1 Chronicles 26-29

GOD’S WORD Translation

David Appoints Gatekeepers for the Temple

26 The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers: For Korah’s descendants there was Meshelemiah, the son of Kore, from the descendants of Asaph. ² Meshelemiah’s sons were Zechariah (the firstborn), Jediael (the second), Zebadiah (the third), Jathniel (the fourth), ³ Elam (the fifth), Jehohanan (the sixth), Eliehoenai (the seventh).

⁴ ⌞Also for Korah’s descendants⌟ there were Obed Edom’s sons Shemaiah (the firstborn), Jehozabad (the second), Joah (the third), Sachar (the fourth), Nethanel (the fifth), ⁵ Ammiel (the sixth), Issachar (the seventh), Peullethai (the eighth). God had blessed Obed Edom. ⁶ His son Shemaiah had sons who ruled their families because they were soldiers. ⁷ Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, and Othni’s skilled brothers Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, as well as Elihu and Semachiah. ⁸ All of these people were Obed Edom’s descendants. They, their sons, and their relatives were skilled and had the ability to perform the service. Obed Edom’s family included 62 men.

⁹ Meshelemiah’s sons and relatives were 18 skilled men.

¹⁰ From the descendants of Merari there were Hosah’s sons. Shimri was the head, although he was not the firstborn. His father appointed him head. ¹¹ Hosah’s other sons were Hilkiah (the second), Tebaliah (the third), and Zechariah (the fourth). There were 13 sons and relatives of Hosah.

¹² These divisions of gatekeepers through their head men were assigned duties with their relatives to serve in the Lord’s temple. ¹³ They drew lots by families, youngest and oldest alike, for every gate. ¹⁴ Shelemiah was chosen for the east side. His son Zechariah, a counselor who displayed insight, was chosen for the north side. ¹⁵ Obed Edom was chosen for the south side, and his sons were chosen for the storerooms. ¹⁶ Shuppim and Hosah were chosen for the west side with Shallecheth Gate at the gateway that goes to the palace.

One squad of guards served its watch after another. ¹⁷ On the east side there were six Levites. On the north there were four every day. On the south there were four every day. At the storerooms there were four, two at each entrance. ¹⁸ At the courtyard on the west there were four Levites at the gateway to the palace and two at the courtyard itself. ¹⁹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among Korah’s and Merari’s descendants.

David Appoints Treasurers for the Temple

²⁰ Ahijah, a Levite, was in charge of the treasuries in God’s temple and the treasuries of the gifts dedicated to God. ²¹ ⌞There were also⌟ the descendants of Ladan, who was descended from Gershon. ⌞Those who served⌟ for Ladan, the descendant of Gershon, were the heads of Ladan’s families: Jehiel ²² ⌞and⌟ Jehiel’s sons Zetham and Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries in the Lord’s temple. ²³ For the descendants of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, ²⁴ there was Shebuel, a descendant of Moses’ son Gershom. He was the highest-ranking official in charge of the treasuries. ²⁵ From his relatives on Eliezer’s side of the family was Shelomith. (Eliezer’s son was Rehabiah; his grandson was Jeshaiah; his great-grandson was Joram. Joram’s son was Zichri; his grandson was Shelomith.) ²⁶ He and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries of the gifts dedicated to God that King David, the heads of families, the commanders of regiments and battalions, and the commanders of the army had donated. ²⁷ (They had donated some of the loot taken in battle to support the Lord’s temple.) ²⁸ Everything that Samuel the seer,^[a] Saul (son of Kish), Abner (son of Ner), and Joab (son of Zeruiah) had donated—everything that had been donated—was under the supervision of Shelomith and his relatives.

David Appoints Levites to Oversee Israel’s Worship

²⁹ From Izhar’s descendants Chenaniah and his sons were assigned duties. They served as officials and judges outside ⌞the temple⌟ in Israel. ³⁰ From Hebron’s descendants Hashabiah and his 1,700 skilled, male relatives were appointed to serve Israel west of the Jordan River. They did everything the Lord wanted them to do, and they served the king. ³¹ Jeriah was the head of Hebron’s descendants. In the fortieth year of David’s reign, the ancestry of Hebron’s descendants was researched family by family. Warriors from these families were found at Jazer in Gilead. ³² Jeriah’s relatives were 2,700 skilled men, who were heads of families. King David appointed them to be overseers in every matter involving God or the king for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh.

