1 Chronicles 23 Cross References - MSB

¹ When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel. ² Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. ³ The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000. ⁴ “Of these,” said David, “24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges, ⁵ 4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.” ⁶ Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. ⁷ The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham, and Joel—three in all. ⁹ The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan. ¹⁰ And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei—four in all. ¹¹ Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as one family and received a single assignment. ¹² The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all. ¹³ The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever. ¹⁴ As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ The descendants of Gershom: Shebuel was the first. ¹⁷ The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous. ¹⁸ The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first. ¹⁹ The sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ The sons of Uzziel: Micah was the first and Isshiah the second. ²¹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. ²² Eleazar died without having any sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them. ²³ The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all. ²⁴ These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD. ²⁵ For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service.” ²⁷ For according to the final instructions of David, the Levites twenty years of age or older were counted, ²⁸ but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God, ²⁹ as well as for the rows of the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size. ³⁰ They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening. ³¹ Whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, they were to serve regularly before the LORD in the numbers prescribed for them. ³² So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the LORD.

⁸ And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and was gathered to his people.

²⁹ Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

¹ Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

³⁰ I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

³³ “Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. ³⁴ There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵ Then you shall go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. For I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.” ³⁶ “Amen,” replied Benaiah son of Jehoiada. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. ³⁷ Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than that of my lord King David.” ³⁸ Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. ³⁹ Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

⁵ And of all my sons—for the LORD has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

²² That day they ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD. Then, for a second time, they designated David’s son Solomon as king, anointing him before the LORD as ruler, and Zadok as the priest. ²³ So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ All the officials and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. ²⁵ The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had not been bestowed on any king in Israel before him.

²⁸ He died at a ripe old age, full of years, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon reigned in his place.

²⁶ You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.

² he summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers. “I am old and well along in years,” he said,

¹ Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

¹ Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands.

¹ Now David summoned all the leaders of Israel to Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials and mighty men—every mighty man of valor.

²⁹ Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the Levites—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.

² “Take a census of the Kohathites among the Levites by their clans and families, ³ men from thirty to fifty years old—everyone who is qualified to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. ⁴ This service of the Kohathites at the Tent of Meeting regards the most holy things. ⁵ Whenever the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the veil of the curtain, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. ⁶ They are to place over this a covering of fine leather, spread a solid blue cloth over it, and insert its poles. ⁷ Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and place the plates and cups on it, along with the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The regular bread offering is to remain on it. ⁸ And they shall spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover them with fine leather, and insert the poles. ⁹ They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand used for light, together with its lamps, wick trimmers, and trays, as well as the jars of oil with which to supply it. ¹⁰ Then they shall wrap it and all its utensils inside a covering of fine leather and put it on the carrying frame. ¹¹ Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth, cover it with fine leather, and insert the poles. ¹² They are to take all the utensils for serving in the sanctuary, place them in a blue cloth, cover them with fine leather, and put them on the carrying frame. ¹³ Then they shall remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it, ¹⁴ and place on it all the vessels used to serve there: the firepans, meat forks, shovels, and sprinkling bowls—all the equipment of the altar. They are to spread over it a covering of fine leather and insert the poles. ¹⁵ When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁶ Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall oversee the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He has oversight of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including the holy objects and their utensils.” ¹⁷ Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ¹⁸ “Do not allow the Kohathite tribal clans to be cut off from among the Levites. ¹⁹ In order that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go in and assign each man his task and what he is to carry. ²⁰ But the Kohathites are not to go in and look at the holy objects, even for a moment, or they will die.” ²¹ And the LORD said to Moses, ²² “Take a census of the Gershonites as well, by their families and clans, ²³ from thirty to fifty years old, counting everyone who comes to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. ²⁴ This is the service of the Gershonite clans regarding work and transport: ²⁵ They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting with the covering of fine leather over it, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, ²⁶ the curtains of the courtyard, and the curtains for the entrance at the gate of the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, along with their ropes and all the equipment for their service. The Gershonites will do all that needs to be done with these items. ²⁷ All the service of the Gershonites—all their transport duties and other work—is to be done at the direction of Aaron and his sons; you are to assign to them all that they are responsible to carry. ²⁸ This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting, and their duties shall be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. ²⁹ As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their clans and families, ³⁰ from thirty to fifty years old, counting everyone who comes to serve in the work of the Tent of Meeting. ³¹ This is the duty for all their service at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of the tabernacle with its crossbars, posts, and bases, ³² and the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes, including all their equipment and everything related to their use. You shall assign by name the items that they are responsible to carry. ³³ This is the service of the Merarite clans according to all their work at the Tent of Meeting, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.” ³⁴ So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the Kohathites by their clans and families, ³⁵ everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. ³⁶ And those numbered by their clans totaled 2,750. ³⁷ These were counted from the Kohathite clans, everyone who could serve at the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron numbered them according to the command of the LORD through Moses. ³⁸ Then the Gershonites were numbered by their clans and families, ³⁹ everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. ⁴⁰ And those numbered by their clans and families totaled 2,630. ⁴¹ These were counted from the Gershonite clans who served at the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the LORD’s command. ⁴² And the Merarites were numbered by their clans and families, ⁴³ everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. ⁴⁴ The men registered by their clans numbered 3,200. ⁴⁵ These were counted from the Merarite clans, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the LORD’s command through Moses. ⁴⁶ So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered by their clans and families all the Levites ⁴⁷ from thirty to fifty years old who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting. ⁴⁸ And the number of men was 8,580. ⁴⁹ At the LORD’s command they were numbered through Moses and each one was assigned his work and burden, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²⁴ These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD.

