1 Chronicles 22–24: Preparing What Another Will Build

Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God, as well as the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

So David gave orders to gather the foreigners in the land of Israel, from whom he appointed stonecutters to prepare finished stones for building the house of God.

David provided a large quantity of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, together with more bronze than could be weighed and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.

And David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent—famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore I must make preparations for it.” So David made lavish preparations before his death.

Then David called for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel.

“My son,” said David to Solomon, “it was in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, but this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for my Name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before me. But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. Above all, may the LORD give you insight and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the Law of the LORD your God. Then you will succeed, if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.

You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in every kind of work— in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you.”

Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: “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. Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.”

When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel. Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.

The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000. “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, 4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.”

Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi:

Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.
The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham, and Joel—three in all.
The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.
And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei—four in all. 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.
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.
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. As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
The descendants of Gershom: Shebuel was the first.
The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.
The sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
The sons of Uzziel: Micah was the first and Isshiah the second.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. Eleazar died without having any sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth —three in all.

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.

For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever. So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service.”

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

They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening. 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. 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.

These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.

With the help of Eleazar’s descendant Zadok and Ithamar’s descendant Ahimelech, David divided them according to the offices of their service. Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than those of Ithamar, they were divided accordingly. There were sixteen heads of families from the descendants of Eleazar and eight from the descendants of Ithamar.

Thus they were divided by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

The scribe, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officers: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from Ithamar.

The first lot fell to Jehoiarib,
the second to Jedaiah,
the third to Harim,
the fourth to Seorim,
the fifth to Malchijah,
the sixth to Mijamin,
the seventh to Hakkoz,
the eighth to Abijah,
the ninth to Jeshua,
the tenth to Shecaniah,
the eleventh to Eliashib,
the twelfth to Jakim,
the thirteenth to Huppah,
the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
the fifteenth to Bilgah,
the sixteenth to Immer,
the seventeenth to Hezir,
the eighteenth to Happizzez,
the nineteenth to Pethahiah,
the twentieth to Jehezkel,
the twenty-first to Jachin,
the twenty-second to Gamul,
the twenty-third to Delaiah,
and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

Now these were the remaining descendants of Levi:

From the sons of Amram: Shubael;
from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.
As for Rehabiah, from his sons: The first was Isshiah.
From the Izharites: Shelomoth;
from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.
From the sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
From the sons of Uzziel: Micah;
from the sons of Micah: Shamir.
The brother of Micah: Isshiah;
from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
The son of Jaaziah: Beno.
The descendants of Merari from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.
From Kish: Jerahmeel the son of Kish.
And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

These were the sons of the Levites, according to their families. As their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, they also cast lots in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.