16 Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: the ruler of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri: of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah:

17 Of the Levites, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel: of the Aaronites, Zadok:

18 Of Judah, Elihu, one of the brethren of David: of Issachar, Omri the son of Michael:

19 Of Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah: of Naphtali, Jerimoth the son of Azriel:

20 Of the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah: of the half tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah:

21 Of the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah: of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner:

22 Of Dan, Azareel the son of Jeroham. These were the princes of the tribes of Israel.

23 But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the Lord had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.

24 Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but he finished not, because there fell wrath for it against Israel; neither was the number put in the account of the chronicles of king David.

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16-22 The top political officers of the tribes of Israel were as follows:

Over Reuben, Eliezer (son of Zichri);

Over Simeon, Shephatiah (son of Maacah);

Over Levi, Hashabiah (son of Kemuel);

Over the descendants of Aaron, Zadok;

Over Judah, Elihu (a brother of King David);

Over Issachar, Omri (son of Michael);

Over Zebulun, Ishmaiah (son of Obadiah);

Over Naphtali, Jeremoth (son of Azriel);

Over Ephraim, Hoshea (son of Azaziah);

Over the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel (son of Pedaiah);

Over the other half of Manasseh, in Gilead, Iddo (son of Zechariah);

Over Benjamin, Jaasiel (son of Abner);

Over Dan, Azarel (son of Jeroham).

23 When David took his census, he didn’t include the twenty-year-olds or those younger, for the Lord had promised a population explosion for his people.[a] 24 Joab began the census, but he never finished it, for the anger of God broke out upon Israel; the final total was never put into the annals of King David.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 27:23 The Lord had promised a population explosion for his people, literally, “the Lord had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of heaven.”