David’s Government Officials

27 This is a list of Israelite family heads, regiment and battalion commanders, and officers who were serving the king in all the army’s units. Throughout each year they came for a month at a time and then left. Each unit consisted of 24,000 men.

² Jashobeam, son of Zabdiel, was in charge of the first unit, the one during the first month. In his unit there were 24,000. ³ He was a descendant of Perez, and he was head of all of the army’s officers for the first month.

⁴ Dodai, Ahoh’s descendant, was in charge of the unit during the second month. It was his unit. (Mikloth was one of its leaders.) In Dodai’s unit there were 24,000.

⁵ The third commander of the army during the third month was Benaiah, son of the priest Jehoiada. He was the head, and in his unit there were 24,000. ⁶ This Benaiah was one of the thirty fighting men and commander of the thirty as well as his own unit. His son was Ammizabad.

⁷ Asahel, Joab’s brother, was in charge of the fourth unit during the fourth month, and after him was his son Zebadiah. In his unit there were 24,000.

⁸ Shamhuth, Izrah’s descendant, was commander of the fifth unit during the fifth month. In his unit there were 24,000.

⁹ Ira, the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, was in charge of the sixth unit during the sixth month. In his unit there were 24,000.

¹⁰ Helez, a Pelonite from the descendants of Ephraim, was in charge of the seventh unit during the seventh month. In his unit there were 24,000.

¹¹ Sibbecai, a descendant of Zerah from Hushah, was in charge of the eighth unit during the eighth month. In his unit there were 24,000.

¹² Abiezer, a member of the tribe of Benjamin from Anathoth, was in charge of the ninth unit during the ninth month. In his unit there were 24,000.

¹³ Mahrai, a descendant of Zerah from Netophah, was in charge of the tenth unit during the tenth month. In his unit there were 24,000.

¹⁴ Benaiah, a member of the tribe of Ephraim from Pirathon, was in charge of the eleventh unit during the eleventh month. In his unit there were 24,000.

¹⁵ During the twelfth month, the twelfth unit was commanded by Heldai from Netophah. He was Othniel’s descendant. In his unit there were 24,000.

¹⁶ The following officers were in charge of the tribes of Israel:

These were the commanders of Israel’s tribes.

²³ David didn’t count those under 20 years old, because the Lord had promised that the people of Israel would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. ²⁴ Joab, son of Zeruiah, started to count them but didn’t finish. God was angry with Israel because of this, and the report from it was never included in the official records of King David.

²⁵ These were all the commanders in charge of King David’s property: ^[b]

³² David’s uncle Jonathan, an educated man who possessed insight, was David’s adviser. Jonathan and Jehiel, son of Hachmoni, were in charge of the king’s sons. ³³ Ahithophel was the king’s adviser. Hushai, a descendant of Archi, was the king’s friend. ³⁴ Jehoiada (son of Benaiah) and Abiathar succeeded Ahithophel. Joab was the commander of the royal army.

David’s Public Assembly at Jerusalem

28 David held a meeting in Jerusalem for all the leaders of Israel—the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the army units that served the king, the commanders of regiments and battalions, the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, the palace officials, the soldiers, and the fighting men.

² David stood in front of them and said, “Listen to me, my relatives and subjects. I had my heart set on building the temple where the ark of the Lord’s promise could be placed. This temple would be a stool for our God’s feet, and I have made preparations to build it. ³ But God told me, ‘You must not build the temple for my name. You have fought wars and caused bloodshed.’ ⁴ Yet, from my entire family the Lord God of Israel chose me to be king of Israel permanently. He had chosen the tribe of Judah to lead ⌞Israel⌟. From the families of Judah he chose my father’s family. From among my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king of all Israel. ⁵ And of all my sons (the Lord has given me many sons) he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord’s kingdom to rule Israel.

⁶ “He told me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my temple and my courtyards because I have chosen him to be my son. I will be his father. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever if he will remain determined to obey my commands and laws, as he is doing today.’ ⁸ Now, ⌞leaders, I order you⌟ in the sight of Israel (the Lord’s congregation) and as our God listens to dedicate your lives to doing everything the Lord your God has commanded. Then you will be able to possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants.

⁹ “And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve the Lord wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought ⌞we have⌟. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on. ¹⁰ So be careful, because the Lord has chosen you to build the temple as his holy place. Be strong, and do it.”

¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the entrance hall and the temple, its storerooms, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the throne of mercy. ¹² He gave him plans for the courtyards of the Lord’s temple and for all the rooms around it. (These rooms served as treasuries for God’s temple and the gifts dedicated to God.) ¹³ He determined the divisions of priests and Levites. He planned all the work done for worship in the Lord’s temple. He designed all the utensils for worship in the Lord’s temple. ¹⁴ ⌞David specified⌟ the weight of gold to be used for each of the utensils for worship, ¹⁵ the weight of the gold lamp stands and their gold lamps (⌞that is,⌟ the weight of gold for each lamp stand and its lamps), the weight of silver for each silver lamp stand and its lamps (according to the use of each lamp stand for worship), ¹⁶ the weight of gold for each table with the rows of bread, and the silver for the silver tables, ¹⁷ the pure gold for the forks, bowls, and pitchers, the weight of each gold bowl, the weight of each silver bowl, ¹⁸ and the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave Solomon the plans for the chariot, that is, the gold angels ^[c] with their wings spread to cover the ark of the Lord’s promise. ¹⁹ ⌞David said,⌟ “All this was written for me by the Lord’s hand. He made all the details of the plan clear to me.”

²⁰ David also told his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or terrified. The Lord God, my God, will be with you. He will not abandon you before all the work on the Lord’s temple is finished. ²¹ Here are also the divisions of the priests and Levites for every type of worship in God’s temple. You have with you every skilled worker to do all the work. In addition, all the leaders and people are at your command.”

29 Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. Yet, the work is important because this palace is not for a person but for the Lord God. ² With all my might I gathered ⌞the materials⌟ for the temple of my God: gold for gold objects, silver for silver objects, bronze for bronze objects, iron for iron objects, wood for wooden objects, onyx stones and settings, black stones, stones of different colors, gems, and marble. ³ Moreover, I delight in the temple of my God. I have a personal treasury of gold and silver that I’m giving to my God’s temple in addition to everything else I gathered for the holy temple. ⁴ There are 225,000 pounds of gold from Ophir and 525,000 pounds of refined silver. They are to be used to cover the walls of the buildings, ⁵ to make gold objects, silver objects, and everything else the craftsmen will make. Who else is willing to make an offering and dedicate himself to the Lord today?”

⁶ Then the leaders of the families, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of regiments and battalions, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave generously. ⁷ They gave 375,186 pounds of gold, 750,000 pounds of silver, 135,000 pounds of bronze, and 7,500,000 pounds of iron for the work on God’s temple. ⁸ Whoever happened to have precious stones gave them to Jehiel, Gershon’s descendant, for the treasury of the Lord’s temple. ⁹ The people were overjoyed that the leaders gave so generously and wholeheartedly to the Lord.

King David was also overjoyed, and ¹⁰ he praised the Lord while the whole assembly watched. David said,

¹⁶ “Lord, our God, all this wealth that we gathered to build a temple for your holy name is from you. All of it is yours. ¹⁷ I know, my God, that you examine hearts and delight in honesty. With an honest heart I have willingly offered all these things. I’ve been overjoyed to see your people here offering so willingly to you. ¹⁸ Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, always watch over your people’s deepest thoughts. Keep their hearts directed toward you. ¹⁹ Make my son Solomon completely committed ⌞to you⌟ so that he will obey your commands, requests, and laws and do everything to build the palace I have planned.”

Solomon Is Made King

²⁰ Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God!” So the whole assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors and knelt in front of the Lord and the king.

²¹ The next day they sacrificed to the Lord. They sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, 1,000 lambs, wine offerings, and many sacrifices for all Israel. ²² That day they ate and drank as they joyfully celebrated in front of the Lord. For the second time they made David’s son Solomon king. On the Lord’s behalf they anointed Solomon to be leader and Zadok to be the priest.

²³ Then Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king in place of his father David. Solomon was successful and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ All the leaders and soldiers and all of King David’s sons pledged their loyalty to King Solomon. ²⁵ The Lord made Solomon extremely powerful, as all Israel could see. The people of Israel gave him royal honor like no king of Israel before him ever had.

David’s Reign^(A)

²⁶ David, son of Jesse, had ruled all Israel. ²⁷ He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 in Jerusalem. ²⁸ He died at a very old age. His long life was full of wealth and honor. Then his son Solomon succeeded him as king.

²⁹ Everything about King David from first to last is written in the records of the seer ^[e] Samuel, the prophet Nathan, and the seer Gad. ³⁰ It includes everything about his reign, his power, and the things that happened to him, Israel, and all the other kingdoms.