The Daily Audio Bible

Chapter 24

The Priestly Classes. ¹ These are the divisions of Aaron.

The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ² Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they did not have any sons. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.

³ David, with the help of Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar, divided them according to the responsibilities of their service.

⁴ A larger number of leaders was found among the descendants of Eleazar than among the descendants of Ithamar. This is how they were divided: for the descendants of Eleazar there were sixteen leaders of the ancestral clans, and for the descendants of Ithamar there were eight leaders of the ancestral clans. ⁵ They divided them by lot, for there were officials of the sanctuary^[a] and officials of God from among the descendants of Eleazar and from among the descendants of Ithamar. ⁶ Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel, the scribe, a Levite, recorded it in the presence of the king and the officials: Zadok the priest and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, and the leaders of the ancestral clans of the priests and the Levites, one ancestral clan being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.

⁷ The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second lot fell to Jedaiah, ⁸ the third lot fell to Harim, the fourth lot fell to Seorim, ⁹ the fifth lot fell to Malchijah, the sixth lot fell to Mijamin, ¹⁰ the seventh lot fell to Hakkoz, the eighth lot fell to Abijah, ¹¹ the ninth lot fell to Jeshua, the tenth lot fell to Shecaniah, ¹² the eleventh lot fell to Eliashib, the twelfth lot fell to Jakim, ¹³ the thirteenth lot fell to Huppah, the fourteenth lot fell to Ishbaal, ¹⁴ the fifteenth lot fell to Bilgah, the sixteenth lot fell to Immer, ¹⁵ the seventeenth lot fell to Hezir, the eighteenth lot fell to Happizzez, ¹⁶ the nineteenth lot fell to Pethahiah, the twentieth lot fell to Jehezkel, ¹⁷ the twenty-first lot fell to Jachin, the twenty-second lot fell to Gamul, ¹⁸ the twenty-third lot fell to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth lot fell to Maaziah.

¹⁹ This was the appointed order of service when they would come into the temple of the Lord. This was according to the regulations given by Aaron their ancestor as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.^[b]

²⁰ Other Levites. As for the other descendants of Levi, Shubael was the son of Amram, and Jehdeiah was the son of Shubael.

²¹ The firstborn son of Rehabiah was Isshiah.

²² From the Izharites there was Shelomoth.

Jahath was the son of Shelomoth.

²³ The sons of Hebron were Jeriah, the firstborn, Amariah, the second, Jahaziel, the third, and Jekameam, the fourth.

²⁴ Micah was the son of Uzziel, and Shamir was the son of Micah.

²⁵ Isshiah was the brother of Micah.

Zechariah was the son of Isshiah.

²⁶ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi and the descendants of his son Uzziah.

²⁷ Among the descendants of Merari, there was Jaaziah, whose sons were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

²⁸ From Mahli there was Eleazar who did not have any sons.

²⁹ From Kish, there was Jerahmeel, the son of Kish.

³⁰ The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

These were the Levites, according to their ancestral clans. ³¹ They also cast lots, just as their brethren, the descendants of Aaron, had done. This was done before King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, the leaders of the ancestral clans of the priests and the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.

Chapter 25

The Musicians. ¹ David, together with the captains of the army, set aside some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun who were to prophesy^[c] with harps, lyres, and cymbals. This is the list of those engaged in their ministry.

² From the sons of Asaph there were Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah. The sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph who prophesied at the command of the king.

³ From Jeduthun there were his sons Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah. There were six of them in all. They were under the direction of their father Jeduthun who prophesied using the harp to give thanks and praise to the Lord.

⁴ From Heman there were his sons Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵ These were all the sons of Heman, the king’s seer. They were given the word of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. ⁶ All of these were under the direction of their father. They played music for the temple of the Lord upon cymbals, lyres, and harps, for the ministry of the temple of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king.

⁷ Along with their brethren, all of whom were trained and skilled in performing the songs of the Lord, there were two hundred and eighty-eight of them. ⁸ The young and old, the teacher and the student all cast lots.

