and discovered 65 there were highly respected men in Jazer in Gilead. 26:32 Jeriah had 2,700 relatives who were respected family leaders. 66 King David placed them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh; they took care of all matters pertaining to God and the king. 67
1 tn Heb “and full of years.”
2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “and their number by their heads, by men, was 38,000.”
4 tn The words “David said” are supplied here in the translation for clarification. The appearance of the first person verb “I supplied” in v. 5 indicates that David is speaking here.
5 tn Heb “made to [or “for”] praise.”
6 tc The MT reads “Zina” here and “Zizah” in v. 11. One Hebrew
7 sn Verses 8-10 are confusing. Two different lists of Shimei’s sons appear. In between these lists is the statement “these were the leaders of the family of Ladan,” suggesting that the list just before this includes the sons of Ladan, not Shimei. But verse 8 already lists Ladan’s sons. Apparently the text as it stands is a conflation of differing traditions.
8 tn Heb “and Aaron was set apart to consecrate it, the most holy things, he and his sons, permanently, to sacrifice before the
9 tn Heb “and Moses the man of God, his sons were called to the tribe of Levi.”
10 tn The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this. The attached phrase “the oldest” might indicate that Shebuel was not Gershom’s only son, but note v. 17.
11 tc The LXX reads Σουβαηλ (Soubahl) here, a reading followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV (“Shubael”); cf. 24:20.
12 tn The Hebrew text has “the sons of Eliezer were,” but only one name appears after this in the verse, and we are specifically told that Eliezer had no other sons.
13 tn The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this. The attached phrase “the oldest” might indicate that Shelomith was not Izhar’s only son, but note v. 17.
14 tn Heb “the sons of Kish, their brothers [i.e., relatives/cousins] lifted them up.” For other uses of נָאָשׂ (na’as, “lift up”) in the sense of “marry,” see BDB 671 s.v. Qal.3.d.
15 tn Heb “these were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, according to their numberings, by number of names, according to their heads, doer[s] of the work for the service of the house of the
16 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
17 tn Heb “for by the final words of David, they were the number of the sons of Levi, from a son of twenty years and upward.”
18 tn Heb “For their assignment was at the hand of the sons of Aaron for the work of the house of the
19 tn Heb “with respect to.”
20 tn The Hebrew terms מְשׂוּרָה (mÿsurah) and מִדָּה (middah) refer to different types of measurements.
21 tn Heb “and to stand.”
22 tn Heb “by number according to the manner upon them, regularly before the
23 tn Heb “and they kept the charge of the tent of meeting and the charge of the holy place and the charge of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the
24 tn Heb “for their assignment in their service.”
25 tn Heb “And the sons of Eleazar were found to be more, with respect to the heads of men, than the sons of Ithamar, and they divided them. To the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen heads, according to the house of the fathers; and to the sons of Ithamar there were eight, according to the house of their fathers.”
26 tn Heb “and they divided them by lots, these with these, for the officials of the holy place and the officials of God were from the sons of Eleazar and among the sons of Ithamar.”
27 tn Heb “one house of a father was drawn by lot for Eleazar, and one [this assumes an emendation of אָחֻז (’akhuz) to אֶחָד (’ekhad, “one”)] was drawn by lot for Ithamar.”
28 tn Heb “father.”
29 tn Heb “these were their responsibilities for their service to enter the house of the
30 tn Heb “Belonging to the rest of the sons of Levi.”
31 tn This appears to be a variant of the name Shebuel (cf. 1 Chr 23:16 and 26:24).
32 tc Most Hebrew
33 tn The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this.
34 tn Heb “the sons of Jaaziah, Beno.” Apparently בְנוֹ (vÿno), which could be translated “his son,” is a proper name here. The text, however, may be corrupt at this point; a list of Jaaziah’s sons may have been accidentally omitted. See v. 27.
35 tn Or “from Jaaziah his son.” See the note on “Beno” in v. 26.
36 tc The Hebrew text has, “Belonging to [i.e., from] Kish, the sons of Kish, Jerahmeel.” There appears to be a conflation of headings.
37 tn Heb “the fathers [i.e., families] of the head [i.e., oldest] just like his youngest brother.”
38 tn Heb “David and the officers of the army set apart for service the sons of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, the ones prophesying by harps, by lyres, and by cymbals.”
39 tn Heb “and their number was, the men of work for their service.”
40 tn Heb “the sons of Asaph [were] upon the hand of Asaph, the one prophesying upon the hands of the king.”
41 tn Heb “belonging to Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun.”
42 tn This name appears as “Izri” in v. 10.
43 tc One Hebrew
44 tc The list includes only five names. Apparently the name “Shimei” (see v. 17), which appears in one medieval Hebrew
45 tn Heb “belonging to Heman, the sons of Heman.”
46 tn Heb “by the words of God to exalt a horn.” An animal’s horn is sometimes used metaphorically as a symbol of strength and honor. See BDB 901-2 s.v. קֶרֶנ.
47 tn Heb “and their number with their brothers, trained in music to the
48 tn Heb “and they cast lots [for] service, just as like small, like great, teacher with student.”
49 tc Heb “The first lot went to Asaph, to Joseph.” Apparently the recurring formula, “and his sons and his relatives, twelve” has been accidentally omitted from the Hebrew text at this point (see vv. 10-31; the formula is slightly different in v. 9b). If the number “twelve” is not supplied here, the total comes to only 276, not the 288 required by v. 7.
50 tn “Izri” is a variant of the name “Zeri” (cf. 25:3).
51 tn “Jesharelah” is a variant of the name “Asarelah” (cf. 25:2).
52 tn “Azarel” is a variant of the name “Uzziel” (cf. 25:4).
53 tn Or “brothers.”
54 tn Heb “for a gate and a gate,” i.e., for each gate.
55 tn “Shelemiah” is a variant of the name “Meshelemiah” (cf. 26:2).
56 tn Heb “a guard alongside a guard.”
57 tn Or “treasuries.”
58 tn “Ladan” is a variant of the name “Libni” (cf. 6:17).
59 tn “Jehieli” is a variant of the name “Jehiel” (cf. 23:8).
60 tn A number of English versions follow the LXX and Vulgate and read “Shubael” here (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV).
61 tc The marginal reading (Qere) is “Shelomith,” while the consonantal text (Kethib) has “Shelomoth.”
62 tc The MT reads “Shelomoth”; the name is spelled “Shelomith” in the marginal reading (Qere) of v. 25.
63 tn Or “seer.”
64 tn The words “the temple” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
65 tn Heb “and they were searched and there were found in them.”
66 tn Heb “and his brothers, sons of respect, [were] 2,700, heads of fathers.”
67 tn Heb “with respect to every matter of God and matter of the king.”
