The Divisions of the Levites

1Then David, being old and full of days, appointed his son Solomon as king over Israel. 2And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests as well as the Levites.

3And the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward. And there were found thirty-eight thousand men. 4Of these, twenty-four thousand were chosen and distributed to the ministry of the house of the Lord. Then six thousand were overseers and judges. 5Moreover, four thousand were porters. And the same number were the singers of psalms to the Lord, with the musical instruments which he had made for the music. 6And David distributed them into courses according to the sons of Levi, specifically, Gershom, and Kohath, and Merari.

The Gershonites
(Numbers 3:21–26; Numbers 4:21–28)

7The sons of Gershom: Ladan and Shimei. 8The sons of Ladan: the leader Jahiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 9The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the leaders of the families of Ladan. 10Then the sons of Shimei: Jahath, and Zizah, and Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei, four. 11Now Jahath was first, Zizah second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, and for this reason they were reckoned as one family and one house.

The Kohathites
(Numbers 3:27–32; Numbers 4:1–20)

12The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel, four. 13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Now Aaron was separated so that he might minister in the Holy of Holies, he and his sons forever, and so that he might burn incense to the Lord, according to his rite, and so that he might bless his name in perpetuity. 14The sons of Moses, the man of God, were also numbered in the tribe of Levi. 15The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first. 17Now the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah the first. And there were no other sons for Eliezer. But the sons of Rehabiah were multiplied exceedingly. 18The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first. 19The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. 20The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, Isshiah the second.

The Merarites
(Numbers 3:33–37; Numbers 4:29–33)

21The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. 22Then Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters. And so the sons of Kish, their brothers, married them. 23The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

Levite Duties Revised

24These are the sons of Levi, in their kindred and families, leaders in turns, and the number of each of the heads who were doing the works of the ministry of the house of the Lord, from twenty years of age and upward. 25For David said: “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and a habitation in Jerusalem even unto eternity. 26Neither shall it be the office of the Levites any more to carry the tabernacle with all its equipment for use in the ministry.” 27Also, according to the last precepts of David, the sons of Levi shall be counted by number from twenty years of age and upward. 28And they shall be under the hand of the sons of Aaron, in the care of the house of the Lord, in the vestibule, and in the chambers, and in the place of purification, and in the sanctuary, and in all the works of the ministry of the temple of the Lord. 29But the priests shall be over the bread of the presence, and the sacrifice of fine wheat flour, and the unleavened cakes, and the frying pan, and the roasting, and over every weight and measure. 30Yet truly, the Levites shall stand to confess and to sing to the Lord, in the morning, and similarly in the evening, 31as much in the oblation of the holocausts of the Lord, as in the Sabbaths and new moons and other solemnities, according to the number and ceremonies for each and every matter, perpetually before the Lord. 32And let them keep the observances of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the rituals of the sanctuary, and the observance of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, so that they may minister in the house of the Lord.