Zadok

26The king said to Abiathar the priest, "Go home to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die. But I will not kill you now. You carried the ark, God's holy chest, for my father David. You went through every hard time he went through."

And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the LORD God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.

NoteThe ark was a special chest covered in gold. God's rules were kept inside it. Priests carried it on long poles. Anathoth was a small town near Jerusalem.

27So Solomon took away Abiathar's job as priest for the LORD. This happened just as the LORD had said at Shiloh about the family of Eli.

So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

NoteLong ago, God said that Eli's family would lose the priest job. Eli had been a priest in a town called Shiloh.

28The news reached Joab. Joab had joined Adonijah's side, though he had not joined Absalom's. So Joab ran to the LORD's tent and grabbed the horns of the altar.

Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.

NoteThe LORD's tent was where people came to worship God. Inside was an altar, a table for gifts to God. Its corners had bumps shaped like horns. Someone in trouble grabbed them to ask for safety.

29King Solomon was told, "Joab has run to the LORD's tent. He is beside the altar." So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada and said, "Go, strike him down."

And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.

30Benaiah went into the LORD's tent and said, "The king says, come out." Joab said, "No. I will die here." Benaiah went back and told the king what Joab had said.

And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.

31The king said, "Do what he says. Strike him down and bury him. Joab killed men who had done nothing wrong. Take that guilt away from me and from my father's family.

And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.

NotePeople then believed murder left guilt on a whole family. The guilt stayed until the killer was punished.

32The LORD will make Joab pay for the blood he spilled. He killed two men who were better than he was, and my father David did not know. They were Abner son of Ner, leader of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, leader of Judah's army.

And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

NoteJudah was the southern part of Israel. It was David's own family land.

33The guilt for their deaths stays on Joab and his children forever. But David, his children, his house, and his throne will have peace from the LORD forever."

Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.

34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck Joab down and killed him. Joab was buried at his own home out in the wild country.

So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

NoteThe wild country was empty land with few people and few trees.

35The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada in charge of the army in Joab's place. He made Zadok priest in Abiathar's place.

And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.

NoteZadok was another priest. He had stayed on David's side all along.

1So Solomon was king over all the land of Israel.

So king Solomon was king over all Israel.

NoteIsrael was the land where God's people lived. Solomon was their king, and his father was King David.

2These were his top leaders. Azariah, the son of Zadok, was the priest.

And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest,

NoteThe King James calls these men "princes." That does not mean the king's sons. It means his most important helpers.

3Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, were scribes, men who wrote things down. Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, kept the records of what happened.

Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder.

NoteA scribe could read and write. Most people then could not do either.

4Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, led the army. Zadok and Abiathar were priests, men who led the worship of God.

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:

NoteA priest led people when they worshiped God. He offered gifts to God for them.

5Azariah, the son of Nathan, was in charge of the officers. Zabud, the son of Nathan, was a chief officer and the king's friend.

And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend:

Note"The king's friend" was a real job. That man sat close to the king and gave him advice.

6Ahishar took care of the king's house. Adoniram, the son of Abda, was in charge of the men made to work for the king.

And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.

NoteThe King James word "tribute" here means work, not money. Groups of men had to work for the king.

26From Levi: 4,600 men.

Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred.

NoteThe family group of Levi did the work of worship. They cared for God's holy tent and helped everyone pray.

27Jehoiada was the leader of Aaron's family. He brought 3,700 men with him.

And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred;

NoteAaron was the brother of Moses. His family were the priests, the men who led worship and gave gifts to God for the people.

28Zadok was a brave young man. Twenty-two leaders from his own family came with him.

And Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father’s house twenty and two captains.

11David called for the priests Zadok and Abiathar. He also called the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,

NoteZadok and Abiathar were priests, men who served God at worship. They led the gifts and prayers the people brought.

12David said, "You are the leaders of the Levite families. Make yourselves clean and ready for God's work. Then bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. Bring it to the place I made ready for it."

And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.

NoteGetting clean and ready meant washing and putting on fresh clothes. People did this before doing anything for God. It showed they were taking it seriously.

13"The first time, you Levites did not carry it. So the LORD our God broke out against us in anger. We did not ask him how it should be done."

For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.

NoteThis looks back at an earlier day. The ark was carried on a cart instead of on shoulders. A man reached out to touch it and died.

14So the priests and the Levites made themselves clean and ready. Then they could bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.

So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

15The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders. They used the long poles made for carrying it. They did just what Moses had said, following the LORD's word.

And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.

NoteThe ark had metal rings on its sides. Long poles slid through the rings. Men lifted the poles so nobody had to touch the box itself.

37So David left Asaph and his relatives there in front of the ark. They were to serve there every day, doing the work each day needed.

So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required:

38Obed-edom and sixty-eight of his relatives stayed too. Obed-edom son of Jeduthun and Hosah were gatekeepers, who guarded the doors.

And Obededom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:

NoteA score means twenty. So the King James "threescore and eight" means sixty-eight. Gatekeepers guarded the doors and watched who came in.

39David also left Zadok the priest and the other priests with him. They served at the LORD's tent at the worship place in Gibeon.

And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon,

NoteThis was the old worship tent from the days of Moses. It stood at Gibeon, a town near Jerusalem. The ark was now in a different tent, in Jerusalem. A high place was a spot on a hill used for worship.

