David spoke to the whole community of Israel. He said,“ Let’s send word to the rest of our people no matter how far away they live. They live in all the territories of Israel. Let’s also send word to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and on their grasslands. Let’s invite everyone to come and join us. Let’s do it if it seems good to you and if that’s what the Lord our God wants.

大卫对以色列全会众说：“你们若以为美，见这事是出于耶和华我们的神，我们就差遣人走遍以色列地，见我们未来的弟兄，又见住在有郊野之城的祭司利未人，使他们都到这里来聚集。

大卫对以色列全会众说：“你们若以为好，见这事是出于耶和华—我们的上帝，我们就派人到远近各处去见仍留在以色列各地我们的弟兄，以及住在有郊野之城的祭司和利未人，使他们都到我们这里来聚集。

大卫对以色列全会众说：“你们若以为好，见这事是出于耶和华—我们的神，我们就派人到远近各处去见仍留在以色列各地我们的弟兄，以及住在有郊野之城的祭司和利未人，使他们都到我们这里来聚集。

然后对以色列全体会众说：“如果你们赞成，而且这是我们上帝耶和华的旨意，我们就派人到以色列各地把其他同胞，包括住在城邑及草场的祭司和利未人召集来。

然后大卫对以色列全体会众说：“你们如果认为好，认为这事是出于耶和华我们的神，我们就差遣人走遍各地，去见留在以色列各地的兄弟，以及和他们在一起住在那些有草场的城的祭司和利未人，叫他们都聚集到我们这里来。

大衛對以色列全會眾說：「你們若以為美，見這事是出於耶和華－我們的神，我們就差遣人走遍以色列地，見我們未來的弟兄，又見住在有郊野之城的祭司利未人，使他們都到這裏來聚集。

大衛對以色列全會眾說：「你們若以為好，見這事是出於耶和華－我們的上帝，我們就派人到遠近各處去見仍留在以色列各地我們的弟兄，以及住在有郊野之城的祭司和利未人，使他們都到我們這裏來聚集。

大衛對以色列全會眾說：「你們若以為好，見這事是出於耶和華－我們的神，我們就派人到遠近各處去見仍留在以色列各地我們的弟兄，以及住在有郊野之城的祭司和利未人，使他們都到我們這裏來聚集。

然後對以色列全體會眾說：「如果你們贊成，而且這是我們上帝耶和華的旨意，我們就派人到以色列各地把其他同胞，包括住在城邑及草場的祭司和利未人召集來。

然後大衛對以色列全體會眾說：“你們如果認為好，認為這事是出於耶和華我們的神，我們就差遣人走遍各地，去見留在以色列各地的兄弟，以及和他們在一起住在那些有草場的城的祭司和利未人，叫他們都聚集到我們這裡來。

大衛對以色列全體大眾說：『你們若以為好，若以為是出於永恆主我們的上帝，那麼我們就發急令，差遣人去見我們的族弟兄、那些在以色列各地其餘之民、連同祭司和利未人、那些在有牧場之城的，叫他們集合到我們這裏來。

謂以色列會眾曰、爾曹若以為善、此事由於我上帝耶和華、則可遣人往以色列全地、請我儕其餘之昆弟、及居邑郊之祭司利未人、使之咸集於此、

告以色列族會眾、曰、如蒙我上帝耶和華祐、俾爾樂為、則遣人召以色列族地未至之同宗、及諸邑之祭司、利未人、群集於此、

謂以色列會眾曰、如爾以為善、且以為出乎主我之天主、則我儕遣人往以色列遍地、見所有未至之同族、又見祭司及利未人、即居於其邑與其郊者、使咸集於此、

He then said to the whole assembly of Israel,“ If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us.

And David said to all the assembly of Israel,“ If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us.

Then he addressed the entire assembly of Israel as follows:“ If you approve and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send messages to all the Israelites throughout the land, including the priests and Levites in their towns and pasturelands. Let us invite them to come and join us.

Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel,“ If it seems good to you, and if this is from the LORD our God, let’s spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands, that they should gather together with us.

