1 Chronicles 23 1-1 Chronicles 23 26
When David was old and full of days, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites.The Levites thirty years old or more were counted; the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand by headcount.“ Of these,” David said,“ twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work on the LORD’s temple, six thousand are to be officers and judges,four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the instruments that I have made for worship.”Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel— three.Shimei’s sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran— three. Those were the heads of the families of Ladan.Shimei’s sons: Jahath, Zizah, Jeush, and Beriah. Those were Shimei’s sons— four.Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; however, Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became one family and received a single assignment.Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel— four.Amram’s sons: Aaron and Moses. Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of the LORD, to minister to him, and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.Moses’s sons: Gershom and Eliezer.Gershom’s sons: Shebuel was first.Eliezer’s sons were Rehabiah, first; Eliezer did not have any other sons, but Rehabiah’s sons were very numerous.Izhar’s sons: Shelomith was first.Hebron’s sons: Jeriah was first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, and Jekameam fourth.Uzziel’s sons: Micah was first, and Isshiah second.Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi. Mahli’s sons: Eleazar and Kish.Eleazar died having no sons, only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth— three.These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral families— the family heads, according to their registration by name in the headcount— twenty years old or more, who worked in the service of the LORD’s temple.For David said,“ The LORD God of Israel has given rest to his people, and he has come to stay in Jerusalem forever.Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service”—
Numbers 8:9-26
Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community.Then present the Levites before the LORD, and have the Israelites lay their hands on them.Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the LORD’s work.Next the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.“ You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you are to present them before the LORD as a presentation offering.In this way you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites so that the Levites will belong to me.After that the Levites may come to serve at the tent of meeting, once you have ceremonially cleansed them and presented them as a presentation offering.For they have been exclusively assigned to me from the Israelites. I have taken them for myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn.For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to myself on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt.But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites.From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community did this to the Levites. The Israelites did everything to them the LORD commanded Moses regarding the Levites.The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them before the LORD as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them ceremonially.After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. So they did to them as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.The LORD spoke to Moses:“ In regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting.But at fifty years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve.He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties.”
