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The Gatekeepers

26 These are the groups of the gatekeepers from the Korah family:

There was Meshelemiah, son of Kore. Kore was from the family of Asaph. Meshelemiah had sons. Zechariah was the oldest son. Jediael was the second son. Zebadiah was the third son. Jathniel was the fourth son. Elam was the fifth son. Jehohanan was the sixth son. And Eliehoenai was the seventh son.

Obed Edom had sons. His oldest son was Shemaiah. Jehozabad was his second son. Joah was his third son. Sacar was his fourth son. Nethanel was his fifth son. Ammiel was his sixth son, Issachar his seventh son, and Peullethai his eighth son. God really blessed Obed Edom.[a] Obed Edom’s son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah also had sons. His sons were leaders in their father’s family because they were brave soldiers. Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semakiah. Elzabad’s relatives were skilled workers. All these men were Obed Edom’s descendants. These men and their sons and relatives were powerful men. They were good guards. Obed Edom had 62 descendants.

Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were powerful men. In all there were 18 sons and relatives.

10 These are the gatekeepers from the Merari family: Hosah, son of Merari, chose his son Shimri to be the leader, even though he was not the oldest son. 11 Hilkiah was Hosah’s second son, Tebaliah his third, and Zechariah his fourth son. In all Hosah had 13 sons and relatives who were gatekeepers.

12 These were the leaders of the groups of the gatekeepers. The gatekeepers had a special way to serve in the Lord’s Temple, just as their relatives did. 13 Each family was given a gate to guard. Lots were thrown to choose a gate for a family. Young and old were treated the same.

14 Meshelemiah was chosen to guard the East Gate. Then lots were thrown for Meshelemiah’s son Zechariah. Zechariah was a wise counselor. Zechariah was chosen for the North Gate. 15 Obed Edom was chosen for the South Gate. And Obed Edom’s sons were chosen to guard the house where the valuable things were kept. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were chosen for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road.

Guards stood side by side. 17 Six Levites stood guard every day at the East Gate. Four Levites stood guard every day at the North Gate. Four Levites stood guard at the South Gate. And two Levites guarded the house where the valuable things were kept. 18 There were four guards at the western court[b] and two guards on the road to the court.

19 These were the groups of the gatekeepers from the families of Korah and Merari.

The Treasurers and Other Officials

20 Ahijah was from the tribe of Levi. Ahijah was responsible for taking care of the valuable things in God’s Temple. Ahijah also was responsible for the places where the holy things were kept.

21 Ladan was from Gershon’s family. Jehieli was one of the leaders of the tribe of Ladan. 22 Jehieli’s sons were Zetham and Zetham’s brother Joel. They were responsible for the valuable things in the Lord’s Temple.

23 Other leaders were chosen from the tribes of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

24 Shubael was the leader responsible for the valuable things kept in the Temple. Shubael was Gershom’s son. Gershom was Moses’ son. 25 These were Shubael’s relatives: His relatives from Eliezer were Rehabiah, Eliezer’s son; Jeshaiah, Rehabiah’s son; Joram, Jeshaiah’s son; Zicri, Joram’s son; and Shelomith, Zicri’s son. 26 Shelomith and his relatives were responsible for everything that David had collected for the Temple.

The officers of the army also gave things for the Temple. 27 They gave some of the things taken in wars. They gave these things to be used for the Lord’s Temple. 28 Shelomith and his relatives took care of all the things that people gave to be used for the Temple. This included the things given by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah.

29 Kenaniah was from the Izhar family. Kenaniah and his sons had work outside the Temple. They worked as court officers and judges in different places in Israel. 30 Hashabiah was from the Hebron family. Hashabiah and his relatives were responsible for all the Lord’s work and for the king’s business in Israel west of the Jordan River. There were 1700 powerful men in Hashabiah’s group. 31 The family history of the Hebron family shows that Jeriah was their leader. When David had been king for 40 years, he ordered his people to search through the family histories for strong and skilled men. Some of them were found among the Hebron family living in the town of Jazer in Gilead. 32 Jeriah had 2700 relatives who were powerful men and leaders of families. King David gave these 2700 relatives the responsibility of leading the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh in taking care of God’s work and the king’s business.