40Their job was to give burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar. They did this every morning and every evening. They followed everything written in the LORD's law for Israel.

To offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which he commanded Israel;

NoteAn altar was a stone table where offerings were given to God. The law was the set of rules God gave Israel through Moses.

41Heman and Jeduthun were with them, along with others chosen and named. Their job was to thank the LORD, singing, "His faithful love never ends."

And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because his mercy endureth for ever;

42Heman and Jeduthun had trumpets and cymbals for the music. They also had other instruments for songs to God. The sons of Jeduthun watched the gate.

And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.

1Here are the groups of the men who came from Aaron. Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

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

NoteAaron was Moses' brother. He was the very first priest. A priest was a man who worked at God's house for everyone.

2Nadab and Abihu died before their father did. They had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar did the priests' work.

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

NoteThe priests' work was leading people when they came to worship. They also brought the people's gifts to God.

3Zadok came from Eleazar's family. Ahimelech came from Ithamar's family. They helped King David sort the priests into groups by their jobs.

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

NoteDavid was the king of Israel long ago. Zadok and Ahimelech were the two head priests who helped him.

4Eleazar's family had more leaders than Ithamar's family. So the groups were made to match. Eleazar's family had sixteen leaders. Ithamar's family had eight leaders.

And 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 leader here means the man in charge of one big family group. Whole families lived and worked together back then.

5They were split into groups by drawing lots, fairly for all. Both families had men who led the work at God's house.

Thus 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.

NoteDrawing lots was like picking names out of a hat. It was a fair way to choose, so no one could argue. God's house was where people came to worship God.

6Shemaiah was a writer. He was the son of Nethaneel, and he was a Levite. He wrote down all the names. The king watched, and so did the leaders. Zadok the priest watched. So did Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar. The family heads of the priests and Levites watched too. One family was picked from Eleazar, then one from Ithamar, back and forth.

And 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 Levite was a man from the family of Levi. Levites helped with the work at God's house. A writer, or scribe, had the job of writing things down. Very few people knew how to write then.

20Then David said to all the people, "Praise the LORD your God." So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers. They bowed their heads low to honor the LORD and the king.

And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king.

NoteBowing your head low was the way people showed great respect. They did it for God and for their king.

21The next day they gave animals to the LORD as gifts. They brought a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs. They also poured out drink offerings and gave many more gifts for all Israel.

And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings unto the LORD, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel:

NoteThese animals were gifts burned on an altar, a special stone table for giving gifts to God. A drink offering was wine poured out as a gift too. A ram is a grown male sheep.

22That day they ate and drank with great joy before the LORD. Then they made David's son Solomon king a second time. They poured oil on him to show he was chosen as ruler. They chose Zadok to be the priest.

And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the LORD to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest.

NotePouring olive oil on someone's head was a special sign. It showed God had picked that person to be king. A priest was a man who led the people in worship and brought their gifts to God.

23So Solomon sat on the LORD's throne as king in place of his father David. Things went well for him. All Israel obeyed him.

Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

NoteCalling it "the LORD's throne" means the king ruled for God. The kingdom really belonged to God, not to the king.

24All the leaders and the strong soldiers promised to obey King Solomon. All of King David's other sons promised too.

And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.

25The LORD made Solomon very great in front of all Israel. He gave Solomon more royal honor than any king in Israel before him.

And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

15But some priests from the family of Levi are different. They are the sons of Zadok. They kept doing their work in my holy place when Israel turned away from me. They may come near and serve me. They will stand before me and offer the fat and the blood, says the Lord GOD.

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:

NoteZadok was a priest long ago, when David and Solomon were kings.

16Only they may go into my holy place. They may come near my table to serve me. They will do the work I give them.

They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

NoteThe table in the temple held bread that was set out for God.

17When they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they must wear clothes made of linen. Linen is cloth made from a plant. They must not wear wool while they serve there or inside.

And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.

NoteThe temple had two open yards. The inner one was closer to the temple.

18They will wear linen cloths wrapped on their heads. They will wear linen shorts underneath. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat.

They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

NoteWool is cloth made from sheep hair. It is warm and makes you sweat.

19Then they go out to the outer courtyard where the people are. First they must take off the clothes they served in. They leave those clothes in the holy rooms. Then they put on other clothes. That way the holiness of those clothes does not pass to the people.

And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.

NoteHoly means set apart just for God. Those clothes were only for temple work.

20They must not shave their heads bald. They must not let their hair grow long. They must keep their hair carefully trimmed.

Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.

NoteSome people shaved their heads or grew long hair to worship other gods.

21No priest may drink wine before he goes into the inner courtyard.

Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

NoteWine is a drink made from grapes. Too much makes it hard to think clearly.

22They must not marry a widow or a woman whose husband sent her away. They must marry a young woman from Israel who has never been married. They may also marry the widow of a priest.

Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.

NoteA widow is a woman whose husband has died. Back then a man could end a marriage by sending his wife away.

23They must teach my people what is holy and what is not. They must show them what is clean and what is unclean.

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

NoteClean and unclean are not about dirt. Clean means ready to come near God's holy place.

24When people argue, the priests will decide who is right. They must decide by my rules. They must keep my laws at all my special feasts. They must keep my Sabbath days holy. The Sabbath is the day set apart for rest.

And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

NoteFeasts were special holidays. People came to worship God and eat together.