David said to all the assembly of Israel,“ If it seems good to you, and if it is from the Lord our God, let us send word everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they meet with us;

And David said to all the assembly of Israel,“ If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us;

And David said unto all the assembly of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and if it be of Jehovah our God, let us send abroad every where unto our brethren that are left in all the land of Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us;

Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel,“ If it seems good to you, and if this is from the Lord our God, let us spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands, that they should gather together with us.

And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If[ it seem] good unto you, and[ that it be] of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where,[ that are] left in all the land of Israel, and with them[ also] to the priests and Levites[ which are] in their cities[ and] suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:

David said to the whole Israelite assembly,“ If you so desire and the LORD our God approves, let’s spread the word to our brothers who remain in all the regions of Israel, and to the priests and Levites in their cities, so they may join us.

David said to all the assembly of Israel,“ If it seems good to you, and if it is of Yahweh our God, let’s send word everywhere to our brothers who are left in all the land of Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have pasture lands, that they may gather themselves to us.

The Philistines fought against the Israelites. The Israelites ran away from them. But many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa.

All the Israelites who lived in the valley saw that their army had run away. They saw that Saul and his sons were dead. So the Israelites left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and lived in them.

Because of the authority Christ has given me, I could be bold. I could order you to do what you should do anyway.But we love each other. And I would rather appeal to you on the basis of that love. I, Paul, am an old man. I am now also a prisoner because of Christ Jesus.

Perhaps the Lord your God will hear everything the field commander has said. His master, the king of Assyria, has sent him to make fun of the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will punish him for what he has heard him say. So pray for the remaining people who are still alive here.’ ”

If this is what God wants and if you do it, then you will be able to carry the load. And all these people will go home satisfied.”

He said,“ Only Levites can carry the ark of God. That’s because the Lord chose them to carry his ark. He chose them to serve him forever in front of the place where his throne is.”David gathered the whole community of Israel together in Jerusalem. He wanted to carry up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.He called together the members of the family line of Aaron. He also called the Levites together. Here are the men who came from the families of the Levites.From the families of Kohath came the leader Uriel and 120 relatives.From the families of Merari came the leader Asaiah and 220 relatives.From the families of Gershon came the leader Joel and 130 relatives.From the families of Elizaphan came the leader Shemaiah and 200 relatives.From the families of Hebron came the leader Eliel and 80 relatives.From the families of Uzziel came the leader Amminadab and 112 relatives.David sent for Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. He also sent for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab. They were Levites.He said to them,“ You are the leaders of the families of Levi. You and the other Levites must set yourselves apart to serve the Lord and his people. You must carry up the ark of the Lord. He is the God of Israel. Put the ark in the place I’ve prepared for it.Remember when the anger of the Lord our God broke out against us? That’s because it wasn’t you Levites who tried to carry up the ark the first time. We didn’t ask the Lord how to do it in the way the law requires.”So the priests and Levites set themselves apart. Then they carried up the ark of the Lord. He is the God of Israel.

“ Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in. The towns must come from the shares of land the people will have as their own. Also give the Levites the grasslands around the towns.Then the Levites will have towns to live in. They will also have grasslands for their cattle and all their other livestock.“ The grasslands around each town you give them will go out to 1,500 feet from the town wall.Outside each town, the east side will measure 3,000 feet. So will the south side, the west side and the north side. The town must be in the center. And the Levites will own the grasslands around each town.“ Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities to go to for safety. A person who has killed someone can run to one of them. Also give the Levites 42 other towns.You must give the Levites a total of 48 towns. Also give them the grasslands around those towns.The towns you give the Levites must come from the land the Israelites have as their own. So the number you give from each tribe will depend on the size of that tribe’s share. Take many towns from a tribe that has many towns. But take only a few towns from a tribe that has only a few.”Then the Lord said to Moses,

