Chapter 6

¹ The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.^(A)

¹⁶ The following were established by David for the service of song^[a] in the Lord’s house at the time when the ark had a resting place. ¹⁷ They served as singers before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their services according to the order prescribed for them. ¹⁸ Those who so performed are the following, together with their sons.

Among the Kohathites: Heman, the chanter, son of Joel, son of Samuel, ¹⁹ son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, ²⁰ son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasi, ²¹ son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, ²² son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah,^{(A) 23} son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel.

²⁴ His brother Asaph stood at his right hand. Asaph was the son of Berechiah, son of Shimea, ²⁵ son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malchijah, ²⁶ son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, ²⁷ son of Ethan, son of Zimmah,^(B) son of Shimei, ²⁸ son of Jahath, son of Gershon, son of Levi.

²⁹ Their brothers, the Merarites, stood at the left: Ethan, son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch, ³⁰ son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah,

Chapter 26

Divisions of Gatekeepers. ^1 (A)As for the divisions of gatekeepers: Of the Korahites was Meshelemiah, the son of Kore, one of the sons of Abiasaph. ² Meshelemiah’s sons: Zechariah, the firstborn, Jediael, the second son, Zebadiah, the third, Jathniel, the fourth, ³ Elam, the fifth, Jehohanan, the sixth, Eliehoenai, the seventh. ⁴ Obed-edom’s sons: Shemaiah, the firstborn, Jehozabad, a second son, Joah, the third, Sachar, the fourth, Nethanel, the fifth, ⁵ Ammiel, the sixth, Issachar, the seventh, Peullethai, the eighth, for God blessed him. ⁶ To his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled over their family, for they were warriors. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; also his kinsmen who were men of substance, Elihu and Semachiah. ⁸ All these were the sons of Obed-edom, who, together with their sons and their kinsmen, were men of substance, fit for the service. Of Obed-edom, sixty-two. ⁹ Of Meshelemiah, eighteen sons and kinsmen, men of substance.

¹⁰ Hosah, a descendant of Merari, had these sons: Shimri, the chief (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him chief),^{(B) 11} Hilkiah, the second son, Tebaliah, the third, Zechariah, the fourth. All the sons and kinsmen of Hosah were thirteen.

¹² To these divisions of the gatekeepers, by their chief men, were assigned watches for them to minister in the house of the Lord, for each group in the same way. ¹³ They cast lots for each gate, small and large families alike. ¹⁴ When the lot was cast for the east side, it fell to Meshelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a prudent counselor, and the north side fell to his lot.^{(C) 15} To Obed-edom fell the south side, and to his sons the storehouse. ¹⁶ To Hosah fell the west side with the Shallecheth gate at the ascending highway. For each family, watches were established. ¹⁷ On the east, six watched each day, on the north, four each day, on the south, four each day, and at the storehouse they were two and two; ¹⁸ as for the large building^[a] on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the large building. ¹⁹ These were the classes of the gatekeepers, sons of Korah and Merari.

¹⁶ These are the names of the sons of Levi,^(A) in their genealogical order: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived one hundred and thirty-seven years.

^17 (A)These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

Census of the Levites. ⁵⁷ These were the Levites enrolled by clans: through Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; through Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; through Merari, the clan of the Merarites.