23 When David was old, full of years, and near death, he appointed his son Solomon to succeed him as king over Israel. ² Then David gathered together all the leaders of Israel, including the priests and the Levites.

³ At that time, there were 38,000 Levites 30 years of age and older, an employable age. ⁴ Of these, 24,000 directed the work of the temple of the Eternal, 6,000 were officers and judges, ⁵ 4,000 were gatekeepers, and 4,000 were musicians, praising Him with the instruments David made. ⁶ David divided the Levites into their families, the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷ The Gershonites had two families: Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ Ladan had three sons: Jehiel (the first), Zetham, and Joel. ⁹ Shimei had three sons also: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These men were the chiefs of Ladan’s family. ¹⁰ Shimei’s other four sons were Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. ¹¹ Jahath was the first and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have strong lineages. Eventually their families combined to make one family.

¹² The Kohathites had four families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ¹³ Amram had two sons: Aaron and Moses. Aaron’s lineage was chosen to ordain and cleanse themselves as the most holy among the Levites forever. They were charged with burning incense before the Eternal, ministering to Him, and blessing in His name forever. Because they were set apart, their lineage is not included in this genealogy. ¹⁴ Moses, the man of God, had two sons whose family lineages were included in this genealogy of the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ Moses’ sons were Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ Gershom’s son was Shebuel (the chief). ¹⁷ Eliezer had only one son: Rehabiah (the chief). Rehabiah had many sons. ¹⁸ Izhar (the son of Kohath) had one son: Shelomith (the chief). ¹⁹ Hebron (the son of Kohath) had four sons: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ Uzziel (the son of Kohath) had two sons: Micah the first and Isshiah the second.

²¹ The Merarites had two families: Mahli and Mushi. Mahli had two sons: Eleazar and Kish. ²² When Eleazar died he had no sons, only daughters. These women maintained their father’s line by marrying their relatives, the sons of Kish. ²³ Mushi had three sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.

²⁴ This is the genealogy of Levi according to their families. The leaders of the families were counted along with all those working for the Eternal who were 20 years of age and older.

²⁷ These final words of King David changed who was included in the census. From this point forward, the sons of Levi who were 20 years of age and older were included in the genealogies.

²⁸ The Levites help Aaron’s family with their duties in the temple of the Eternal, purifying all the things dedicated to spiritual service in the courts and in the chambers of the temple, and preparing for services in the temple: ²⁹ making the loaves of unleavened bread, selecting the fine flour for a grain offering, making the unleavened wafers, or preparing anything else that is baked in the pan or well-mixed, regardless of the amount and size. ³⁰ They stand and testify about the Eternal regularly, every morning and evening. ³¹ They offer all the burnt offerings to Him on the Sabbath days, the new moons, and the holidays according to the law given to Moses. ³² In these ways, they are responsible for the congregation tent and the holy utensils within the sanctuary. They are helpers of Aaron’s family, and they help maintain the temple of the Eternal.