Army Groups

27 This is the list of the Israelites who served the king in the army. Each group was on duty one month each year. There were rulers of families, captains, generals, and the court officers who served the king. Each army group had 24,000 men.

Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first group for the first month. There were 24,000 men in Jashobeam’s group. Jashobeam, one of Perez’s descendants, was leader of all the army officers for the first month.

Dodai, from the Ahoahites, was in charge of the army group for the second month. Mikloth was a leader in that group. There were 24,000 men in Dodai’s group.

The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the leading priest. There were 24,000 men in Benaiah’s group. He was the same Benaiah who was a brave soldier from the Thirty Heroes. He led these men. His son Ammizabad was in charge of Banaiah’s group.

The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab. Later, Asahel’s son Zebadiah took his place as commander. There were 24,000 men in Asahel’s group.

The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Shamhuth’s group.

The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh from the town of Tekoa. There were 24,000 men in Ira’s group.

10 The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Helez from the Pelonites and a descendant of Ephraim. There were 24,000 men in Helez’s group.

11 The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai from Hushah and from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Sibbecai’s group.

12 The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Abiezer from the town of Anathoth and the tribe of Benjamin. There were 24,000 men in Abiezer’s group.

13 The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Maharai from Netophah and from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Maharai’s group.

14 The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah from Pirathon and the tribe of Ephraim. There were 24,000 men in Benaiah’s group.

15 The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai from Netophah and from Othniel’s family. There were 24,000 men in Heldai’s group.

Leaders of the Tribes of Israel

16 These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel:

Eliezer son of Zicri, leader of the tribe of Reuben;

Shephatiah son of Maacah, leader of the tribe of Simeon;

17 Hashabiah son of Kemuel, leader of the tribe of Levi;

Zadok, leader of the people of Aaron;

18 Elihu, one of David’s brothers, leader of the tribe of Judah;

Omri son of Michael, leader of the tribe of Issachar;

19 Ishmaiah son of Obadiah, leader of the tribe of Zebulun;

Jeremoth son of Azriel, leader of the tribe of Naphtali;

20 Hoshea son of Azaziah, leader of the tribe of Ephraim;

Joel son of Pedaiah, leader of West Manasseh;

21 Iddo son of Zechariah, leader of East Manasseh;

Jaasiel son of Abner, leader of the tribe of Benjamin;

22 Azarel son of Jeroham, leader of the tribe of Dan.

These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

David Counts the Israelites

23 David decided to count the men in Israel. There were very many people because the Lord had promised to make the Israelites as many as the stars in the sky. So David counted only the men who were 20 years old and older. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the people, but he did not finish.[c] God became angry with the Israelites. That is why the number of the people was not put in the book, The History of King David.

The King’s Administrators

25 This is the list of men who were responsible for the king’s property:

Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storerooms.

Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storerooms in the small towns, villages, fields, and towers.

26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers.

27 Shimei from Ramah was in charge of the vineyards.

Zabdi from Shepham was in charge of the storage and care of the wine that came from the vineyards.

28 Baal Hanan from Geder was in charge of the olive trees and sycamore trees in the western hill country.

Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil.

29 Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle around Sharon.

Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the cattle in the valleys.

30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.

Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the sheep.

All these men were the leaders who took care of King David’s property.

32 Jonathan was a wise counselor and a scribe. He was David’s uncle. Jehiel son of Hacmoni took care of the king’s sons. 33 Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai was the king’s friend. Hushai was from the Arkites. 34 Jehoiada and Abiathar later took Ahithophel’s place as the king’s counselor. Jehoiada was Benaiah’s son. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.

David’s Plans for the Temple

28 David gathered all the leaders of the Israelites and commanded them to come to Jerusalem. David called all the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the army groups serving the king, the captains, the generals, the officials taking care of the property and animals that belonged to the king and his sons, the king’s important officials, the powerful heroes, and all the brave soldiers.

King David stood up and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. In my heart I wanted to build a place to keep the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. I wanted to build a place that would be God’s footstool.[d] And I made the plans for building that house for God. But God said to me, ‘No David, you must not build a house for my name. You must not do that because you are a soldier, and you have killed many men.’

