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King David and the leaders of the Levites chose the following Levite clans to lead the worship services: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. They were to proclaim God's messages, accompanied by the music of harps and cymbals. This is the list of persons chosen to lead the worship, with the type of service that each group performed:
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The four sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah. They were under the direction of Asaph, who proclaimed God's messages whenever the king commanded.
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The six sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah. Under the direction of their father they proclaimed God's message, accompanied by the music of harps, and sang praise and thanks to the LORD.
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The fourteen sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
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God gave to Heman, the king's prophet, these fourteen sons and also three daughters, as he had promised, in order to give power to Heman.
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All of his sons played cymbals and harps under their father's direction, to accompany the Temple worship. And Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under orders from the king.
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All these twenty-four men were experts; and their fellow Levites were trained musicians. There were 288 men in all.
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To determine the assignment of duties they all drew lots, whether they were young or old, experts or beginners.
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These 288 men were divided according to families into twenty-four groups of twelve, with a leader in charge of each group. This is the order in which they were on duty: 1) Joseph of the family of Asaph; 2) Gedaliah; 3) Zaccur; 4) Zeri; 5) Nethaniah; 6) Bukkiah; 7) Asharelah; 8) Jeshaiah; 9) Mattaniah; 10) Shimei; 11) Uzziel; 12) Hashabiah; 13) Shebuel; 14) Mattithiah; 15) Jerimoth; 16) Hananiah; 17) Joshbekashah; 18) Hanani; 19) Mallothi; 20) Eliathah; 21) Hothir; 22) Giddalti; 23) Mahazioth; 24) Romamti Ezer.
1
These are the assignments of work for the Levites who served as Temple guards. From the clan of Korah there was Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the family of Asaph.
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He had seven sons, listed in order of age: Zechariah, Jediael, Zebadiah, Jathniel,
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Elam, Jehohanan, and Eliehoenai.
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There was also Obed Edom, whom God blessed by giving him eight sons, listed in order of age: Shemaiah, Jehozabad, Joah, Sachar, Nethanel,
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Ammiel, Issachar, and Peullethai.
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Obed Edom's oldest son, Shemaiah, had six sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semachiah. They were important men in their clan because of their great ability; the last two were especially talented.
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Obed Edom's family furnished a total of sixty-two highly qualified men for this work.
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Meshelemiah's family furnished eighteen qualified men.
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From the clan of Merari there was Hosah, who had four sons: Shimri (his father made him the leader, even though he was not the oldest son),
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Hilkiah, Tebaliah, and Zechariah. In all there were thirteen members of Hosah's family who were Temple guards.
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The Temple guards were divided into groups, according to families, and they were assigned duties in the Temple, just as the other Levites were.
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Each family, regardless of size, drew lots to see which gate it would be responsible for.
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Shelemiah drew the east gate, and his son Zechariah, a man who always gave good advice, drew the north gate.
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Obed Edom was allotted the south gate, and his sons were allotted to guard the storerooms.
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Shuppim and Hosah were allotted the west gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road. Guard duty was divided into assigned periods, one after another.
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On the east, six guards were on duty each day, on the north, four, and on the south, four. Four guards were stationed at the storerooms daily, two at each storeroom.
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Near the western pavilion there were four guards by the road and two at the pavilion itself.
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This is the assignment of guard duty to the clan of Korah and the clan of Merari.
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Others of their fellow Levites were in charge of the Temple treasury and the storerooms for gifts dedicated to God.
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Ladan, one of the sons of Gershon, was the ancestor of several family groups, including the family of his son Jehiel.
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Ladan's two other sons, Zetham and Joel, had charge of the Temple treasury and storerooms.
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Duties were also assigned to the descendants of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
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Shebuel, of the clan of Moses' son Gershom, was the chief official responsible for the Temple treasury.
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Through Gershom's brother Eliezer he was related to Shelomith. Eliezer was the father of Rehabiah, who was the father of Jeshaiah, the father of Joram, the father of Zichri, the father of Shelomith.
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Shelomith and the members of his family were in charge of all the gifts dedicated to God by King David, the heads of families, leaders of clan groups, and army officers.
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They took some of the loot they captured in battle and dedicated it for use in the Temple.
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Shelomith and his family were in charge of everything that had been dedicated for use in the Temple, including the gifts brought by the prophet Samuel, by King Saul, by Abner son of Ner, and by Joab son of Zeruiah.
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Among the descendants of Izhar, Chenaniah and his sons were assigned administrative duties: keeping records and settling disputes for the people of Israel.
