Songs of Joy

25 David and the captains of the army set apart for the work some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman and of Jeduthun. They were to speak God’s Word while harps and timbrels were playing. These are the names of those who served in this way. ² The sons of Asaph were: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asharelah. They were led by Asaph, who spoke for God under the leading of the king. ³ The six sons of Jeduthun were: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah. They were led by their father Jeduthun, who spoke God’s Word using the harp, giving thanks and praising the Lord. ⁴ The sons of Heman were: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamtiezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were the sons of Heman the king’s man of God, to honor him by the Words of God. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. ⁶ All of them were led by their father to sing in the Lord’s house. They sang and played timbrels and harps, serving in the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were led by the king. ⁷ The number of those and their brothers who were taught to sing to the Lord, all who were very good singers, was 288. ⁸ They drew names for their work, the young and old alike, also the teacher and the one who was taught.

⁹ These are how the names were drawn. First was Joseph the son of Asaph. The second was Gedaliah. Together with his brothers and sons, there were twelve. ¹⁰ The third was Zaccur. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹¹ The fourth was Izri. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹² The fifth was Nethaniah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹³ The sixth was Bukkiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁴ The seventh was Jesharelah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁵ The eighth was Jeshaiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁶ The ninth was Mattaniah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁷ The tenth was Shimei. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁸ The eleventh was Azarel. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁹ The twelfth was Hashabiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁰ The thirteenth was Shubael. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²¹ The fourteenth was Mattithiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²² The fifteenth was Jeremoth. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²³ The sixteenth was Hananiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁴ The seventeenth was Joshbekashah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁵ The eighteenth was Hanani. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁶ The nineteenth was Mallothi. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁷ The twentieth was Eliathah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁸ The twenty-first was Hothir. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁹ The twenty-second was Giddalti. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ³⁰ The twenty-third was Mahazioth. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ³¹ And the twenty-fourth was Romamti-ezer. With his sons and brothers there were twelve.

The Gate-Keepers

26 The gate-keepers were divided up. Of the Korahites there was Meshelemiah the son of Kore, a son of Asaph. ² Meshelemiah’s sons were Zechariah the first-born, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth. ³ Elam was his fifth son, Johanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh. ⁴ Obed-edom’s sons were Shemaiah the first-born, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth. ⁵ Ammiel was his sixth son, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth. God had brought good to the father. ⁶ To his son Shemaiah sons were born who ruled over their father’s house. They were strong, able men with strength of heart. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad. Their brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were strong and able men. ⁸ All these were sons of Obed-edom. They and their sons and brothers were able men with strength for the work. There were sixty-two men from Obed-edom. ⁹ Meshelemiah had sons and brothers, eighteen strong and able men. ¹⁰ These are the sons of Hosah, one of Merari’s sons: Shimri was the first. (He was not the first-born, but his father made him first.) ¹¹ Hilkiah was his second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. Hosah had thirteen sons and brothers in all.

¹² These leaders of the families who were set apart as gate-keepers were given duties like their brothers to work in the Lord’s house. ¹³ The families drew names by their fathers’ houses, the small and the large alike, for every gate. ¹⁴ Shelemiah’s name was drawn for the east gate. Then they drew the name of his son Zechariah for the north gate. Zechariah used much wisdom talking with people. ¹⁵ Obed-edom’s name was drawn for the south gate. And his sons were to watch the store-house. ¹⁶ Shuppim and Hosah’s names were drawn for the west gate beside the gate of Shallecheth, on the road that goes up a hill. Each one was given his duty to watch. ¹⁷ There were six Levites on the east. There were four each day on the north. There were four each day on the south. There were two at one time at the store-house. ¹⁸ There were four at the road. And there were two at the place between the west wall of the Lord’s house and the wall of the open space. ¹⁹ These were the way the gate-keepers of the sons of Korah and Merari were divided.

²⁰ Their brothers the Levites watched over the riches of the house of God and the riches of the holy gifts. ²¹ The sons of Ladan, who were Gershonites through the family group of Ladan were Jehielites. ²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel, watched over the riches of the house of the Lord. ²³ Of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites, ²⁴ Shebuel the son of Gershom, son of Moses, was the captain over the riches. ²⁵ His brothers by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomoth his son. ²⁶ Shelomoth and his brothers watched over all the riches of the holy gifts. These gifts had been set apart by King David and the heads of the fathers’ houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the army. ²⁷ They set apart things taken in battles to do the work needed on the house of the Lord. ²⁸ Samuel the man of God had set apart gifts. So had Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, and everyone who had set apart anything. All these holy gifts were in the care of Shelomoth and his brothers.

²⁹ Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were given outside duties for Israel. They were leaders and men who decide who is guilty or not. ³⁰ Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers were leaders of Israel west of the Jordan. They were 1,700 able men who did all the work of the Lord and the work of the king. ³¹ Of the Hebronites, Jerijah was the leader of the Hebronites by their families and fathers’ houses. Very able men were found among them at Jazer in Gilead in the fortieth year of David’s rule. ³² Jerijah and his brothers were 2,700 able men, heads of fathers’ houses. King David chose them to take care of all the duties of God and of the king, among the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-family group of the Manassites.