1 Chronicles 24

These are the groups the descendants of Aaron were divided into. Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

1Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

NoteA "division" here is a work shift. The priests were too numerous to all serve at once, so they were organized into twenty-four family groups that took turns on duty at the sanctuary, each group serving for a set period before handing over to the next. Aaron was Moses' brother, and by the law of Israel only his male descendants could serve as priests; the rest of the tribe of Levi assisted them but did not hold the priesthood.

2But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests.

2But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s office.

NoteNadab and Abihu, Aaron's two eldest sons, were killed after making an unauthorised incense offering (Leviticus 10). "Died before their father" means they died while Aaron was still alive, not that they died in his presence. Because they left no sons, the whole priesthood descended from the two younger brothers, Eleazar and Ithamar.

3David divided them into groups, working with Zadok, who came from Eleazar's line, and Ahimelech, who came from Ithamar's line. Each group was assigned the duties it would carry out.

3And David distributed them, both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in their service.

NoteZadok and Ahimelech were the two senior priests of David's reign, one from each surviving branch of Aaron's line, so the reorganisation was carried out with a representative of both families present.

4There were more leaders among Eleazar's descendants than among Ithamar's, so the groups were divided to match that. Eleazar's descendants had sixteen family heads, and Ithamar's descendants had eight.

4And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers.

NoteA "family head" (King James "chief man of the house of their fathers") is the recognized senior man of an extended household, the unit by which Israelite clans were counted and duties assigned. Sixteen such households in one branch against eight in the other is why the shifts were split two to one.

5They were divided by casting lots, treating both lines the same way, because officials of the holy place and officials of God's service came from both Eleazar's line and Ithamar's line.

5Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.

NoteCasting lots meant drawing marked stones or sticks from a container, much like drawing straws. It was the standard Israelite way of settling a decision that had to be seen as impartial and beyond human manipulation. "Treating both lines the same way" translates a Hebrew phrase meaning the two families drew alternately from the same pool, so neither branch could claim the more desirable turns.

6Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a scribe from the tribe of Levi, wrote down their names. He did this in front of the king, the officials, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the family heads of the priests and Levites. One family was chosen from Eleazar, then one from Ithamar, taking turns.

6And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites, wrote them before the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and before the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites: one principal household being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.

NoteA scribe was a professional writer and record-keeper, the official who drew up and preserved legal and administrative documents, the nearest thing to a civil servant. Ahimelech is called "son of Abiathar" here, though elsewhere (1 Samuel 22) Abiathar is the son of Ahimelech; the names appear reversed in one place or the other, and which way round is disputed.

7The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, and the second to Jedaiah.

7Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

NoteThe names in this list are not only individuals but the ancestors whose names their whole division carried afterwards. A priest centuries later would be identified as belonging to "the division of Jehoiarib" or "of Abijah" in the way a soldier is identified by his regiment.

8The third went to Harim, and the fourth to Seorim.

8The third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

9The fifth went to Malchijah, and the sixth to Mijamin.

9The fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

10The seventh went to Hakkoz, and the eighth to Abijah.

10The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

NoteThe division of Abijah remained in use for centuries; in Luke's Gospel, Zechariah the father of John the Baptist is a priest of this eighth division.

11The ninth went to Jeshua, and the tenth to Shecaniah.

11The ninth to Jeshuah, the tenth to Shecaniah,

Note"Jeshuah" in the King James is the same name spelled elsewhere as Jeshua, a shortened form of Joshua.

12The eleventh went to Eliashib, and the twelfth to Jakim.

12The eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

13The thirteenth went to Huppah, and the fourteenth to Jeshebeab.

13The thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

14The fifteenth went to Bilgah, and the sixteenth to Immer.

14The fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

15The seventeenth went to Hezir, and the eighteenth to Happizzez.

15The seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Aphses,

NoteThe King James "Aphses" and the modern "Happizzez" are the same Hebrew name; the difference is whether the initial *ha-* (the Hebrew word "the") is treated as part of the name.

16The nineteenth went to Pethahiah, and the twentieth to Jehezkel.

16The nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezekel,

17The twenty-first went to Jachin, and the twenty-second to Gamul.

17The one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to Gamul,

18The twenty-third went to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

18The three and twentieth to Delaiah, the four and twentieth to Maaziah.

19This was the order they followed when they came to serve in the house of the LORD. They followed the rules given to them by Aaron, the father of their family line, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

19These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

Note"House of the LORD" means the temple in Jerusalem. It had not yet been built in David's lifetime, these arrangements were made in advance for it. "According to their manner" in the King James means according to the fixed procedure laid down for them, and "Aaron their father" means Aaron their ancestor, not their immediate parent.

20Here are the rest of Levi's descendants. From the sons of Amram came Shubael, and from the sons of Shubael came Jehdeiah.

20And the rest of the sons of Levi were these: Of the sons of Amram; Shubael: of the sons of Shubael; Jehdeiah.

NoteThe chapter now switches from priests to the rest of the tribe of Levi, who were not priests but assisted them: carrying and guarding the sanctuary equipment, providing music, keeping gates and managing stores. Their families descended from Levi's three sons (Gershon, Kohath and Merari) and Amram, Kohath's son, was the father of Moses and Aaron.

21As for Rehabiah, the first of his sons was Isshiah.

21Concerning Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, the first was Isshiah.

22From the family of Izhar came Shelomoth, and from the sons of Shelomoth came Jahath.

22Of the Izharites; Shelomoth: of the sons of Shelomoth; Jahath.

NoteIzhar, Hebron and Uzziel in these verses are men, brothers of Amram, not places. Hebron is also a well-known town, but here it is a personal and family name.

23The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

23And the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.

24From the sons of Uzziel came Micah, and from the sons of Micah came Shamir.

24Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah: of the sons of Michah; Shamir.

25Micah's brother was Isshiah, and from the sons of Isshiah came Zechariah.

25The brother of Michah was Isshiah: of the sons of Isshiah; Zechariah.

26The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The son of Jaaziah was Beno.

26The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi: the sons of Jaaziah; Beno.

Note"Beno" is the Hebrew for "his son", and may not be a name at all but an untranslated fragment of the text; verses 26 and 27 are damaged or confused in the surviving Hebrew, and translators differ on how to read them.

27The descendants of Merari through Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

27The sons of Merari by Jaaziah; Beno, and Shoham, and Zaccur, and Ibri.

28From Mahli came Eleazar, who had no sons.

28Of Mahli came Eleazar, who had no sons.

29As for Kish, his son was Jerahmeel.

29Concerning Kish: the son of Kish was Jerahmeel.

NoteThis Kish is a Levite of Merari's line. He is not Kish the father of King Saul, who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.

30The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the descendants of Levi, listed by their families.

30The sons also of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites after the house of their fathers.

31They cast lots too, just as their relatives the descendants of Aaron had done. They did this in front of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the family heads of the priests and Levites. The older families and the younger ones were treated the same way.

31These likewise cast lots over against their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, even the principal fathers over against their younger brethren.

Note"Over against their brethren" in the King James means alongside them, on the same footing, the Levites drew lots by exactly the procedure the priests had used. The last clause means that senior and junior branches of a family drew on equal terms; no household got a better turn simply for being the elder line.