⁹ The first lot fell to Asaph, to the family of Joseph; the second fell to Gedaliah, who together with his brethren and sons numbered twelve; ¹⁰ the third lot fell to Zaccur, who together with his sons and brethren numbered twelve; ¹¹ the fourth lot fell to Izri, who together with his sons and his brethren numbered twelve; ¹² the fifth lot fell to Nethaniah, who together with his sons and relatives numbered twelve; ¹³ the sixth lot fell to Bukkiah, who together with his sons and relatives numbered twelve; ¹⁴ the seventh lot fell to Jesarelah, who together with his sons and relatives numbered twelve; ¹⁵ the eighth lot fell to Jeshaiah, who together with his sons and relatives numbered twelve; ¹⁶ the ninth lot fell to Mattaniah, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ¹⁷ the tenth lot fell to Shimei, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ¹⁸ the eleventh lot fell to Uzziel, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ¹⁹ the twelfth lot fell to Hashabiah, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²⁰ the thirteenth lot fell to Shubael, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²¹ the fourteenth lot fell to Mattithiah, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²² the fifteenth lot fell to Jeremoth, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²³ the sixteenth lot fell to Hananiah, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²⁴ the seventeenth lot fell to Joshbekashah, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²⁵ the eighteenth lot fell to Hanani, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²⁶ the nineteenth lot fell to Mallothi, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²⁷ the twentieth lot fell to Eliathah, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²⁸ the twenty-first lot fell to Hothir, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ²⁹ the twenty-second lot fell to Giddalti, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ³⁰ the twenty-third lot fell to Mahazioth, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve; ³¹ the twenty-fourth lot fell to Romamti-ezer, who together with his sons and his relatives numbered twelve.

Chapter 26

Classes of Gatekeepers. ¹ These are the divisions of the gatekeepers.

From the Korahites, there was Meshelemiah, the son of Kore, one of the sons of Abiasaph. ² The sons of Meshelemiah were Zechariah, his firstborn, Jediael, his second, Zebadiah, his third, Jathniel, his fourth, ³ Elam, his fifth, Jehohanan, his sixth, and Eliehoenai, his seventh.

⁴ Obed-edom also had sons. They were Shemaiah, his firstborn, Jehozabad, his second, Joah, his third, Sachar, his fourth, Nethanel, his fifth, ⁵ Ammiel, his sixth, Issachar, his seventh, and Peullethai, his eighth, for God blessed Obed-edom.

⁶ His son Shemaiah also had sons who became the leaders of the ancestral clans because they were most capable. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. His brethren Elihu and Semachiah were also capable men. ⁸ All of these were the descendants of Obed-edom. They and their brethren were capable men, strong enough to do their work. There were sixty-two descendants of Obed-edom in all.

⁹ Meshelemiah had eighteen sons and relatives who were capable men.

¹⁰ The sons of Hosah the Merarite were Shimri, his firstborn (although he was not really the firstborn, his father assigned him the honor of firstborn), ¹¹ Hilkiah, the second, Tebaliah, the third, and Zechariah, the fourth. Hosah had thirteen sons and relatives in all.

Abraham Justified through Faith^[a]

Chapter 4

Justified through Faith, Not Works.^{[b] 1} What then are we to say about Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? ² If Abraham was justified by the works he did, he has good reason to boast, but not in the eyes of God. ³ For what does Scripture say? “Abraham placed his faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[c]

⁴ Now when a man works, his wages are not regarded as a gift but as something that is due to him. ⁵ However, when someone who does not work places his faith in one who justifies the godless, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. ^6 [d]In the same way, David speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God attributes righteousness apart from works:

Justified before Being Circumcised.^{[e] 9} Is this blessedness granted only to the circumcised, or does it apply to the uncircumcised as well? We have asserted that Abraham’s faith “was credited to him as righteousness.” ¹⁰ How was it credited? Was it when he was circumcised or uncircumcised? Not when he was circumcised, but when he was uncircumcised.

¹¹ Abraham received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. In this way, he was the father of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness credited to them. ¹² Therefore, he is the father of the circumcised who have not only received circumcision but also follow that path of faith traversed by Abraham before he was circumcised.

Psalm 13^[a]

Prayer of One in Sorrow

¹ For the director.^[b] A psalm of David.