The Divisions of the Levites

1So when Dauid was olde and full of dayes, he made Salomon his sonne King ouer Israel. 2And hee gathered together all the princes of Israel with the Priestes and the Leuites.

3And the Leuites were numbred from ye age of thirtie yeere and aboue, and their nomber according to their summe was eight & thirtie thousand men. 4Of these foure and twentie thousande were set to aduance the worke of the house of the Lord, & sixe thousand were ouerseers and iudges. 5And foure thousand were porters, and foure thousande praised the Lorde with instruments which he made to praise the Lord. 6So Dauid deuided offices vnto them, to wit, to the sonnes of Leui, to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The Gershonites
(Numbers 3:21–26; Numbers 4:21–28)

7Of the Gershonites were Laadan & Shimei. 8The sonnes of Laadan, the chiefe was Iehiel, and Zetham and Ioel, three. 9The Sonnes of Shimei, Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haram, three: these were the chiefe fathers of Laadan. 10Also the sonnes of Shimei were Iahath, Zina, Ieush, and Beriah: these foure were ye sonnes of Shimei. 11And Iahath was the chiefe, and Zizah the seconde, but Ieush and Beriah had not many sonnes: therfore they were in the families of their father, counted but as one.

The Kohathites
(Numbers 3:27–32; Numbers 4:1–20)

12The sonnes of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron aud Vzziel, foure. 13The sonnes of Amram, Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated to sanctifie the most holy place, hee and his sonnes for euer to burne incense before the Lord, to minister to him, and to blesse in his Name for euer. 14Moses also the man of God, and his children were named with the tribe of Leui. 15The sonnes of Moses were Gershom, and Eliezer, 16Of the sonnes of Gershom was Shebuel the chiefe. 17And the sonne of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chiefe: for Eliezer had none other sonnes: but the sonnes of Rehabiah were very many. 18The sone of Izhar was Shelomith ye chiefe. 19The sonnes of Hebron were Ieriah the first, Amariah the second, Iahaziel the third, and Iekamiam the fourth. 20The sones of Vzziel were Michah the first, and Isshiah the second.

The Merarites
(Numbers 3:33–37; Numbers 4:29–33)

21The sonnes of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sonnes of Mahli, Eleazar and Kish. 22And Eleazar dyed, and had no sonnes, but daughters, and their brethren the sonnes of Kish tooke them. 23The sonnes of Mushi were Mahli, & Eder, and Ierimoth, three.

Levite Duties Revised

24These were the sonnes of Leui according to the house of their fathers, euen the chiefe fathers according to their offices, according to the nomber of names and their summe that did the worke for the seruice of the house of the Lorde from the age of twentie yeeres and aboue. 25For Dauid sayde, The Lord God of Israel hath giuen rest vnto his people, that they may dwell in Ierusalem for euer. 26And also the Leuites shall no more beare the Tabernacle and al the vessels for the seruice thereof. 27Therefore according to the last wordes of Dauid, the Leuites were nombred from twentie yeere and aboue, 28And their office was vnder the hand of the sonnes of Aaron, for the seruice of the house of the Lorde in the courtes, and chambers, and in the purifiyng of all holy thinges, and in the worke of the seruice of the house of God, 29Both for the shewbread, and for the fine floure, for the meate offring, and for the vnleauened cakes, and for the fryed things, and for that which was rosted, and for all measures and cise, 30And for to stand euery morning, to giue thanks & praise to the Lorde, & likewise at euen, 31And to offer all burnt offrings vnto the Lorde, in the Sabbaths, in the moneths, and at the appointed times, according to the nomber and according to their custome continually before the Lorde, 32And that they should keepe the charge of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the charge of ye holy place, & the charge of ye sonnes of Aaron their brethren in the seruice of ye house of the Lord.