1 Chronicles 22–24
1 Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.”
2 So David gave instructions to gather together those sojourning in the land of Israel, and he appointed stonemasons to cut hewn stones for building the house of God. 3 David also provided large quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps as well as an abundance of bronze beyond measure, 4 and cedar logs without number, for the Sidonians and the Tyrians brought much cedar wood to David.
5 Now David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all the lands. Therefore I will make preparation for it now.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
6 Then David called Solomon his son and commanded him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, 8 but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You shall not build a house for My name because you have shed much blood on the earth before Me. 9 A son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. Solomon will be his name, and I will give peace and tranquility to Israel in his days. 10 He will be the one to build a house for My name. He shall be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
11 “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you, and may you have success in building the house of the Lord your God just as He has spoken concerning you. 12 Only may the Lord give you insight and understanding and give you charge over Israel so you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will prosper if you carefully observe the statutes and the judgments which the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or dismayed.
14 “With great difficulty I have prepared for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver as well as innumerable quantities of bronze and iron, beyond measure. I have also prepared timber and stone to which you may add even more. 15 Moreover you have an abundance of workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in all kinds of work, 16 craftsmen in gold, silver, bronze, and iron without number. Rise up and work, and may the Lord be with you.”
17 Then David commanded all the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon his son, saying, 18 “Is not the Lord your God with you? Has He not given you rest all around? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and His people. 19 Now dedicate your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Rise up and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord along with the holy vessels of God into the house which is to be built for the name of the Lord.”
Chapter 23
1 Now David was old and full of days when he made Solomon his son king over Israel. 2 So he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.
3 The Levites from thirty years old and up were counted, and their head count of men was thirty-eight thousand. 4 Twenty-four thousand of these, David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord; six thousand shall be officers and judges, 5 four thousand shall be gatekeepers, and four thousand shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.”
6 David assigned them to divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 From the Gershonites:
Ladan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan were
first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel, three in all.
9 The sons of Shimei were
Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran, three.
These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan.
10 The sons of Shimei were
Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah.
These four were the sons of Shimei.
11 Now Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as one unit for their father’s house.
12 The sons of Kohath were
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four in all.
13 The sons of Amram were
Aaron and Moses,
but Aaron was set apart to consecrate the most holy things, he and his sons forever, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to minister to Him, and to bless in His name forever. 14 As for Moses, the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses were
Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The son of Gershom was
Shubael the chief.
17 The son of Eliezer was
Rehabiah the chief.
Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
18 The son of Izhar was
Shelomith the chief.
19 The sons of Hebron were
Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel were
Micah the first and Ishiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari were
Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli were
Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters, so the sons of Kish, their brothers, took them as wives.
23 The sons of Mushi were
Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth, three.
24 These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ houses, the heads of the fathers’ houses as they were registered by the number of their names according to their head count, those doing the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from twenty years old and up.
25 For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its implements for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David, the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and up; 28 because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers, with the purifying of all holy things, even the work of service of the house of God, 29 and with the showbread, the fine flour for a grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity and size, 30 to stand morning by morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise in the evening, 31 and to offer up all burnt offerings to the Lord, for Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, by number as the judgment concerning them, continually before the Lord, 32 and that they should keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary and attend to the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.
Chapter 24
1 Now the divisions of the sons of Aaron were these.
The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. 3 Then David, along with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelek of the sons of Ithamar, divided them to their offices by their service. 4 Since the sons of Eleazar were found to have more chief men than the sons of Ithamar, they divided them into sixteen heads of the fathers’ houses for the sons of Eleazar, and eight for the sons of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ houses. 5 So they divided them by lots, the one as the other, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both the sons of Eleazar and Ithamar.
6 Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, the Levite scribe, wrote them down in the presence of the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelek the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and the Levites, one father’s house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.
7 The first lot fell to Jehoiarib,
the second to Jedaiah,
8 the third to Harim,
the fourth to Seorim,
9 the fifth to Malkijah,
the sixth to Mijamin,
10 the seventh to Hakkoz,
the eighth to Abijah,
11 the ninth to Jeshua,
the tenth to Shekaniah,
12 the eleventh to Eliashib,
the twelfth to Jakim,
13 the thirteenth to Huppah,
the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
14 the fifteenth to Bilgah,
the sixteenth to Immer,
15 the seventeenth to Hezir,
the eighteenth to Happizzez,
16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah,
the twentieth to Jehezkel,
17 the twenty-first to Jakin,
the twenty-second to Gamul,
18 the twenty-third to Delaiah,
the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
19 These were their appointments for their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the schedule prescribed for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
20 Now for the remaining sons of Levi:
from the sons of Amram, Shubael;
from the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.
21 For Rehabiah: from the sons of Rehabiah,
the first was Ishiah.
22 From the Izharites, Shelomoth;
from the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath.
23 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
24 The sons of Uzziel, Micah;
from the sons of Micah, Shamir.
25 The brother of Micah, Ishiah;
from the sons of Ishiah, Zechariah.
26 The sons of Merari, Mahli and Mushi;
the son of Jaaziah, Beno.
27 The sons of Merari:
by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zakkur, and Ibri.
28 For Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.
29 For Kish: the son of Kish,
Jerahmeel.
30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. 31 These also cast lots just as their brothers, the sons of Aaron, in the presence of David the king, Zadok, Ahimelek, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites, the head of the fathers’ houses as well as his younger brother.
John 8:28–59
28 So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing of Myself. But I speak these things as My Father taught Me. 29 He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. 32 You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never been in bondage to anyone. Why do You say, ‘You shall be set free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now a slave does not remain in the house forever, but a son remains forever. 36 Therefore if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s seed. But you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I am telling what I have seen with My Father, and you are doing what you have seen with your father.”
39 They answered Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You are doing the works of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father: God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and proceeded into the world. I did not come of My own authority, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speaking? Because you cannot bear to hear My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words. Therefore, you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
48 The Jews answered Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon. But I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 I do not seek glory for Myself. There is One who seeks it and judges. 51 Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death.”
52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham and the prophets died, and You say, ‘If a man keeps My word, he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets are dead! Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. If I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you. But I know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day. He saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old. Have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. Going through their midst, He passed by.