1Now David was old and full of days ; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel . 2And he gathered together all the princes of Israel , with the priests and the Levites . 3And the Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward : and their number by their polls , man by man , was thirty and eight thousand. 4Of these , twenty and four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah ; and six thousand were officers and judges ; 5and four thousand were doorkeepers ; and four thousand praised Jehovah with the instruments which I made , said David , to praise therewith. 6And David divided them into courses according to the sons of Levi : Gershon, Kohath , and Merari .
The Duties of the Levites
7Of the Gershonites : Ladan and Shimei . 8The sons of Ladan : Jehiel the chief , and Zetham , and Joel , three . 9The sons of Shimei : Shelomoth , and Haziel , and Haran , three . These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan . 10And the sons of Shimei : Jahath , Zina , and Jeush , and Beriah . These four were the sons of Shimei . 11And Jahath was the chief , and Zizah the second : but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons ; therefore they became a fathers’ house in one reckoning . 12The sons of Kohath : Amram , Izhar , Hebron , and Uzziel , four. 13The 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 Jehovah , to minister unto him , and to bless in his name , for ever . 14But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi . 15The sons of Moses : Gershom and Eliezer. 16The sons of Gershom : Shebuel the chief . 17And the sons of Eliezer were : Rehabiah the chief ; and Eliezer had no other sons ; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many . 18The sons of Izhar : Shelomith the chief . 19The sons of Hebron : Jeriah the chief , Amariah the second , Jahaziel the third , and Jekameam the fourth . 20The sons of Uzziel : Micah the chief , and Isshiah the second . 21The sons of Merari : Mahli and Mushi . The sons of Mahli : Eleazar and Kish . 22And Eleazar died , and had no sons , but daughters only : and their brethren the sons of Kish took them to wife . 23The sons of Mushi : Mahli , and Eder , and Jeremoth , three .
The Age Requirement for Service
24These were the sons of Levi after their fathers’ houses , even the heads of the fathers’ houses of those of them that were counted , in the number of names by their polls , who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah , from twenty years old and upward . 25For David said, Jehovah , the God of Israel , hath given rest unto his people ; and he dwelleth in Jerusalem for ever : 26and also the Levites shall no more have need to carry the tabernacle and all the vessels of it for the service thereof . 27For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered , from twenty years old and upward . 28For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of Jehovah , in the courts , and in the chambers , and in the purifying of all holy things , even the work of the service of the house of God ; 29for the showbread also , and for the fine flour for a meal-offering, whether of unleavened wafers , or of that which is baked in the pan , or of that which is soaked, and for all manner of measure and size ; 30and to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah , and likewise at even ; 31and to offer all burnt-offerings unto Jehovah , on the sabbaths , on the new moons , and on the set feasts , in number according to the ordinance concerning them , continually before Jehovah ; 32and that they should keep the charge of the tent of meeting , and the charge of the holy place , and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, for the service of the house of Jehovah .