¹⁸ You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.

⁸ If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose. ⁹ You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case. ¹⁰ You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you,

⁴⁸ Their fellow Levites were assigned to every kind of service of the tabernacle, the house of God.

²⁸ Some of them were in charge of the articles used in worship, to count them whenever they were brought in or taken out. ²⁹ Others were put in charge of the furnishings and other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the fine flour, wine, oil, frankincense, and spices. ³⁰ And some of the sons of the priests mixed the spices. ³¹ A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking the bread. ³² Some of their Kohathite brothers were responsible for preparing the rows of the showbread every Sabbath.

²⁸ but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God, ²⁹ as well as for the rows of the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size. ³⁰ They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening. ³¹ Whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, they were to serve regularly before the LORD in the numbers prescribed for them. ³² So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the LORD.

²⁰ Now their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated things. ²¹ From the descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and heads of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli, ²² the sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD. ²³ From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: ²⁴ Shebuel, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries. ²⁵ His relatives through Eliezer included Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son. ²⁶ This Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders. ²⁷ They had dedicated some of the plunder from their battles to the repair of the house of the LORD.

²⁹ From the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons had the outside duties as officers and judges over Israel. ³⁰ From the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of the affairs of Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king. ³¹ As for the Hebronites, Jerijah was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the genealogies of his ancestors. In the fortieth year of David’s reign the records were searched, and strong, capable men were found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gilead.

⁸ Moreover, Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites, priests, and heads of the Israelite families to judge on behalf of the LORD and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem.

⁸ In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD. ⁹ So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah), and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

⁹ Joel son of Zichri was the officer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was over the Second District of the city.

²² Now the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. He was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the singers in charge of the service of the house of God.

⁷ For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.

²⁸ Therefore keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of the Lord and of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

¹² The king made the almug wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug wood been brought in, nor has such been seen to this day.)

³¹ These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there. ³² They ministered with song before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. And they performed their duties according to the regulations given them. ³³ These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, ³⁴ the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, ³⁵ the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, ³⁶ the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, ³⁷ the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, ³⁸ the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. ³⁹ Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served at his right hand: Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, ⁴⁰ the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, ⁴¹ the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, ⁴² the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, ⁴³ the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi. ⁴⁴ On the left were their kinsmen, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, ⁴⁵ the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, ⁴⁶ the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, ⁴⁷ the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi. ⁴⁸ Their fellow Levites were assigned to every kind of service of the tabernacle, the house of God.

