According to David’s final instructions, the Levites twenty years old and up were counted. ¹ 

Their job was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the Lord’s temple. They were to take care of the courtyards, the rooms, ceremonial purification of all holy items, and other jobs related to the service of God’s temple. ¹ 

They were in charge of the meeting tent and the holy place, and helped their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, in the service of the Lord’s temple. ¹ 

Nadab and Abihu died before their father did; they had no sons. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.

David, Zadok (a descendant of Eleazar), and Ahimelech (a descendant of Ithamar) divided them into groups to carry out their assigned responsibilities. ¹ 

David and the army officers selected some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy as they played stringed instruments and cymbals. ¹  The following men were assigned this responsibility: ² 

From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were supervised by Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision. ¹ 

From the sons of Jeduthun: ¹  Gedaliah, Zeri, ²  Jeshaiah, ³  Hashabiah, and Mattithiah – six in all, ⁴  under supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied as he played a harp, giving thanks and praise to the Lord.

All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s prophet. God had promised him these sons in order to make him prestigious. ¹  God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

All of these were under the supervision of their fathers; they were musicians in the Lord’s temple, playing cymbals and stringed instruments as they served in God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the supervision of the king.

They cast lots to determine their responsibilities – oldest as well as youngest, teacher as well as student. ¹ 

All these were the descendants of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and relatives were respected men, capable of doing their responsibilities. There were sixty-two of them related to Obed-Edom.

“And you, Solomon my son, obey ¹  the God of your father and serve him with a submissive attitude and a willing spirit, ²  for the Lord examines all minds and understands every motive of one’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him, ³  but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently.

Realize ¹  now that the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do it!”

He gave him the regulations ¹  for the divisions of priests and Levites, for all the assigned responsibilities within the Lord’s temple, and for all the items used in the service of the Lord’s temple.

David said, ¹  “All of this I put in writing as the Lord directed me and gave me insight regarding the details of the blueprints.” ² 

King David said to the entire assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is just an inexperienced young man, ¹  and the task is great, for this palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

So I have made every effort ¹  to provide what is needed for the temple of my God, including the gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, ²  as well as a large amount of onyx, settings of antimony and other stones, all kinds of precious stones, and alabaster.

They donated for the service of God’s temple 5,000 talents ¹  and ten thousand darics ²  of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron.

David told the entire assembly: “Praise the Lord your God!” So the entire assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors; they bowed down and stretched out flat on the ground before the Lord and the king.