“The Lord, the God of Israel, chose the tribe of Judah to lead the twelve tribes of Israel. Then from that tribe he chose my father’s family. And from that family he chose me to be the king of Israel forever. Yes, God wanted to make me king of Israel. The Lord has given me many sons. And from all those sons, he chose Solomon to be the new king of Israel. But really, Israel is the Lord’s kingdom. He said to me, ‘David, your son Solomon will build my Temple and the area around it, because I have chosen Solomon to be my son, and I will be his father.[e] Solomon is obeying my laws and commands now. If he continues to obey my laws, I will make Solomon’s kingdom strong forever.’”

David said, “Now, in front of all Israel, the Lord’s people, and before God, I tell you these things: Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God. Then you can keep this good land and pass it on to your descendants forever.

“And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father. Serve God with a pure heart. Be happy to serve him, because the Lord knows what is in everyone’s heart. He knows what you are thinking. If you go to him for help, you will get an answer. But if you turn away from him, he will leave you forever. 10 Solomon, you must understand that the Lord has chosen you to build his holy place—the Temple. Be strong and finish the job.”

11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for building the Temple. They included plans for the porch around the Temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper rooms, its inside rooms, and the room for the mercy-cover. 12 David had made plans for all parts of the Temple. He gave them to Solomon. David gave him all the plans for the courtyard around the Lord’s Temple and for all the rooms around it. He gave him the plans for the Temple storerooms and for the storerooms where they kept the holy things used in the Temple. 13 David told Solomon about the groups of the priests and Levites. He told Solomon about all the work of serving in the Lord’s Temple and about all the things to be used in the Temple service. 14 David told Solomon how much gold and silver should be used to make all the things to be used in the Temple. 15 There were plans for gold lamps and lampstands, and there were plans for silver lamps and lampstands. David told Solomon how much gold or silver to use for each lampstand and its lamps. The different lampstands were to be used where needed. 16 David told him how much gold should be used for each table for the holy bread and how much silver should be used for the silver tables. 17 He told Solomon how much pure gold should be used to make the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers. He told him how much gold should be used to make each gold dish and how much silver should be used to make each silver dish. 18 He told him how much pure gold should be used for the altar of incense. David also gave Solomon the plans for God’s chariot—the mercy-cover with the Cherub angels spreading their wings over the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. The Cherub angels were made of gold.

19 David said, “All these plans were written with the Lord guiding me. He helped me understand everything in the plans.”

20 David also said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and brave and finish this work. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will help you until all the work is finished. He will not leave you. You will build the Lord’s Temple. 21 The groups of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on God’s Temple. Every skilled worker is ready to help you with all the work. The officials and all the people will obey every command you give.”

Gifts for Building the Temple

29 King David said to all the Israelites who were gathered together, “God chose my son Solomon. Solomon is young and does not know all that he needs to do this work. But the work is very important. This house is not for people; this house is for the Lord God. I have done my best to provide what is needed for the building of my God’s Temple. I have given gold for the things made of gold. I have given silver for the things made of silver. I have given bronze for the things made of bronze. I have given iron for the things made of iron. I have given wood for the things made of wood. I have also given onyx stones for the settings,[f] mosaic tiles,[g] all kinds of valuable stones in many different colors, and white marble stones. I am making a special gift of gold and silver things for my God’s Temple. I am doing this because I really want the Temple of my God to be built. I am giving all these things to build this holy Temple. I have given 110 tons[h] of pure gold from Ophir. I have given 263 tons[i] of pure silver. The silver is for covering the walls of the buildings in the Temple. I have given gold and silver for all the things made of gold and silver. I have given gold and silver so that skilled men can make all different kinds of things for the Temple. Now, how many of you Israelites are ready to give yourselves to the Lord today?”

The family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals, the captains, and the officials responsible for the king’s work, were all ready and gave their valuable things. These are the things they gave for God’s house: 190 tons[j] of gold; 375 tons[k] of silver; 675 tons[l] of bronze; and 3750 tons[m] of iron. People who had valuable stones gave them to the Lord’s Temple. Jehiel took care of the valuable stones. He was from the Gershon family. The people were very happy because their leaders were willing to give so much. The leaders had given freely to the Lord from good hearts. King David was also very happy.