¹⁷ These were the gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. Shallum was their chief; ¹⁸ he was previously stationed at the King’s Gate on the east side. These were the gatekeepers from the camp of the Levites. ¹⁹ Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his relatives from the Korahites were assigned to guard the thresholds of the Tent, just as their fathers had been assigned to guard the entrance to the dwelling of the LORD. ²⁰ In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar had been in charge of the gatekeepers, and the LORD was with him. ²¹ Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ²² The number of those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their positions of trust. ²³ So they and their descendants were assigned to guard the gates of the house of the LORD—the house called the Tent. ²⁴ The gatekeepers were stationed on the four sides: east, west, north, and south. ²⁵ Their relatives came from their villages at fixed times to serve with them for seven-day periods. ²⁶ But the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and the treasuries of the house of God. ²⁷ They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they were responsible for guarding it and opening it every morning.

³³ Those who were musicians, the heads of Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other duties because they were on duty day and night.

¹⁶ David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals. ¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; ¹⁸ and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel. ¹⁹ The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals. ²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to Alamoth. ²¹ And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to Sheminith. ²² Chenaniah the head Levite was the director of the music because he was highly skilled. ²³ Berechiah and Elkanah were to be guardians of the ark. ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.

³⁸ along with Obed-edom and his sixty-eight relatives. Obed-edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were to be gatekeepers.

⁴¹ With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the LORD, for “His loving devotion endures forever.” ⁴² Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for the songs of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.

¹ Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service: ² From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. ³ From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all—under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD. ⁴ From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these sons of Heman the king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. ⁶ All these were under the direction of their fathers for the music of the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king. ⁷ Together with their relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they numbered 288.

¹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph. ² Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, ³ Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh. ⁴ And Obed-edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, ⁵ Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth. For God had blessed Obed-edom. ⁶ Also to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled over their families because they were strong, capable men. ⁷ Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his brothers were Elihu and Semachiah, also capable men. ⁸ All these were descendants of Obed-edom; they and their sons and brothers were capable men with strength to do the work—62 in all from Obed-edom. ⁹ Meshelemiah also had sons and brothers who were capable men—18 in all. ¹⁰ Hosah the Merarite also had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first), ¹¹ Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and brothers of Hosah numbered 13 in all. ¹² These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the house of the LORD, just as their brothers did.

¹⁴ In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.

¹⁹ And the Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, shouting in a very loud voice. ²⁰ Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.” ²¹ Then Jehoshaphat consulted with the people and appointed those who would sing to the LORD and praise the splendor of His holiness. As they went out before the army, they were singing: “Give thanks to the LORD, for His loving devotion endures forever.”

²⁵ Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through His prophets. ²⁶ The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

¹⁵ The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their position, because their fellow Levites made preparations for them.

⁷ So in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants.

⁷³ So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. And by the seventh month the Israelites had settled in their towns.

⁷ Singers and pipers will proclaim, “All my springs of joy are in You.”

⁵ You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments.

¹⁶ These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years. ¹⁷ The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, by their clans. ¹⁸ The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. ¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites according to their records. ²⁰ And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. ²¹ The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. ²² The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. ²³ And Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ²⁴ The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the clans of the Korahites.

⁵⁷ Now these were the Levites numbered by their clans: The Gershonite clan from Gershon, the Kohathite clan from Kohath, and the Merarite clan from Merari. ⁵⁸ These were the families of the Levites: The Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Now Kohath was the father of Amram,

¹ The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁶ The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

¹ These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

¹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

²⁵ Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through His prophets.

² Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the priests and Levites—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—for the burnt offerings and peace offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for singing praises at the gates of the LORD’s dwelling.

¹⁰ So the service was prepared; the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command.

¹⁸ They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

¹⁷ The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, by their clans.

