1 Chronicles 23 1-1 Chronicles 23 26
When David was old and approaching the end of his life, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.David assembled all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and the Levites.The Levites who were thirty years old and up were counted; there were 38,000 men.David said,“ Of these, 24,000 are to direct the work of the LORD’s temple; 6,000 are to be officials and judges;4,000 are to be gatekeepers; and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I supplied for worship.”David divided them into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.The Gershonites included Ladan and Shimei.The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the oldest, Zetham, and Joel– three in all.The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran– three in all. These were the leaders of the family of Ladan.The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were Shimei’s sons– four in all.Jahath was the oldest and Zizah the second oldest. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were considered one family with one responsibility.The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel– four in all.The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were chosen on a permanent basis to consecrate the most holy items, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to serve him, and to praise his name.The descendants of Moses the man of God were considered Levites.The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.The son of Gershom: Shebuel the oldest.The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah, the oldest. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many descendants.The son of Izhar: Shelomith the oldest.The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.The sons of Uzziel: Micah the oldest, and Isshiah the second.The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.Eleazar died without having sons; he had only daughters. The sons of Kish, their cousins, married them.The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth– three in all.These were the descendants of Levi according to their families, that is, the leaders of families as counted and individually listed who carried out assigned tasks in the LORD’s temple and were twenty years old and up.For David said,“ The LORD God of Israel has given his people rest and has permanently settled in Jerusalem.So the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the items used in its service.”
Numbers 8:9-26
You are to bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire community of the Israelites.Then you are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites;and Aaron is to offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, that they may do the work of the LORD.When the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them as a wave offering to the LORD.And so you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.“ After this, the Levites will go in to do the work of the tent of meeting. So you must cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering.For they are entirely given to me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn sons of all the Israelites.For all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and animals; when I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart for myself.So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons among the Israelites.I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary.”So Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites did this with the Levites. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, this is what the Israelites did with them.The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.After this, the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did.Then the LORD spoke to Moses:“ This is what pertains to the Levites: At the age of twenty-five years and upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting,and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work.They may assist their colleagues in the tent of meeting, to attend to needs, but they must do no work. This is the way you must establish the Levites regarding their duties.”