1 Chronicles 23 - Introduction

1 Dauid in his old age maketh Solomon King.

2 The number and distribution of the Leuites

7 The families of the Gershonites.

12 The sonnes of Kohath.

21 The sonnes of Merari.

24 The office of the Leuites.

1 So [Note: 1 Chronicles 28:5.] when Dauid was old and full of dayes, he made Solomon his sonne king ouer Israel.

2 And he gathered together all the Princes of Israel, with the Priests and the Leuites.

3 Now the Leuites were numbred from the age of thirtie [Note: Numbers 4:3.] yeeres and vpward: and their number, by their polles, man by man, was thirtie and eight thousand.

4 Of which, twentie and foure

[Moses his sonnes.]

thousand were [Note: Or, to ouersee.] to set forward the work of the house of the Lord: and sixe thousand were Officers and Iudges.

5 Moreouer, foure thousand were porters, and foure thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made (said Dauid) to praise therewith.

6 And [Note: Exodus 6:16; 1 Chronicles 6:1, etc.; 2 Chronicles 8:14; 2 Chronicles 29:25.] Dauid diuided them into [Note: Hebrew: diuisions.] courses among the sonnes of Leui, namely Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 Of the [Note: 1 Chronicles 26:21.] Gershonites were [Note: Or, Libni, 1 Chronicles 6:17.] 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 Haran, three. These were the chiefe of the fathers of Laadan.

10 And the sonnes of Shimei were: Iahath, [Note: Or, Ziza, 1 Chronicles 23:11.] Zina, and Ieush, and Beriah. These foure were the sonnes of Shimei.

11 And Iahath was the chiefe, and Ziza the second: but Ieush and Beriah [Note: Hebrew: did not multiply sonnes.] had not many sonnes: therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their fathers house.

12 The sonnes of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, foure.

13 The sonnes of [Note: Exodus 6:20.] Amram: Aaron and Moses: and [Note: Exodus 28; Hebrews 5:4.] Aaron was separated, that he should sanctifie the most holy things, he and his sonnes for euer, to burne incense before the Lord, to minister vnto him, and to blesse in his Name for euer.

14 [Note: Exodus 2:22.] Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sonnes were named of the tribe of Leui.

15 The sonnes of Moses were: [Note: Exodus 18:3-4.] Gershom and Eliezer.

16 Of the sonnes of Gershom Shebuel was the chiefe.

17 And the sonnes of Eliezer were: [Note: 1 Chronicles 26:25.] Rehabiah [Note: Or, the first.] the chiefe. And Eliezer had none other sonnes: but the sonnes of Rehabiah [Note: Hebrew: were highly multiplied.] were very many.

18 Of the sonnes of Izhar, Shelomith the chiefe.

19 Of the sonnes of Hebron, Ieriah the first, Amariah the second, Iahaziel the third, and Iekamiam the fourth.

20 Of the sonnes of Uzziel: Michah the first, and Iesiah the second.

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

22 And Eleazar died, and had no

[The Priests and Leuites offices.]

sonnes but daughters: and their [Note: Or, kinsemen.] brethren the sonnes of Kish tooke them.

23 The sonnes of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Ierimoth, three.

24 These were the sonnes of [Note: Numbers 10:24.] Leui after the house of their fathers, euen the chiefe of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polles, that did the worke for the seruice of the house of the Lord, from the age of [Note: Numbers 1:3.] twentie yeeres and vpward.

25 For Dauid sayd, The Lord God of Israel hath giuen rest vnto his people, [Note: Or, and he dwelleth in Ierusalem, etc.] that they may dwell in Ierusalem for euer.

26 And also vnto the Leuites: they shall no more cary the Tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the seruice thereof.

27 For by the last words of Dauid, the Leuites were [Note: Hebrew: number.] numbred from twentie yeeres olde, and aboue:

28 Because [Note: cf2\i Hebrew: their station was at the hand of the sonnes of Aaron.] their office was to wait on the sonnes of Aaron, for the seruice of the house of the Lord, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the worke of the seruice of the house of God:

29 Both for the [Note: 1 Chronicles 9:29, etc.; Leviticus 6:21.] shew-bread, and for the fine floure for meat offering, and for the vnleauened cakes, and for that which is baked in the [Note: Or, flat plate.] panne, and for that which is fried, and for all maner of measures and size:

30 And to stand euery morning to thanke and praise the Lord, and likewise at Euen:

31 And to offer all burnt sacrifices vnto the Lord in the Sabbaths, in the new moones, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded vnto them continually before the Lord:

32 And that they should keepe the charge of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sonnes of Aaron their brethren, in the seruice of the house of the Lord.