¹⁷ These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁸ The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ¹⁹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers: ²⁰ Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

⁷ from the Gershomites, Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives;

²¹ From the descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and heads of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli,

³³ These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, ³⁴ the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

¹¹ David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; ¹⁸ and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.

²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to Alamoth. ²¹ And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to Sheminith.

¹⁸ The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.

²⁷ From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.

⁵⁸ These were the families of the Levites: The Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Now Kohath was the father of Amram,

² The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

²⁰ And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.

¹ “Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests. ² Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, to give him glory and splendor. ³ You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as priest. ⁴ These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may serve Me as priests. ⁵ They shall use gold, along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. ⁶ They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. ⁷ It shall have two shoulder pieces attached at two of its corners, so it can be fastened. ⁸ And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod must be of one piece, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. ⁹ Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: ¹⁰ six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth. ¹¹ Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings. ¹² Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the LORD. ¹³ Fashion gold filigree settings ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold, made of braided cord work; and attach these chains to the settings.

³³ They must eat those things by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no outsider may eat them, because these things are sacred. ³⁴ And if any of the meat of ordination or any bread is left until the morning, you are to burn up the remainder. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred. ³⁵ This is what you are to do for Aaron and his sons based on all that I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. ³⁶ Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. ³⁷ For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy.

⁴⁴ So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests.

⁶ Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you. ⁷ And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. ⁸ When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come. ⁹ On this altar you must not offer unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it. ¹⁰ Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”

³⁴ The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures, ³⁵ and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. ³⁶ Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. ³⁷ You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD. ³⁸ Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”

⁹ Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings, and it shall be holy. ¹⁰ Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it shall be most holy. ¹¹ Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them. ¹² Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. ¹³ And you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he may serve Me as a priest. ¹⁴ Bring his sons forward and clothe them with tunics. ¹⁵ Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.”

²² Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having made the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down. ²³ Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.

¹ Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. ² So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.

¹⁰ You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean,

¹⁷ “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before the LORD. ¹⁸ Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.”

¹¹ When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. ¹² Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil. ¹³ He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die. ¹⁴ And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat. ¹⁵ Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. ¹⁶ So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities. ¹⁷ No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel. ¹⁸ Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. ¹⁹ He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

³² The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments ³³ and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly.

² “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them this is what the LORD has commanded: ³ ‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it ⁴ instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before His tabernacle—that man shall incur bloodguilt. He has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people. ⁵ For this reason the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering in the open fields. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and offer them as sacrifices of peace to the LORD. ⁶ The priest will then sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ²⁴ ‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵ may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’ ²⁷ So they shall put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

¹⁶ And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. ¹⁷ Each man is to take his censer, place incense in it, and present it before the LORD—250 censers. You and Aaron are to present your censers as well.” ¹⁸ So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

³⁵ And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense. ³⁶ Then the LORD said to Moses, ³⁷ “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the coals far away, because the censers are holy. ³⁸ As for the censers of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, hammer them into sheets to overlay the altar, for these were presented before the LORD, and so have become holy. They will serve as a sign to the Israelites.” ³⁹ So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, ⁴⁰ just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his followers.

⁴⁶ Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.” ⁴⁷ So Aaron took the censer as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people.

¹ So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood.

³ And they shall attend to your duties and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die. ⁴ They are to join you and attend to the duties of the Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent; but no outsider may come near you. ⁵ And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and of the altar, so that wrath may not fall on the Israelites again. ⁶ Behold, I Myself have selected your fellow Levites from the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to perform the service for the Tent of Meeting. ⁷ But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.” ⁸ Then the LORD said to Aaron, “Behold, I have put you in charge of My offerings. As for all the sacred offerings of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute.

⁵⁹ and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.

⁵ And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault.

²⁸ And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire.

³ The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

¹⁸ They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.” ¹⁹ Uzziah, with a censer in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But while he raged against the priests in their presence in the house of the LORD before the altar of incense, leprosy broke out on his forehead. ²⁰ When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw his leprous forehead, they rushed him out. Indeed, he himself hurried to get out, because the LORD had afflicted him. ²¹ So King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He lived in isolation, leprous and cut off from the house of the LORD, while his son Jotham had charge of the royal palace to govern the people of the land.

