1 CHRONICLES 23

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David Organizes the Levites  23:1 When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
    2 David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 3 The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. 4 “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 5 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.” 6 And David organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
    7 The sons of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan. 10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11 Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, therefore they became counted as a single father’s house.
    12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. 13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should make offerings before the Lord and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 But the sons of Moses the man of God were named among the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief. 17 The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. 19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.
    21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters; their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them. 23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
    24 These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 25 For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. 28 For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. 29 Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. 30 And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord. 32 Thus they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.

1 CHRONICLES 24

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David Organizes the Priests  24:1 The divisions of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests. 3 With the help of Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, David organized them according to the appointed duties in their service. 4 Since more chief men were found among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, they organized them under sixteen heads of fathers’ houses of the sons of Eleazar, and eight of the sons of Ithamar. 5 They divided them by lot, all alike, for there were sacred officers and officers of God among both the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar. 6 And the scribe Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the princes and Zadok the priest and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites, one father’s house being chosen for Eleazar and one chosen for Ithamar.
    7 The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, 8 the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, 9 the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, 10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, 11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, 12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, 14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, 15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, 16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, 17 the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, 18 the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. 19 These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
    20 And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. 21 Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief. 22 Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. 23 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. 24 The sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir. 25 The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. 26 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Jaaziah: Beno. 27 The sons of Merari: of Jaaziah, Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. 28 Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. 29 Of Kish, the sons of Kish: Jerahmeel. 30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. 31 These also, the head of each father’s house and his younger brother alike, cast lots, just as their brothers the sons of Aaron, in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites.

PROVERBS 27

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27:1

Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring. 2

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;

a stranger, and not your own lips. 3

A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,

but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. 4

Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before jealousy? 5

Better is open rebuke

than hidden love. 6

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy. 7

One who is full loathes honey,

but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet. 8

Like a bird that strays from its nest

is a man who strays from his home. 9

Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. 10

Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,

and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.

Better is a neighbor who is near

than a brother who is far away. 11

Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,

that I may answer him who reproaches me. 12

The prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but the simple go on and suffer for it. 13

Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress. 14

Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,

rising early in the morning,

will be counted as cursing. 15

A continual dripping on a rainy day

and a quarrelsome wife are alike; 16

to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp oil in one’s right hand. 17

Iron sharpens iron,

and one man sharpens another. 18

Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and he who guards his master will be honored. 19

As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of man reflects the man. 20

Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,

and never satisfied are the eyes of man. 21

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and a man is tested by his praise. 22

Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle

along with crushed grain,

yet his folly will not depart from him.
23

Know well the condition of your flocks,

and give attention to your herds, 24

for riches do not last forever;

and does a crown endure to all generations? 25

When the grass is gone and the new growth appears

and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, 26

the lambs will provide your clothing,

and the goats the price of a field. 27

There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,

for the food of your household

and maintenance for your girls.

PSALM 74

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Arise, O God, Defend Your CauseA Maskil of Asaph.
74:1

O God, why do you cast us off forever?

Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? 2

Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,

which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!

Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. 3

Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;

the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
4

Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;

they set up their own signs for signs. 5

They were like those who swing axes

in a forest of trees. 6

And all its carved wood

they broke down with hatchets and hammers. 7

They set your sanctuary on fire;

they profaned the dwelling place of your name,

bringing it down to the ground. 8

They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;

they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9

We do not see our signs;

there is no longer any prophet,

and there is none among us who knows how long. 10

How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?

Is the enemy to revile your name forever? 11

Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?

Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!
12

Yet God my King is from of old,

working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13

You divided the sea by your might;

you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. 14

You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. 15

You split open springs and brooks;

you dried up ever-flowing streams. 16

Yours is the day, yours also the night;

you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. 17

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;

you have made summer and winter.
18

Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,

and a foolish people reviles your name. 19

Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts;

do not forget the life of your poor forever.
20

Have regard for the covenant,

for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. 21

Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;

let the poor and needy praise your name.
22

Arise, O God, defend your cause;

remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! 23

Do not forget the clamor of your foes,

the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!