¹ When David had become old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king of Israel,

² and then summoned all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and Levites.

³ A census was taken of those Levites thirty years old and upwards. On a count of heads, they numbered thirty-eight thousand men;

⁴ twenty-four thousand were responsible for the service of the House of Yahweh, six thousand were officials and judges,

⁵ four thousand were gatekeepers and four thousand praised Yahweh on the instruments which David had made for praising him.

⁶ David then divided the Levites into classes: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

⁷ Of the Gershonites there were Ladan and Shimei.

⁸ Sons of Ladan: Jehiel first, Zetham, Joel; three in all.

⁹ Sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, Haran; three in all. These are the heads of families of Ladan.

¹⁰ Sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, Beriah; these were the sons of Shimei; four in all.

¹¹ Jahath was the eldest, Zizah the second, then Jeush and Beriah, who had not many children and were reckoned as one family.

¹² Sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel; four in all.

¹³ Sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to consecrate the things that were especially holy, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense in the presence of Yahweh, to serve him and to bless in his name for ever.

¹⁴ Moses, man of God, and his sons were reckoned with the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵ Sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

¹⁶ Sons of Gershom: Shebuel, the first.

¹⁷ Of the sons of Eliezer, Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

¹⁸ Sons of Izhar: Shelomith, the first.

¹⁹ Sons of Hebron: Jeriah first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, Jekameam fourth.

²⁰ Sons of Uzziel: Micah first, Isshiah second.

²¹ Sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. Sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

²² Eleazar died without sons, but he did have daughters, whom their cousins, the sons of Kish, married.

²³ Sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, Jeremoth: three in all.

²⁴ These were the sons of Levi by their families, the heads of families, and those registered by name, individually; whoever was twenty years old or upwards had his function in the service of the Temple of Yahweh.

²⁵ For David said, 'Since Yahweh, God of Israel, has given rest to his people Israel and has taken up residence in Jerusalem for ever,

²⁶ the Levites need no longer carry the Dwelling or any of the objects required for its service.'

²⁷ For, according to the last words of David, the Levites who had been registered were of twenty years and upwards.

²⁸ Their duty now is to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the House of Yahweh, in the care of the courts and rooms, the purification of all the holy things, the work for the service of the House of God,

²⁹ the loaves of permanent offering, the flour for the oblation, the wafers of unleavened bread, the pan-baked materials, the unmixed materials and all measures of volume and length.

³⁰ Furthermore, they have to be present every morning to give thanks and praise to Yahweh, and also in the evening,

³¹ and at the bringing of every burnt offering to Yahweh on Sabbath, New Moon or solemn feast, appearing regularly before Yahweh in accordance with the numbers required of them.

³² In serving the Temple of Yahweh they observe the ritual of the Tent of Meeting, the ritual of the sanctuary and the ritual of their kinsmen, the sons of Aaron.'