1 Kwakati Dafite atjikula akwegula kabiga Solomoni nkololo uwe mambo we Iziraela.
2 Dafite wakakubunganya batungamili bose be Iziraela ne bapirisiti ne Balevi. 3 Balevi bakabagwa bakabe bali be makole ali makumi matatu kuyenda pezhugwi, balume bose bose bakabe bali zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu ana bali zhanakadzi (38 000). 4 Mu bali Dafite wakabiga bali zwiwulu zwili makumi mabili ana bali banna (24 000) kuti balingisane ne nshingo we Ng'umba ya Yahwe, bali zwiwulu zwili tathatu (6 000) kababiga kuti babe bashingisi ne basumikilisi, 5 bali zwiwulu zwinna (4 000) kababiga kuti babe balindi be nkoba, kabiga bali zwiwulu zwinna (4 000) kuti balingisane ne kukudza Yahwe nge zwilidzo zwakathamigwa nshingo iwoyu. 6 Dafite kabathubukanya kuyendidzana nge misha ye bakololo ba Levi: Geshoni na Kohati na Merari.
7 Bakololo ba Geshoni bakabe bali bo Ladani na Shimeyi. 8 Bakololo ba Ladani bakabe bali bo Jehiele ali nsholo we nsha na Zethami na Jowele, bose bose bakabe bali batatu. 9 Bakololo ba Shimeyi bakabe bali bo Shelomoti na Haziele na Harani, bose bose bakabe bali batatu. Ibaba ndibo bakabe bali misholo ye misha ya Ladani. 10 Bakololo ba Shimeyi bakabe bali banna bali bo Jahati na Zina na Jeushi na Bheriya. 11 Jahati wakabe ali nsholo we nsha etobegwa ndi Ziza, Jeushi na Bheriya bakabe basina bakololo banjinji ndizo bakabaligwa se nsha nng'ompela.
12 Bakololo ba Kohati bakabe bali bo Amuramu na Izhari na Heburoni na Uziele bose bose bakabe bali banna. 13 Bakololo ba Amuramu bakabe bali bo Aroni na Mushe. Aroni wakabigigwa ntome kuti ndizo alingisane ne zwithu zwakapiwa Ndzimu. Iye ne bakololo babe bakabe bakafanila kuti bagale bepisa zwibhayilo mbeli kwa Yahwe ne kubashingila ne kuleba makombolelo mu zina labo misi yose. 14 Koga bakololo ba Mushe nlume we Ndzimu bakabaligwa mu Balevi. 15 Bakololo ba Mushe bakabe bali Gerishomu na Eliezeri. 16 Bakololo ba Gerishomu bakabe bali bo Shebuweli ali nsholo we nsha. 17 Eliezeri, iye wakabe ana nkololo ali nng'ompela edang'wa Rihabiya koga Rihabiya iye wakabe ana bakololo banjinji. 18 Bakololo ba Izhari bakabe bali bo Shelomiti ali nsholo we nsha. 19 Bakololo ba Heburoni bakabe bali bo Jeriya ali nsholo we nsha etobegwa ndi Amariya na Jahaziele ali we butatu na Jekameamu ali we bunna. 20 Bakololo ba Uziele bakabe bali bo Mika ali nsholo we nsha na Ishiya ali we bubili.
21 Bakololo ba Merari bakabe bali bo Mahili na Mushi. Bakololo ba Mahili bakabe bali bo Eleazari na Kishi. 22 Eleazari wakabe asina bakololo koga ana bakololokadzi koga, ibo bakalobogwa ne hama dzabo bakololo ba Kishi. 23 Bakololo ba Mushi bakabe bali bo Mahili na Ederi na Jerimoti bose bose bali batatu.