⁶ Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.

¹⁶ In the camp they envied Moses, as well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.

⁹ he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

¹ Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God—

¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased

⁴ No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.

³ Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

¹ This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.

²³ From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: ²⁴ Shebuel, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries. ²⁵ His relatives through Eliezer included Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son.

¹ A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.

²² And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”

²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

³ along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” ⁴ The other son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

²⁰ Now these were the remaining descendants of Levi: From the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.

²⁰ the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²⁴ Shebuel, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries. ²⁵ His relatives through Eliezer included Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son.

²² From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.

²⁶ This Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders.

⁹ from the Hebronites, Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives;

¹² The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.

²³ From the sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites according to their records. ²⁰ Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

³⁰ Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

⁶ Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

²⁶ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The son of Jaaziah: Beno. ²⁷ The descendants of Merari from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. ²⁸ From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹ From Kish: Jerahmeel the son of Kish. ³⁰ And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites, according to their families.

⁶ This is what the LORD has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they please, provided they marry within a clan of the tribe of their father. ⁷ No inheritance in Israel may be transferred from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. ⁸ Every daughter who possesses an inheritance from any Israelite tribe must marry within a clan of the tribe of her father, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers.

²⁸ From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

³⁰ And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites, according to their families.

² “Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. ³ You and Aaron are to number those who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army. ⁴ And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you.

¹⁸ and on the first day of the second month they assembled the whole congregation and recorded their ancestry by clans and families, counting one by one the names of those twenty years of age or older,

²² From the sons of Simeon, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

³² These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families. The total of those counted in the camps, by their divisions, was 603,550.

¹⁵ “Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.”

²⁰ And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families.

⁴⁷ you are to collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs.

³ men from thirty to fifty years old—everyone who is qualified to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

²⁴ “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the service in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁷ Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting it.

²¹ Then the Kohathites set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.

³ The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000.

²⁷ For according to the final instructions of David, the Levites twenty years of age or older were counted,

⁸ In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD.

¹ After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,

¹¹ and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you.

¹³ I have indeed built You an exalted house, a place for You to dwell forever.”

²⁷ But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

¹⁸ “Is not the LORD your God with you, and has He not granted you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land has been subdued before the LORD and His people.

¹¹ Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; proclaim His deeds among the nations.

¹⁶ Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling, where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

¹⁸ You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.

¹³ For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home: ¹⁴ “This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired this home.

²¹ Blessed be the LORD from Zion—He who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

¹⁸ Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

²¹ For I will avenge their blood, which I have not yet avenged.” For the LORD dwells in Zion.

³ This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.”

¹⁶ What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.

⁵ Whenever the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the veil of the curtain, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it.

¹⁵ When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.

⁴⁹ At the LORD’s command they were numbered through Moses and each one was assigned his work and burden, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁹ But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since they were to carry on their shoulders the holy objects for which they were responsible.

⁸ At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.

¹ These are the last words of David: “The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man raised on high, the one anointed by the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel:

²⁰ Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.

⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. ⁷ They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. ⁸ They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle. ⁹ Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites.

⁵ Against the walls of the temple and the inner sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure around the temple, in which he constructed the side rooms.

²⁸ Some of them were in charge of the articles used in worship, to count them whenever they were brought in or taken out. ²⁹ Others were put in charge of the furnishings and other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the fine flour, wine, oil, frankincense, and spices.

¹⁷ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief officials at the king’s side.

⁴ “Of these,” said David, “24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges,

¹³ for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for all the work of service in the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD:

⁵ “Listen to me, O Levites,” he said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every impurity.

¹⁸ Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils. ¹⁹ Moreover, we have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz in his unfaithfulness cast aside during his reign. They are now in front of the altar of the LORD.”

¹¹ Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare storerooms in the house of the LORD, and they did so.

