1 Chronicles 25-29

1 Chronicles 25

¹Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:

²From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.

³From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all—under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.

⁴From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.

⁵All these sons of Heman the king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

⁶All these were under the direction of their fathers for the music of the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king.

⁷Together with their relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they numbered 288.

⁸They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.

⁹The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the second to Gedaliah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹⁰the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹¹the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹²the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹³the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹⁴the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹⁵the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹⁶the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹⁷the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹⁸the eleventh to Azarel, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

¹⁹the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²⁰the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²¹the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²²the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²³the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²⁴the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²⁵the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²⁶the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²⁷the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²⁸the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

²⁹the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

³⁰the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

³¹and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all.

1 Chronicles 26

¹These were the divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

²Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

³Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh.

⁴And Obed-edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,

⁵Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth. For God had blessed Obed-edom.

⁶Also to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled over their families because they were strong, capable men.

⁷Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his brothers were Elihu and Semachiah, also capable men.

⁸All these were descendants of Obed-edom; they and their sons and brothers were capable men with strength to do the work—62 in all from Obed-edom.

⁹Meshelemiah also had sons and brothers who were capable men—18 in all.

¹⁰Hosah the Merarite also had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first),

¹¹Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and brothers of Hosah numbered 13 in all.

¹²These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the house of the LORD, just as their relatives did.

¹³They cast lots for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.

¹⁴The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.

¹⁵The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-edom, and the lot for the storehouses to his sons.

¹⁶The lots for the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway fell to Shuppim and Hosah. There were guards stationed at every watch.

¹⁷Each day there were six Levites on the east, four on the north, four on the south, and two pairs at the storehouse.

¹⁸As for the court on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court.

¹⁹These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.

²⁰Now their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated things.

²¹From the descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and heads of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli,

²²the sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

²³From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites:

²⁴Shebuel, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries.

²⁵His relatives through Eliezer included Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son.

²⁶This Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders.

²⁷They had dedicated some of the plunder from their battles to the repair of the house of the LORD.

²⁸Everything that had been dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah, along with everything else that was dedicated, was under the care of Shelomith and his brothers.

²⁹From the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons had the outside duties as officers and judges over Israel.

³⁰From the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of the affairs of Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king.

³¹As for the Hebronites, Jerijah was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the genealogies of his ancestors. In the fortieth year of David’s reign the records were searched, and strong, capable men were found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gilead.

³²Among Jerijah’s relatives there were 2,700 capable men who were heads of families. King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.

1 Chronicles 27

¹This is the list of the Israelites—the heads of families, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter concerning the divisions on rotating military duty each month throughout the year. There were 24,000 men in each division:

²Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division, which was assigned the first month. There were 24,000 men in his division.

³He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army commanders for the first month.

⁴Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division for the second month, and Mikloth was the leader. There were 24,000 men in his division.

⁵The third army commander, as chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. There were 24,000 men in his division.

⁶This Benaiah was mighty among the Thirty and was over the Thirty, and his son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.

⁷The fourth, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him. There were 24,000 men in his division.

⁸The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

⁹The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

¹⁰The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

¹¹The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

¹²The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjamite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

¹³The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

¹⁴The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

¹⁵The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, from the family of Othniel. There were 24,000 men in his division.

¹⁶These officers were in charge of the tribes of Israel: Over the Reubenites was Eliezer son of Zichri; over the Simeonites was Shephatiah son of Maacah;

¹⁷over Levi was Hashabiah son of Kemuel; over Aaron was Zadok;

¹⁸over Judah was Elihu, one of David’s brothers; over Issachar was Omri son of Michael;

¹⁹over Zebulun was Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; over Naphtali was Jerimoth son of Azriel;

²⁰over the Ephraimites was Hoshea son of Azaziah; over one of the half-tribes of Manasseh was Joel son of Pedaiah;

²¹over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead was Iddo son of Zechariah; over Benjamin was Jaasiel son of Abner;

²²and over Dan was Azarel son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

²³David did not count the men aged twenty or under, because the LORD had said that He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.

²⁴Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. For because of this census wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not entered in the Book of the Chronicles of King David.

²⁵Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses.

²⁶Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of the workers in the fields who tilled the soil.

²⁷Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.

²⁸Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the foothills. Joash was in charge of the stores of olive oil.

²⁹Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon. Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

³⁰Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

³¹Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these officials were in charge of King David’s property.

³²David’s uncle Jonathan was a counselor; he was a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hachmoni attended to the sons of the king.

³³Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.

³⁴Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah, then by Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.

1 Chronicles 28

¹Now David summoned all the leaders of Israel to Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials and mighty men—every mighty man of valor.

²Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and as a footstool for our God. I had made preparations to build it,

³but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for My Name, because you are a man of war who has shed blood.’

⁴Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah He chose my father’s household, and from my father’s sons He was pleased to make me king over all Israel.

⁵And of all my sons—for the LORD has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

⁶And He said to me, ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him as My son, and I will be his Father.

⁷I will establish his kingdom forever, if he resolutely carries out My commandments and ordinances, as is being done this day.’

⁸So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, keep and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

⁹As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

¹⁰Consider now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”

¹¹Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat.

¹²The plans contained everything David had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the house of God and of the dedicated things,

¹³for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for all the work of service in the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD:

¹⁴the weight of all the gold articles for every kind of service; the weight of all the silver articles for every kind of service;

¹⁵the weight of the gold lampstands and their lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; the weight of each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand;

¹⁶the weight of gold for each table of showbread, and of silver for the silver tables;

¹⁷the weight of the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers; the weight of each gold dish; the weight of each silver bowl;

¹⁸the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

¹⁹“All this,” said David, “all the details of this plan, the LORD has made clear to me in writing by His hand upon me.”

²⁰David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

²¹The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of every skill will be at your disposal for the work. The officials and all the people are fully at your command.”

1 Chronicles 29

¹Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great because this palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.

²Now with all my ability I have made provision for the house of my God—gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and slabs of marble—all in abundance.

³Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have provided for this holy temple:

⁴three thousand talents of gold (the gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings,

⁵for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who is willing to consecrate himself to the LORD today?”

⁶Then the leaders of the families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.

⁷Toward the service of God’s house they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron.

⁸Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, under the care of Jehiel the Gershonite.

⁹And the people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given to the LORD freely and wholeheartedly. And King David also rejoiced greatly.

¹⁰Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly and said: “May You be blessed, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

¹¹Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.

¹²Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.

¹³Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks, and we praise Your glorious name.

¹⁴But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.

¹⁵For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

¹⁶O LORD our God, from Your hand comes all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy Name, and all of it belongs to You.

¹⁷I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.

¹⁸O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire forever in the intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You.

¹⁹And give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and carry out all Your commandments, decrees, and statutes, and to build Your palace for which I have made provision.”

²⁰Then David said to the whole assembly, “Bless the LORD your God.” So the whole assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the LORD and to the king.

²¹The next day they offered sacrifices and presented burnt offerings to the LORD: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

²²That day they ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD. Then, for a second time, they designated David’s son Solomon as king, anointing him before the LORD as ruler, and Zadok as the priest.

²³So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.

²⁴All the officials and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

²⁵The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had not been bestowed on any king in Israel before him.

²⁶David son of Jesse was king over all Israel.

²⁷The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

²⁸He died at a ripe old age, full of years, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon reigned in his place.

²⁹Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are indeed written in the Chronicles of Samuel the Seer, the Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet, and the Chronicles of Gad the Seer,

³⁰together with all the details of his reign, his might, and the circumstances that came upon him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the lands.