Hezekiah gave an order to the people who were living in Jerusalem. He commanded them to give to the priests and Levites the share they owed them. Then the priests and Levites could give their full attention to the Law of the Lord.The order went out. Right away the people of Israel began to give freely. They gave the first share of the harvest of their grain, fresh wine, olive oil and honey. They also gave the first share of everything else their fields produced. They brought a large amount. It was a tenth of everything.Here is what the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah brought. They brought a tenth of their herds and flocks. They also brought a tenth of the holy things they had set apart to the Lord their God. They put them in piles.They began doing it in the third month. They finished in the seventh month.Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the piles. When they did, they praised the Lord. And they blessed his people Israel.Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the piles.Azariah the chief priest answered him. He said,“ The people have been bringing their gifts to the Lord’ s temple. Ever since they began to bring them, we’ve had enough to eat. We have even had plenty to spare. That’s because the Lord has blessed his people. So we have a large amount left over.” Azariah was from the family line of Zadok.Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the Lord’ s temple. And it was done.The people were faithful. They brought in their offerings and a tenth of everything they produced. They also brought the gifts they had set apart to the Lord. Konaniah the Levite was in charge of everything they brought. His brother Shimei was next in command after him.Konaniah and his brother Shimei had helpers who worked with them. Their names were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah. King Hezekiah and Azariah had appointed them. Azariah was the official in charge of God’s temple.Kore the Levite guarded the East Gate. He was in charge of the offerings people chose to give to God. He handed out the offerings made to the Lord. He also handed out the gifts that had been set apart to the Lord. Kore was the son of Imnah.Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shekaniah helped Kore. They were faithful in helping him in the towns of the priests. They handed out gifts to their brother priests, group by group. They gave the gifts to old men and young men alike.In addition to that, they handed out gifts to the males who were three years old or more. The names of those males were listed in their family history. All of them would enter the Lord’ s temple. They would carry out their duties each day. Each group did all the different things it was supposed to do.Kore and his Levite companions also handed out gifts to the priests. The priests were listed by their families in their family history. Those Levites also handed out gifts to the Levites who were 20 years old or more. Each group did all the different things it was supposed to do.Those groups included all the little ones, the wives, and the sons and daughters of the whole community. All of them were listed in their family history. They were faithful in setting themselves apart to serve the Lord.Some of the priests lived in other towns or on farms around their towns. They were from the family line of Aaron. Men were chosen by name to hand out shares to those priests. They gave a share to every male among them. They also gave a share to everyone whose name was written down in the family history of the Levites.That’s what Hezekiah did all through Judah. He did what was good and right. He was faithful to the Lord his God.He tried to obey his God. He worked for him with all his heart. That’s the way he worked in everything he did to serve God’s temple. He obeyed the law. He followed the Lord’ s commands. So he had success.

They replied,“ Serve them today. Give them what they are asking for. Then they’ll always serve you.”

Here were the places where they made their homes. These places were given to them as their territory. Some were given to the children of Aaron who were from the family group of Kohath. They were given out by casting lots. The first lot was for Kohath.In Judah the Kohathites were given Hebron. They also received the grasslands around Hebron.But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.So the people in the family line of Aaron received Hebron. It was a city where people could go for safety. Aaron’s family line received Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,Hilen and Debir.They also received Ashan, Juttah and Beth Shemesh. They were given all these towns together with their grasslands.From the tribe of Benjamin they received Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth. They received these towns together with their grasslands. All these towns were handed out to the family groups of Kohath. The total number of towns was 13.The rest of the members of the family line of Kohath were given ten towns. The towns were from the family groups of half of the tribe of Manasseh.The members of the family line of Gershon were given 13 towns. They received them family group by family group. Most of the towns were from the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali. The rest were from the other half of the tribe of Manasseh. It’s in Bashan.The members of the family line of Merari were given 12 towns. They received them family group by family group. The towns were from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.So the Israelites gave the Levites all these towns and their grasslands.They gave other towns to them from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.Some of the family groups of Kohath were given towns from the tribe of Ephraim as their territory.In the hill country of Ephraim they received Shechem. Shechem was a city where people could go for safety. The Kohathites also received Gezer,Jokmeam, Beth Horon,Aijalon and Gath Rimmon. They were given all these towns together with their grasslands.From half of the tribe of Manasseh the people of Israel gave the towns of Aner and Bileam. They gave them to the rest of the family groups of Kohath. They gave them together with their grasslands.Here is what the members of the family line of Gershon were given. From half of the tribe of Manasseh they received Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth. They received them together with their grasslands.From the tribe of Issachar they received Kedesh, Daberath,Ramoth and Anem. They received them together with their grasslands.From the tribe of Asher they received Mashal, Abdon,Hukok and Rehob. They received them together with their grasslands.From the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee. They also received Hammon and Kiriathaim. They were given all these towns together with their grasslands.The members of the family line of Merari make up the rest of the Levites. Here is what they were given. From the tribe of Zebulun they received Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmono and Tabor. They received them together with their grasslands.The tribe of Reuben was across the Jordan River east of Jericho. From that tribe the Merarites received Bezer in the desert, Jahzah,Kedemoth and Mephaath. They received them together with their grasslands.From the tribe of Gad they received Ramoth in Gilead. They also received Mahanaim,Heshbon and Jazer. They received all these towns together with their grasslands.

