Third Millennium Bible TMB
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
1
When David had grown old and had lived out his years, he made his son Solomon king of Israel.
2 And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.
2
He gathered all the officials of Israel and the priests and Levites.
3 Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward; and their number by their head count, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand,
3
Every male Levite who was at least 30 years old was counted. There were 38,000.
4 of whom twenty and four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, and six thousand were officers and judges
4
Of these, 24,000 were appointed to supervise the work on the LORD's temple, 6,000 were appointed to be officers and judges,
5 Moreover four thousand were doorkeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments "which I made," said David, "to praise therewith."
5
4,000 were appointed to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 were appointed to praise the LORD with the instruments David had made for praising God.
6 And David divided them into divisions among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
6
David organized the Levites into divisions based on which of Levi's sons (Gershon, Kohath, or Merari) they were descended from.
7 Of the Gershonites were Laadan and Shimei.
7
Ladan and Shimei were Gershon's descendants.
8 The sons of Laadan: the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
8
Ladan had three sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel.
9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.
9
Shimei had three sons: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran. They were the heads of Ladan's families.
10 And the sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.
10
Shimei's sons were Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. They were Shimei's four sons.
11 And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father's house.
11
Jahath was the first, and Ziza was the second. Jeush and Beriah didn't have many sons, so they were given an assignment as one family.
12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
12
Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
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 the LORD, to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name for ever.
13
Amram's sons were Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his sons were forever designated to dedicate the most holy things [to God], to offer sacrifices to the LORD, to serve him, and always give the blessing in his name.
14 Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi
14
The sons of Moses, the man of God, were counted with the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.
15
Moses' sons were Gershom and Eliezer.
16 Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.
16
Gershom's only son was Shebuel.
17 And the son of Eliezer was Rehabiah, the chief. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
17
Eliezer's only son was Rehabiah. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many sons.
18 Of the sons of Izhar, Shelomith was the chief.
18
Izhar's only son was Shelomith.
19 Of the sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth
19
Hebron's first son was Jeriah; his second was Amariah; his third was Jahaziel; his fourth was Jekameam.
20 Of the sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, and Jesiah the second.
20
Uzziel's first son was Micah; his second was Isshiah.
21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish
21
Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli's sons were Eleazar and Kish.
22 And Eleazar died and had no sons, but daughters; and their brethren the sons of Kish took them as wives.
22
Eleazar died without having any sons. He only had daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
23
Mushi had three sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.
24 These were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their heads, who did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and upward.
24
These were Levi's descendants, who were grouped according to their families. The heads of their families were registered by name as they were counted. Everyone who served in the LORD's temple was at least 20 years old.
25 For David said, "The LORD God of Israel hath given rest unto His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever";
25
David had said, "The LORD God of Israel has given his people rest. He will now live in Jerusalem forever.
26 and also unto the Levites, "They shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof."
26
The Levites will no longer have to carry the tent and all the utensils used in worship."
27 For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above,
27
David's last instructions were to count the Levites who were at least 20 years old.
28 because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD in the courts and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God,
28
They were appointed to stand beside Aaron's descendants to serve in the LORD's temple. They were appointed to be in charge of the courtyards and the temple rooms, to ensure that all the holy things were clean, and to serve in God's temple.
29 both for the showbread and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes and for that which is baked in the pan and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;
29
They were also responsible for the rows of bread, the flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened bread wafers, and the bread made in frying pans. In addition, they were responsible for mixing the ingredients and keeping track of all weights and measures.
30 and to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening;
30
They were appointed to stand to give thanks and praise to the LORD every morning. They were appointed to do the same thing in the evening.
31 and to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the LORD on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the LORD;
31
They were appointed to stand in front of the LORD in the required numbers whenever burnt offerings were made--on weekly worship days, at New Moon Festivals, and on appointed annual festivals.
32 and that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the service of the house of the LORD.
32
They were appointed to follow the regulations for the tent of meeting and the holy place and to help their relatives, Aaron's descendants, as they served in the LORD's temple.
Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.