وظائف اللاويـين ومراتبهم
1 ولمَّا شاخَ داوُدُ وشَبِـعَ مِنَ الأيّامِ أقامَ سُليمانَ ابنَهُ مَلِكا على بَني إِسرائيلَ. 2 وجمَعَ كُلَّ رؤساءِ إِسرائيلَ وكُلَّ الكهَنةِ واللاَّويِّينَ، 3 فأحصى اللاَّويِّينَ مِنِ ابنِ ثَلاثينَ سنَةً فما فَوقُ، فكانَ عدَدُهُم ثمانيةً وثَلاثينَ ألفَ رجُلٍ. 4 فعَيَّنَ مِنهُم أربَعةً وعشرينَ ألفا مُراقبـينَ على بِناءِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ، وسِتَّةَ آلافِ مُوَظَّفٍ وقاضٍ، 5 وأربَعةَ آلافِ بَوَّابٍ، وأربَعةَ آلافِ مُنشِدٍ للرّبِّ على آلاتِ التَّسبـيحِ. 6 وقَسَّمَهُم داوُدُ فِرَقا بِـحسَبِ عشائِرِ بَني لاويِّ الثَّلاثِ: جَرشونَ وقَهاتَ ومَراري.
7 وكانَ لِجَرشونَ ابنانِ: لَعْدانُ وشَمْعي، 8 ولِلَعْدانَ ثَلاثةُ بَنينَ: أوَّلُهُم يَحيئيلُ ثُمَّ زيثامُ ويوئيلُ، 9 ولِشَمْعي ثَلاثةُ بَنينَ: شَلوميثُ وحَزيئيلُ وهارانُ. هؤلاءِ رؤساءُ البـيوتِ والمُنتَسِبةِ للَعْدانَ. 10 وبَنو شَمْعي أربَعةٌ: يَحَثُ وزينا ويَعوشُ وبَريعةُ. 11 وكانَ يَحَثُ أوَّلَهُم ثُمَّ زيزا، وأمَّا يَعوشُ وبَريعَةُ فما كانَ لهُما بَنونَ كثيرونَ فَحُسِبوا بَيتا واحدا.
12 وبَنو قَهاتَ أربَعةٌ: عَمرامُ ويَصهارُ وحبرونُ وعُزِّيئيلُ. 13 وعَمرامُ ولَدَ هرونَ وموسى. وتكَرَّسَ هرونُ للخِدمةِ في قُدْسِ الأقداسِ هوَ وبَنوهُ إلى الأبدِ: لِـيُوقِدَ البَخورَ أمامَ الرّبِّ ويَخدِمَهُ ويـبارِكَ الشَّعبَ باسمِهِ. 14 أمَّا موسى رَجُلُ اللهِ، فعُدَّ بَنوهُ في سِبْطِ لاويِّ. 15 وابنا موسى: جَرشومُ وأليعَزَرُ. 16 ولِجَرشومَ بَنونَ أوَّلُهُم شَبوئيلُ. 17 ولأليعَزَرَ ابنٌ واحدٌ: رَحَبْيا، وأمَّا بَنو رَحَبْيا فكانوا كثيرينَ جِدًّا. 18 وابنُ يَصهارَ: شَلوميثُ وهوَ رئيسُ بَيتِ أبـيهِ. 19 وبَنو حبرونَ أربَعةٌ: يَرِيَّا أوَّلُهُم ثُمَّ أمُرْيا ويَحْزيئيلُ ويَقمَعامُ. 20 وابنا عُزِّيئيلَ: ميخا أوَّلُهُما ثُمَّ يَشيَّا. 21 وابنا مَراري: مَحْلي ومُوشى. وابنا مَحْلي: ألعازارُ وقَيشُ. 22 وماتَ ألعازارُ ولم يكُنْ لَه بَنونَ بل بَناتٌ، فَتَزَوَّجهنَّ بَنو قَيشَ عَمِّهِنَّ. 23 وبَنو موشى ثَلاثةٌ: مَحْلي وعادَرُ ويَريموثُ. 24 هؤلاءِ بَنو لاوي بِـحسَبِ بـيوتِ آبائِهِم وعَشائِرِهِم كما أُحصُوا بأسمائِهِم واحدا واحدا. وتوَلَّى العمَلَ لِخِدمةِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ كُلُّ مَنْ جاوزَ مِنهُمُ العشرينَ مِنَ العُمرِ، 25 لأنَّ داوُدَ قالَ: «أراحَ الرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ شعبَهُ، وهوَ يَسكُنُ في أورُشليمَ إلى الأبدِ. 26 فلن يَحمِلَ اللاَّويُّونَ مِنْ بَعدُ مَسكِنَهُ ولا أيَّ شيءٍ يُستَعمَلُ لِخِدمَتِهِ». 27 لِهذا: أُحصيَ بَنو لاويّ مِنِ ابنِ عشرينَ فما فَوقُ، 28 فكانوا تَحتَ تَصَرُّفِ بَني هرونَ لِخِدمةِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ، ولِلعنايةِ بالدُّورِ والغُرَفِ وتَطهيرِ كُلِّ شيءٍ مُقدَّسٍ لِلعبادةِ، 29 وللمُساعَدةِ في تأمينِ الخُبزِ وسميذِ التَّقدِمةِ ورِقاقِ الفطيرِ وما يُخبَزُ على الصَّاجِ ويُعجَنُ بالزَّيتِ. وكذلِكَ في كُلِّ كَيلٍ وقياسٍ، 30 ولِلحُضورِ كُلَّ صباحٍ ومساءٍ لِحَمدِ الرّبِّ وتَسبـيحِهِ، 31 ولِتَقديمِ مُحرَقاتِ الرّبِّ في أيّامِ السَّبتِ ورُؤوسِ الشُّهورِ والأعيادِ، بِـحسَبِ العدَدِ المَفروضِ علَيهِم دائما أمامَ الرّبِّ، 32 ولِلقيامِ بِـحِراسةِ خَيمةِ الاجتماعِ وآنيةِ اللهِ المُقَدَّسةِ، وحِراسةِ بَني هرونَ أنسِبائِهِم في خِدمةِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ.
1 So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
2 ¶ And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. 3 Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand. 4 Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand were officers and judges: 5 Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David , to praise therewith . 6 And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely , Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 ¶ Of the Gershonites were , Laadan, and Shimei. 8 The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 9 The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan. 10 And the sons of Shimei were , Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11 And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father’s house.
12 ¶ The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. 13 The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever. 14 Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses were , Gershom, and Eliezer. 16 Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief. 17 And the sons of Eliezer were , Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief. 19 Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah the first, and Jesiah the second.
21 ¶ The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish. 22 And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them. 23 The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24 ¶ These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and upward. 25 For David said, The LORD God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever: 26 And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof. 27 For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above: 28 Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God; 29 Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size; 30 And to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at even; 31 And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the LORD in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the LORD: 32 And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place , and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the LORD.