“ Here is the work the men of Kohath must do at the tent of meeting. They must take care of the things that are very holy.When the camp is ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the tent. They must take down the curtain that hides the ark where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. They must cover the ark with the curtain.Then they must cover that with strong leather. They must spread a solid blue cloth over the leather. And they must put the poles in place.“ They must spread a blue cloth over the table for the holy bread. They must put the plates, dishes and bowls on the cloth. They must also put the jars for drink offerings on it. The bread that is always kept there must remain on it.They must spread a bright red cloth over everything. Then they must cover that with the strong leather. And they must put the poles of the table in place.“ They must get a blue cloth. With it they must cover the lampstand that gives light. They must also cover its lamps, trays and wick cutters. And they must cover all its jars. The jars are for the olive oil used in the lampstand.Then Aaron and his sons must wrap the lampstand and all the things used with it. They must cover it with the strong leather. And they must put it on a frame to carry it.“ They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar for burning incense. They must cover that with the strong leather. And they must put the poles of the altar in place.“ They must get all the things used for serving in the sacred tent. They must wrap them in a blue cloth. They must cover that with the strong leather. Then they must put those things on a frame to carry them.“ They must remove the ashes from the bronze altar for burnt offerings. They must spread a purple cloth over it.Then they must place all the tools on it. The tools are used for serving at the altar. They include the pans for carrying ashes. They also include the meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Aaron and his sons must cover the altar with the strong leather. And they must put its poles in place.“ Aaron and his sons must cover all the holy things that belong to the holy tent. Only then are the men of Kohath to come and carry everything. They must do so only when the camp is ready to move. But they must not touch the holy things. If they do, they will die. The men of Kohath must carry everything in the tent of meeting.“ Eleazar the priest will be in charge of the olive oil for the light. He is the son of Aaron. Eleazar will be in charge of the sweet- smelling incense. He will be in charge of the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He will be in charge of the entire holy tent. He will also be in charge of everything in it. That includes all the things that belong to the tent.”The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,“ Make sure that the Kohath families are not destroyed from among the Levites.I want them to live and not die when they come near the very holy things. So here is what you must do for them. Aaron and his sons must go into the sacred tent and tell each man what to do. They must tell each man what to carry.But the men of Kohath must not go in and look at the holy things. They must not look at them even for a moment. If they do, they will die.”

But King Joram had returned to Jezreel. He had gone there to give his wounds time to heal. The soldiers of Aram had wounded him in his battle against Hazael, the king of Aram. Jehu said to his men,“ Do you want to make me king? If you do, don’t let anyone sneak out of the city. Don’t let them go and tell the news in Jezreel.”

Then the king spoke to Nathan the prophet. He said,“ Here I am, living in a house that has beautiful cedar walls. But the ark of God remains in a tent.”Nathan replied to the king,“ Go ahead and do what you want to. The Lord is with you.”But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan. The Lord said,“ Go and speak to my servant David. Tell him,‘ The Lord says,“ Are you the one to build me a house to live in?

Plans fail without good advice. But they succeed when there are many advisers.