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Among the descendants of Hebron, Hashabiah and seventeen hundred of his relatives, all outstanding men, were put in charge of the administration of all religious and civil matters in Israel west of the Jordan River.
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Jeriah was the leader of the descendants of Hebron. In the fortieth year that David was king, an investigation was made of the family line of Hebron's descendants, and outstanding soldiers belonging to this family were found living at Jazer in the territory of Gilead.
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King David chose twenty-seven hundred outstanding heads of families from Jeriah's relatives and put them in charge of administering all religious and civil matters in Israel east of the Jordan River---the territories of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.
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This is the list of the Israelite heads of families and clan leaders and their officials who administered the work of the kingdom. Each month of the year a different group of twenty-four thousand men was on duty under the commander for that month.
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The following were the commanders for each month: First month: Jashobeam son of Zabdiel (he was a member of the clan of Perez, a part of the tribe of Judah) Second month: Dodai, a descendant of Ahohi (Mikloth was his second in command) Third month: Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest; he was the leader of "The Thirty" (his son Ammizabad succeeded him as commander of this group) Fourth month: Asahel, brother of Joab (his son Zebadiah succeeded him) Fifth month: Shamhuth, a descendant of Izhar Sixth month: Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa Seventh month: Helez, an Ephraimite from Pelon Eighth month: Sibbecai from Hushah (he was a member of the clan of Zerah, a part of the tribe of Judah) Ninth month: Abiezer from Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin Tenth month: Maharai from Netophah (he was a member of the clan of Zerah) Eleventh month: Benaiah from Pirathon in the territory of the tribe of Ephraim Twelfth month: Heldai from Netophah (he was a descendant of Othniel)
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This is the list of the administrators of the tribes of Israel: (Tribe: Administrator); Reuben: Eliezer son of Zichri; Simeon: Shephatiah son of Maacah; Levi: Hashabiah son of Kemuel; Aaron: Zadok; Judah: Elihu, one of King David's brothers; Issachar: Omri son of Michael; Zebulun: Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; Naphtali: Jeremoth son of Azriel; Ephraim: Hoshea son of Azaziah; West Manasseh: Joel son of Pedaiah; East Manasseh: Iddo son of Zechariah; Benjamin: Jaasiel son of Abner; Dan: Azarel son of Jeroham
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King David did not take a census of the people who were under the age of twenty, because of the LORD's promise to make the people of Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.
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Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, began to take a census, but he did not complete it. God punished Israel because of this census, so the final figures were never recorded in King David's official records.
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This is the list of those who administered the royal property: Royal storerooms: Azmaveth son of Adiel Local storerooms: Jonathan son of Uzziah Farm labor: Ezri son of Chelub Vineyards: Shimei from Ramah Wine cellars: Zabdi from Shepham Olive and sycamore trees (in the western foothills): Baal Hanan from Geder Olive oil storage: Joash Cattle in the Plain of Sharon: Shitrai from Sharon Cattle in the valleys: Shaphat son of Adlai Camels: Obil, an Ishmaelite Donkeys: Jehdeiah from Meronoth Sheep and goats: Jaziz, a Hagrite
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Jonathan, King David's uncle, was a skillful adviser and a scholar. He and Jehiel son of Hachmoni were in charge of the education of the king's sons.
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Ahithophel was adviser to the king, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend and counselor.
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After Ahithophel died, Abiathar and Jehoiada son of Benaiah became advisers. Joab was commander of the royal army.
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Finally, our friends, you learned from us how you should live in order to please God. This is, of course, the way you have been living. And now we beg and urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to do even more.
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For you know the instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
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God wants you to be holy and completely free from sexual immorality.
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Each of you should know how to live with your wife in a holy and honorable way,
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not with a lustful desire, like the heathen who do not know God.
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In this matter, then, none of you should do wrong to other Christians or take advantage of them. We have told you this before, and we strongly warned you that the Lord will punish those who do that.
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God did not call us to live in immorality, but in holiness.
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So then, whoever rejects this teaching is not rejecting a human being, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
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There is no need to write you about love for each other. You yourselves have been taught by God how you should love one another.
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And you have, in fact, behaved like this toward all the believers in all of Macedonia. So we beg you, our friends, to do even more.
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Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your own living, just as we told you before.
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In this way you will win the respect of those who are not believers, and you will not have to depend on anyone for what you need.
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Our friends, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope.
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We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in him.
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W_ hat we are teaching you now is the Lord's teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died.
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There will be the shout of command, the archangel's voice, the sound of God's trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first;
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then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.
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So then, encourage one another with these words.