³ To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel. ⁴ Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and Solomon his son. ⁵ Moreover, stand in the Holy Place by the divisions of the families of your kinsmen the lay people, and by the divisions of the families of the Levites. ⁶ Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your fellow countrymen to carry out the word of the LORD given by Moses.”

¹¹ And they slaughtered the Passover lambs, while the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them and the Levites skinned the animals. ¹² They set aside the burnt offerings to be given to the divisions of the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as is written in the Book of Moses; and they did the same with the bulls. ¹³ They roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the regulation, and they boiled the other holy offerings in pots, kettles, and bowls and quickly brought them to all the people. ¹⁴ Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were offering up burnt offerings and fat until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

²⁹ Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families.”

²⁴ Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in every matter concerning the people.

⁴ Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God ⁵ and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.

⁹ Then I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored to them, along with the grain offerings and frankincense.

⁴ and I brought them into the house of the LORD, to a chamber occupied by the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God. This room was near the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.

⁶ The side rooms were arranged one above another in three levels of thirty rooms each. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be fastened into the wall of the temple itself. ⁷ The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive level, because the structure surrounding the temple ascended by stages corresponding to the narrowing of the temple wall as it rose upward. And so a stairway went up from the lowest story to the highest, through the middle one. ⁸ I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the full length of a rod, six long cubits. ⁹ The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick, and the open area between the side rooms of the temple ¹⁰ and the outer chambers was twenty cubits wide all around the temple. ¹¹ The side rooms opened into this area, with one entrance on the north and another on the south. The open area was five cubits wide all around.

²⁶ There were beveled windows and palm trees on the sidewalls of the portico. The side rooms of the temple also had canopies.

³ Gallery faced gallery in three levels opposite the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court.

¹³ Then the man said to me, “The north and south chambers facing the temple courtyard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings—for the place is holy.

³⁰ And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

⁴ Now if you bring an offering of grain baked in an oven, it must consist of fine flour, either unleavened cakes mixed with oil or unleavened wafers coated with oil. ⁵ If your offering is a grain offering prepared on a griddle, it must be unleavened bread made of fine flour mixed with oil. ⁶ Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. ⁷ If your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pan, it must consist of fine flour with oil.

²⁰ “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle; you are to bring it well-kneaded and present it as a grain offering broken in pieces, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. ²² The priest, who is one of Aaron’s sons and will be anointed to take his place, is to prepare it. As a permanent portion for the LORD, it must be burned completely. ²³ Every grain offering for a priest shall be burned completely; it is not to be eaten.”

⁹ Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who presents it,

³⁵ You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. ³⁶ You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

⁵ You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, ⁶ and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD. ⁷ And you are to place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ⁸ Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant. ⁹ It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD—his portion forever.”

⁵⁰ He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

⁴⁸ Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD: the golden altar; the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;

²⁹ Others were put in charge of the furnishings and other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the fine flour, wine, oil, frankincense, and spices. ³⁰ And some of the sons of the priests mixed the spices. ³¹ A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking the bread. ³² Some of their Kohathite brothers were responsible for preparing the rows of the showbread every Sabbath. ³³ Those who were musicians, the heads of Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other duties because they were on duty day and night. ³⁴ All these were heads of Levite families, chiefs according to their genealogies, and they lived in Jerusalem.

¹¹ Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken Him.

¹⁸ Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils.

³³ for the showbread, for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings, for the Sabbath offerings, for the New Moons and appointed feasts, for the holy offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the duties of the house of our God.

⁴ He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.

² A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place.

³⁹ Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight. ⁴⁰ With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives, and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. ⁴¹ And offer the second lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning, as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ⁴² For the generations to come, this burnt offering shall be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you.

³¹ These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there. ³² They ministered with song before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. And they performed their duties according to the regulations given them. ³³ These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

³⁷ So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to minister there regularly according to the daily requirements, ³⁸ along with Obed-edom and his sixty-eight relatives. Obed-edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were to be gatekeepers. ³⁹ And David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon ⁴⁰ to regularly present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offerings, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the Law of the LORD, which He had commanded Israel to keep.

