The Musicians

25 Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of ^(A)Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service was: ² Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and ^[a]Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were ^[b]under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied according to the order of the king. ³ Of ^(B)Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, ^[c]Zeri, Jeshaiah, ^[d]Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, ^[e]six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord. ⁴ Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, ^[f]Uzziel, ^[g]Shebuel, ^[h]Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to ^[i]exalt his ^(C)horn. For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

⁶ All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and ^(D)harps, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were ^(E)under the authority of the king. ⁷ So the ^(F)number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight.

⁸ And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, ^(G)the teacher with the student.

⁹ Now the first lot for Asaph came out for Joseph; the second for Gedaliah, him with his brethren and sons, twelve; ¹⁰ the third for Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹¹ the fourth for ^[j]Jizri, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹² the fifth for Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹³ the sixth for Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁴ the seventh for ^[k]Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁵ the eighth for Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁶ the ninth for Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁷ the tenth for Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁸ the eleventh for ^[l]Azarel, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁹ the twelfth for Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁰ the thirteenth for ^[m]Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²¹ the fourteenth for Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²² the fifteenth for ^[n]Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²³ the sixteenth for Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁴ the seventeenth for Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁵ the eighteenth for Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁶ the nineteenth for Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁷ the twentieth for Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁸ the twenty-first for Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁹ the twenty-second for Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ³⁰ the twenty-third for Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ³¹ the twenty-fourth for Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.

The Gatekeepers

26 Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, ^[o]Meshelemiah the son of ^(H)Kore, of the sons of ^[p]Asaph. ² And the sons of Meshelemiah were ^(I)Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, ³ Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh.

⁴ Moreover the sons of ^(J)Obed-Edom were Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, ⁵ Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth; for God blessed him.

⁶ Also to Shemaiah his son were sons born who governed their fathers’ houses, because they were men of great ability. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers Elihu and Semachiah were able men.

⁸ All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their brethren, ^(K)able men with strength for the work: sixty-two of Obed-Edom.

⁹ And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren, eighteen able men.

¹⁰ Also ^(L)Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons: Shimri the first (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first), ¹¹ Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth; all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen.

¹² Among these were the divisions of the gatekeepers, among the chief men, having duties just like their brethren, to serve in the house of the Lord. ¹³ And they ^(M)cast lots for each gate, the small as well as the great, according to their father’s house. ¹⁴ The lot for the East Gate fell to ^[q]Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and his lot came out for the North Gate; ¹⁵ to Obed-Edom the South Gate, and to his sons the ^[r]storehouse. ¹⁶ To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came out for the West Gate, with the Shallecheth Gate on the ^(N)ascending highway—watchman opposite watchman. ¹⁷ On the east were six Levites, on the north four each day, on the south four each day, and for the ^[s]storehouse two by two. ¹⁸ As for the ^[t]Parbar on the west, there were four on the highway and two at the Parbar. ¹⁹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the sons of Korah and among the sons of Merari.

The Treasuries and Other Duties

²⁰ Of the Levites, Ahijah was ^(O)over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the ^(P)dedicated^[u] things. ²¹ The sons of ^[v]Laadan, the descendants of the Gershonites of Laadan, heads of their fathers’ houses, of Laadan the Gershonite: ^[w]Jehieli. ²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel his brother, were over the treasuries of the house of the Lord. ²³ Of the ^(Q)Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: ^24 (R)Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was overseer of the treasuries. ²⁵ And his brethren by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and ^(S)Shelomith his son.

²⁶ This Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasuries of the dedicated things ^(T)which King David and the heads of fathers’ houses, the captains over thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the army, had dedicated. ²⁷ Some of the ^[x]spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the Lord. ²⁸ And all that Samuel ^(U)the seer, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated, every dedicated thing, was under the hand of Shelomith and his brethren.

²⁹ Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons ^(V)performed duties as ^(W)officials and judges over Israel outside Jerusalem.

³⁰ Of the Hebronites, ^(X)Hashabiah and his brethren, one thousand seven hundred able men, had the oversight of Israel on the west side of the Jordan for all the business of the Lord, and in the service of the king. ³¹ Among the Hebronites, ^(Y)Jerijah was head of the Hebronites according to his genealogy of the fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought, and there were found among them capable men ^(Z)at Jazer of Gilead. ³² And his brethren were two thousand seven hundred able men, heads of fathers’ houses, whom King David made officials over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God and the ^(AA)affairs of the king.

