1 Chronicles

Retells some stories from Samuel and Kings, focusing on King David and the importance of worship.

Chapter 23

1 So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

*When David grew old, he made his son Solomon the king of Israel.

2 And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

*He brought all the important leaders of Israel, along with the priests and those who helped in religious duties.

3 Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.

*Now, the Levites, who are a group of people, were counted when they were at least 30 years old. The total number of them, each person separately, was 38,000.

4 Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand were officers and judges:

*Out of these, 24,000 people were to help with the LORD's house construction, while 6,000 served as leaders and judges.

5 Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.

*Furthermore, there were 4,000 helpers; and 4,000 people played musical instruments to worship God, using the tools I created for that purpose, said David.

6 And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

*David split the Levites' groups among their children: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and Shimei.

*The Gershonites had two people: Laadan and Shimei.

8 The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

*The children of Laadan had a leader named Jehiel, along with two others, Zetham and Joel, making three in total.

9 The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.

*The children of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran, totaling three. They were the leaders of the families in Laadan.

10 And the sons of Shimei were, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

*Shimei's children were named Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. There were four of them in total.

11 And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father’s house.

*Jahath was the leader, and Zizah was next. Jeush and Beriah had few children, so they were counted together as one family group.

12 The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

*The children of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, totaling four.

13 The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.

*Aaron and Moses were Amram's children. Aaron had a special job with God. He and his family were responsible to offer incense, serve God, and give blessings in His name forever.

14 Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi.

*Now about Moses, a man of God, his children were from the tribe of Levi.

15 The sons of Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer.

*Moses' children were named Gershom and Eliezer.

16 Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.

*Shebuel was the main son of Gershom.

17 And the sons of Eliezer were, Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

*Eliezer's children included Rehabiah, who was their leader. Eliezer didn't have any other kids, but Rehabiah had many children.

18 Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief.

*From the children of Izhar, Shelomith was the leader.

19 Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

*From the children of Hebron: Jeriah was first, then Amariah, followed by Jahaziel, and lastly, Jekameam.

20 Of the sons of Uzziel; Micah the first, and Jesiah the second.

*From Uzziel's children, Micah was born first, followed by Jesiah as the second child.

21 The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.

*The descendants of Merari are Mahli and Mushi. Mahli's children are Eleazar and Kish.

22 And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them.

*Eleazar passed away without any sons, only daughters. The brothers from Kish, who were also related to them, took care of the daughters.

23 The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

*The children of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth - there were three of them.

24 These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and upward.

*These were the children of Levi based on their family leaders. The leaders were determined by counting the names at each family's head. They performed tasks for the Lord's house starting from the age of twenty and above.

25 For David said, The LORD God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:

*David said, "The Lord, the God of Israel, has provided peace for his people so they can live in Jerusalem forever."

26 And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.

*And to the Levites too, they can't carry the tent or any of its tools used for work inside it anymore.

27 For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:

*For, through David's final words, the Levites were counted starting at age 20.

28 Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God;

*Because they were responsible for assisting the descendants of Aaron with tasks related to the LORD's house, including the courtyards, rooms, and cleaning of all sacred items, as well as helping with the work in God's temple.

29 Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;

*For the showbread and the flour for the meat offering, the unleavened cakes, the pan-baked items, the fried foods, and everything measured and sized differently;

30 And to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at even;

*Every morning, stand and thank and praise the Lord, and do the same at nighttime too.

31 And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the LORD in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the LORD:

*Offer all burnt sacrifices to God during special days like Sabbaths, new moons, and set festivals, following the given rules, continuously.

32 And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the LORD.

*They were to take care of the tent for the people, the sacred area, and the responsibilities of Aaron's family while serving in God's house.

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