²⁵ Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through His prophets. ²⁶ The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷ And Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be sacrificed on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets began as well, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. ²⁸ The whole assembly was worshiping, the singers were singing, and the trumpeters were playing. All this continued until the burnt offering was completed.

¹⁰ When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed. ¹¹ And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; for His loving devotion to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.

¹ A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High, ² to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning and Your faithfulness at night ³ with the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre.

¹ A song of ascents. Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who serve by night in the house of the LORD! ² Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the LORD!

¹ Hallelujah! Praise the name of the LORD. Give praise, O servants of the LORD, ² who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God. ³ Hallelujah, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.

¹⁹ O house of Israel, bless the LORD; O house of Aaron, bless the LORD; ²⁰ O house of Levi, bless the LORD; you who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!

² There on the willows we hung our harps, ³ for there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: “Sing us a song of Zion.” ⁴ How can we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land?

⁸ When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased us for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. ¹⁰ You have made them to be kings and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” ¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. ¹² In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” ¹³ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever. Amen!” ¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

³ And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘These are My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. ³ For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD. ⁴ These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. ⁵ The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. ⁶ On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. ⁷ On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any regular work. ⁸ For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.’” ⁹ And the LORD said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. ¹¹ And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. ¹² On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, ¹³ along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. ¹⁴ You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live. ¹⁵ From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count off seven full weeks. ¹⁶ You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. ¹⁷ Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD.

²⁴ “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts.

³⁹ On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to celebrate a feast to the LORD for seven days. There shall be complete rest on the first day and also on the eighth day.

¹⁰ And on your joyous occasions, your appointed feasts, and the beginning of each month, you are to blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to serve as a reminder for you before your God. I am the LORD your God.”

¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, ² “Command the Israelites and say to them: See that you present to Me at its appointed time the food for My offerings by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Me. ³ And tell them that this is the offering made by fire you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. ⁴ Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, ⁵ along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives. ⁶ This is a regular burnt offering established at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ⁷ The drink offering accompanying each lamb shall be a quarter hin. Pour out the offering of fermented drink to the LORD in the sanctuary area. ⁸ And offer the second lamb at twilight, with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. ⁹ On the Sabbath day, present two unblemished year-old male lambs, accompanied by a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, as well as a drink offering. ¹⁰ This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. ¹¹ At the beginning of every month, you are to present to the LORD a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, ¹² along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with the ram, ¹³ and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each lamb. This is a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ¹⁴ Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine with each bull, a third of a hin with the ram, and a quarter hin with each lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon throughout the year. ¹⁵ In addition to the regular burnt offering with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented to the LORD as a sin offering. ¹⁶ The fourteenth day of the first month is the LORD’s Passover. ¹⁷ On the fifteenth day of this month, there shall be a feast; for seven days unleavened bread is to be eaten. ¹⁸ On the first day there is to be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work. ¹⁹ Present to the LORD an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished. ²⁰ The grain offering shall consist of fine flour mixed with oil; offer three-tenths of an ephah with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram, ²¹ and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs. ²² Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. ²³ You are to present these in addition to the regular morning burnt offering. ²⁴ Offer the same food each day for seven days as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It is to be offered with its drink offering and the regular burnt offering. ²⁵ On the seventh day you shall hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work. ²⁶ On the day of firstfruits, when you present an offering of new grain to the LORD during the Feast of Weeks, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work. ²⁷ Present a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, ²⁸ together with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram, ²⁹ and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs.

¹ For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. Of Asaph. Sing for joy to God our strength; make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob. ² Lift up a song, strike the tambourine, play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre. ³ Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and at the full moon on the day of our Feast. ⁴ For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

¹³ Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me—your New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations. I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly. ¹⁴ I hate your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.

⁵³ But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are responsible for the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

³⁸ Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

⁴ and they brought up the ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting with all its sacred furnishings. So the priests and Levites carried them up.

²⁷ They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they were responsible for guarding it and opening it every morning.