The Military Divisions

27 And the children of Israel, according to their number, the heads of fathers’ houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds and their officers, served the king in every matter of the military divisions. These divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division having twenty-four thousand.

² Over the first division for the first month was ^(AB)Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand; ³ he was of the children of Perez, and the chief of all the captains of the army for the first month. ⁴ Over the division of the second month was ^[y]Dodai an Ahohite, and of his division Mikloth also was the leader; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁵ The third captain of the army for the third month was ^(AC)Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, who was chief; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁶ This was the Benaiah who was ^(AD)mighty among the thirty, and was over the thirty; in his division was Ammizabad his son. ⁷ The fourth captain for the fourth month was ^(AE)Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁸ The fifth captain for the fifth month was ^[z]Shamhuth the Izrahite; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁹ The sixth captain for the sixth month was ^(AF)Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁰ The seventh captain for the seventh month was ^(AG)Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹¹ The eighth captain for the eighth month was ^(AH)Sibbechai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹² The ninth captain for the ninth month was ^(AI)Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹³ The tenth captain for the tenth month was ^(AJ)Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁴ The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was ^(AK)Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁵ The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was ^[aa]Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel; in his division were twenty-four thousand.

Leaders of Tribes

¹⁶ Furthermore, over the tribes of Israel: the officer over the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; over the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah; ¹⁷ over the Levites, ^(AL)Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; over the Aaronites, Zadok; ¹⁸ over Judah, ^(AM)Elihu, one of David’s brothers; over Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; ¹⁹ over Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; over Naphtali, Jerimoth the son of Azriel; ²⁰ over the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; over the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; ²¹ over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; over Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; ²² over Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

²³ But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under, because ^(AN)the Lord had said He would multiply Israel like the ^(AO)stars of the heavens. ²⁴ Joab the son of Zeruiah began a census, but he did not finish, for ^(AP)wrath came upon Israel because of this census; nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David.

Other State Officials

²⁵ And Azmaveth the son of Adiel was over the king’s treasuries; and Jehonathan the son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the field, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses. ²⁶ Ezri the son of Chelub was over those who did the work of the field for tilling the ground. ²⁷ And Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the produce of the vineyards for the supply of wine. ²⁸ Baal-Hanan the Gederite was over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowlands, and Joash was over the store of oil. ²⁹ And Shitrai the Sharonite was over the herds that fed in Sharon, and Shaphat the son of Adlai was over the herds that were in the valleys. ³⁰ Obil the Ishmaelite was over the camels, Jehdeiah the Meronothite was over the donkeys, ³¹ and Jaziz the ^(AQ)Hagrite was over the flocks. All these were the officials over King David’s property.

³² Also Jehonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a wise man, and a ^[ab]scribe; and Jehiel the ^[ac]son of Hachmoni was with the king’s sons. ^33 (AR)Ahithophel was the king’s counselor, and ^(AS)Hushai the Archite was the king’s companion. ³⁴ After Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, then ^(AT)Abiathar. And the general of the king’s army was ^(AU)Joab.

Plea for Purity

4 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus ^(A)that you should abound more and more, ^(B)just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; ² for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³ For this is ^(C)the will of God, ^(D)your sanctification: ^(E)that you should abstain from sexual immorality; ^4 (F)that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ^5 (G)not in passion of lust, ^(H)like the Gentiles ^(I)who do not know God; ⁶ that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord ^(J)is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. ⁷ For God did not call us to uncleanness, ^(K)but in holiness. ^8 (L)Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, ^(M)who^[a] has also given us His Holy Spirit.

A Brotherly and Orderly Life

⁹ But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for ^(N)you yourselves are taught by God ^(O)to love one another; ¹⁰ and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, ^(P)that you increase more and more; ¹¹ that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, ^(Q)to mind your own business, and ^(R)to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ^12 (S)that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen ^[b]asleep, lest you sorrow ^(T)as others ^(U)who have no hope. ¹⁴ For ^(V)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^(W)those who ^[c]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say to you ^(X)by the word of the Lord, that ^(Y)we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ^[d]asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(Z)the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^(AA)the trumpet of God. ^(AB)And the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17 (AC)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^(AD)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^(AE)we shall always be with the Lord. ^18 (AF)Therefore comfort one another with these words.