Dual Panel1David was now an old man, weighed down with years, and he appointed Solomon his son king over Israel.
2He assembled all the officers of Israel, the priests, and the Levites.
3The Levites were enrolled from the age of thirty upwards, their males being thirty-eight thousand in all.
4Of these, twenty-four thousand were to be responsible for the maintenance and service of the house of the LORD, six thousand to act as officers and magistrates,
5four thousand to be door-keepers, and four thousand to praise the LORD with the musical instruments which David had produced for the service of praise.
6David organized them in divisions, called after Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the sons of Levi.
7The sons of Gershon: Laadan and Shimei.
8The sons of Laadan: Jehiel the chief, Zetham, and Joel, three.
9These were the heads of the families grouped under Laadan.
10The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah, four.
11Jahath was the chief and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah, having few children, were reckoned for duty as a single family.
12The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his sons in perpetuity, to dedicate the most holy gifts, to burn sacrifices before the LORD, to serve him, and to give the blessing in his name for ever,
14but the sons of Moses, the man of God, were to keep the name of Levite.
15The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
16The sons of Gershom: Shubael the chief.
17The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had very many.
18The sons of Izhar: Shelomoth the chief.
19The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
20The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.
21The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
22When Eleazar died, he left daughters but no sons, and their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
23The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24Such were the Levites, grouped by families in the father's line whose heads were named in the detailed list; they performed duties in the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty upwards.
25For David said, “The LORD the God of Israel has given his people peace and has made his dwelling in Jerusalem for ever.
26The Levites will no longer have to carry the Tabernacle or any of the vessels for its service.”
27According to these last instructions of David the Levites were enrolled from the age of twenty upwards.
28Their duty was to help the descendants of Aaron in the service of the house of the LORD: they were responsible for the care of the courts and the rooms, for the cleansing of all holy things, and for the general service of the house of God;
29for the rows of the Bread of the Presence, the flour for the grain-offerings, unleavened wafers, cakes baked on the griddle, and pastry, and for the weights and measures.
30They were to be on duty continually before the LORD every morning and evening, giving thanks and praise to him,
31and whenever whole-offerings were presented to the LORD, on sabbaths, new moons, and at the appointed seasons, according to their prescribed number.
32The Levites were to have charge of the Tent of Meeting and of the sanctuary, but Aaron's descendants, their kinsmen, were charged with the service of worship in the house of the LORD.