16The descendants of Gershom included Shebuel, the family leader.
17Eliezer had only one son, Rehabiah, the family leader. Rehabiah had numerous descendants.
18The descendants of Izhar included Shelomith, the family leader.
19The descendants of Hebron included Jeriah (the family leader), Amariah (the second), Jahaziel (the third), and Jekameam (the fourth).
20The descendants of Uzziel included Micah (the family leader) and Isshiah (the second).
The Merarites
21The descendants of Merari included Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. 22Eleazar died with no sons, only daughters. His daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish.
23Three of the descendants of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
24These were the descendants of Levi by clans, the leaders of their family groups, registered carefully by name. Each had to be twenty years old or older to qualify for service in the house of the Lord. 25For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given us peace, and he will always live in Jerusalem. 26Now the Levites will no longer need to carry the Tabernacle and its furnishings from place to place.” 27In accordance with David’s final instructions, all the Levites twenty years old or older were registered for service.
28The work of the Levites was to assist the priests, the descendants of Aaron, as they served at the house of the Lord. They also took care of the courtyards and side rooms, helped perform the ceremonies of purification, and served in many other ways in the house of God. 29They were in charge of the sacred bread that was set out on the table, the choice flour for the grain offerings, the wafers made without yeast, the cakes cooked in olive oil, and the other mixed breads. They were also responsible to check all the weights and measures. 30And each morning and evening they stood before the Lord to sing songs of thanks and praise to him. 31They assisted with the burnt offerings that were presented to the Lord on Sabbath days, at new moon celebrations, and at all the appointed festivals. The required number of Levites served in the Lord’s presence at all times, following all the procedures they had been given.
32And so, under the supervision of the priests, the Levites watched over the Tabernacle and the Temple and faithfully carried out their duties of service at the house of the Lord.