David’s Beautiful Prayer

10 Then David praised the Lord in front of all the people who were gathered together. David said,

Lord, the God of Israel, our Father,
    may you be praised forever and ever!
11 Greatness, power, glory, victory, and honor belong to you,
    because everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you!
The kingdom belongs to you, Lord!
    You are the head, the Ruler over everything.
12 Riches and honor come from you.
    You rule everything.
You have the power and strength in your hand!
    And in your hand is the power to make anyone great and powerful!
13 Now, our God, we thank you,
    and we praise your glorious name!
14 All these things didn’t come from me and my people.
    All these things come from you.
    We are only giving back to you things that came from you.
15 We are only strangers traveling through this world
    like our ancestors.
Our time on earth is like a passing shadow,
    and we cannot stop it.
16 Lord our God, we gathered all these things to build your Temple.
    We build it to honor your name.
But all these things have come from you.
    Everything belongs to you.
17 My God, I know that you test people,
    and that you are happy when people do what is right.
I gladly give you all these things
    with a pure, honest heart.
I see your people gathered here,
    and I see that they are happy about giving these things to you.
18 Lord, you are the God of our ancestors,
    Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Please help your people plan the right things.
    Help them be loyal and true to you.
19 And help my son Solomon be true to you.
    Help him always obey your commands, laws, and rules.
Help Solomon do these things.
    And help him build this Temple that I have planned.”

20 Then David said to all the group of people gathered together, “Now give praise to the Lord your God.” So all the people gave praise to the Lord God, the God their ancestors worshiped. They bowed to the ground to give honor to the Lord and to the king.

Solomon Becomes King

21 The next day the people offered sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord—1000 bulls, 1000 rams, 1000 lambs, and the drink offerings that go with them. They offered these and many other sacrifices to the Lord for all the Israelites. 22 That day the people were very happy as they ate and drank there together with the Lord.

And they made David’s son Solomon king the second time.[n] They anointed Solomon to be king, and they anointed Zadok to be priest. They did this in the place where the Lord was.

23 Then Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king. Solomon took his father’s place. He was very successful. All the Israelites obeyed him. 24 All the leaders, soldiers, and all of King David’s sons accepted Solomon as king and obeyed him. 25 The Lord made Solomon very great. All the Israelites knew that the Lord was making him great. He gave Solomon the honor that a king should have. No king in Israel before Solomon had such honor.

David’s Death

26-27 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel for 40 years. He was king in the city of Hebron for seven years. Then he was king in the city of Jerusalem for 33 years. 28 David died when he was old. He had lived a good, long life and had many riches and honors. His son Solomon became the new king after him.

29 The things that King David did, from beginning to end, are in the books written by Samuel the seer, Nathan the prophet, and Gad the seer. 30 Those writings tell all about what David did as king of Israel. They tell about David’s power and what happened to him and to Israel and to all the kingdoms around them.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 26:5 Obed Edom God blessed Obed Edom when the Box of the Agreement stayed at his house. See 1 Chron. 21.
  2. 1 Chronicles 26:18 court The meaning of this word is uncertain.
  3. 1 Chronicles 27:24 Joab … did not finish God stopped him. See 1 Chron. 21:1-30.
  4. 1 Chronicles 28:2 footstool Usually this was a small stool in front of a chair, but here, it means the Temple. It is as if God were the king sitting in his chair and resting his feet on the building David wanted to build.
  5. 1 Chronicles 28:6 I will be his father This showed that God was making Solomon the king. See Ps. 2:7.
  6. 1 Chronicles 29:2 settings The frames in which stones are mounted.
  7. 1 Chronicles 29:2 mosaic tiles Literally, “stones set in mortar.”
  8. 1 Chronicles 29:4 110 tons Literally, “3000 talents” (103,500 kg).
  9. 1 Chronicles 29:4 263 tons Literally, “7000 talents” (241,500 kg).
  10. 1 Chronicles 29:7 190 tons Literally, “5000 talents and 10,000 darics” (172.59 metric tons).
  11. 1 Chronicles 29:7 375 tons Literally, “10,000 talents” (345 metric tons).
  12. 1 Chronicles 29:7 675 tons Literally, “18,000 talents” (621 metric tons).
  13. 1 Chronicles 29:7 3750 tons Literally, “100,000 talents” (3450 metric tons).
  14. 1 Chronicles 29:22 And they made … time Solomon was chosen to be king the first time when his half-brother Adonijah tried to make himself king. See 1 Kings 1:5-39.

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