24 Bakololo ba Levi bakabe bakabigwa nge misha ya botate babo ne misholo ye misha sekwa bakakwalisiwa kuyendidzana nge mazina e mmwe ne mmwe kudwa mu makole ali makumi mabili kuyenda pezhugwi ibo bakabe bakafanila kushinga nshingo we Ng'umba ya Yahwe. 25 Ngobe Dafite wakabe ati, “Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bapa bathu babo kunyalala kakale banogalila mu Jerusalema tjatjose. 26 Ndizo Balevi abatosheta kuti bagale bakasenga bugalo gwe Ndzimu kene tjimwe tje zwithu zwinoshingisiwa mu guli.” 27 Nge matama a Dafite e bupelo Balevi bose bakakwalisiwa kudwa muna bana makole ali makumi mabili kuyenda pezhugwi 28 ngono bakapiwa nshingo wekubhatsha bakololo ba Aroni mu nshingo we Ng'umba ya Yahwe kutjengeta zwibata zwe kunonamatigwa ne zwing'umbana zwa mukati ne kutjenapadza zose zwakayengemala ne mimwe mishingo ye Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, 29 kubhatsha ngolingisana nge lulwamisa tjiwunga tjinobigwa pa tafuli ne bgwisa gwe tjipo tje mathunde ne tjiwunga tjisina mbidzo ne tjiwunga tjakagotjiwa ne tjiwunga tjakashanganyiwa nge mafuta nekukala ne yela zwipo zwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu. 30 Bakabe bakafanila kulingisana ngoma mangwanana mamwe ne mamwe kuboka ne kukudza Yahwe, bethama saikoko nenge mu madekwana 31 nenge zwibaka zose akudusiwa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa zwipisigwa Yahwe mu zhuba le kunyaluluka le Sabata ne zhuba le Nzano we Mwedzi ugala ne mu mazhuba e mizano kuyendidzana ne sekwa akakwagwa zwibaka zose mbeli kwa Yahwe. 32 Bakapiwa mazwidabiligo ekutjengeta nshasha we bushanganilo ne bugalo gwakayengemala ne kubhatsha bapirisiti makamu abo e ludzi gwa Aroni mu nshingo we Ng'umba ya Yahwe.
1 When David was very old, he made his son Solomon king of Israel.
The Work of the Levites
2 King David brought together all the Israelite leaders and all the priests and Levites. 3 He took a census of all the male Levites aged thirty or older. The total was thirty-eight thousand. 4 The king assigned twenty-four thousand to administer the work of the Temple, six thousand to keep records and decide disputes, 5 four thousand to do guard duty, and four thousand to praise the Lord, using the musical instruments provided by the king for this purpose.
6 David divided the Levites into three groups, according to their clans: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 Gershon had two sons: Ladan and Shimei. 8 Ladan had three sons: Jehiel, Zetham, and Joel, 9 who were the heads of the clans descended from Ladan. (Shimei had three sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran.) 10-11 Shimei had four sons: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah, in order of age. Jeush and Beriah did not have many descendants, so they were counted as one clan.
12 Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 13 His oldest son, Amram, was the father of Aaron and Moses. (Aaron and his descendants were set apart to be in charge of the sacred objects forever, to burn incense in the worship of the Lord, to serve him, and to bless the people in his name. 14 But the sons of Moses, the man of God, were included among the Levites.) 15 Moses had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The leader among Gershom's sons was Shebuel. 17 Eliezer had only one son, Rehabiah, but Rehabiah had many descendants.
18 Kohath's second son, Izhar, had a son, Shelomith, the head of the clan. 19 Kohath's third son, Hebron, had four sons: Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam. 20 Kohath's fourth son, Uzziel, had two sons, Micah and Isshiah.
21 Merari had two sons, Mahli and Mushi. Mahli also had two sons, Eleazar and Kish, 22 but Eleazar died without having any sons, only daughters. His daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish. 23 Merari's second son, Mushi, had three sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.
24 These were the descendants of Levi, by clans and families, every one of them registered by name. Each of his descendants, twenty years of age or older, had a share in the work of the Lord's Temple.
25 David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given peace to his people, and he himself will live in Jerusalem forever. 26 So there is no longer any need for the Levites to carry the Tent of the Lord's presence and all the equipment used in worship.” 27 On the basis of David's final instructions all Levites were registered for service when they reached the age of twenty, 28 and were assigned the following duties: to help the priests descended from Aaron with the Temple worship, to take care of its courtyards and its rooms, and to keep undefiled everything that is sacred; 29 to be responsible for the bread offered to God, the flour used in offerings, the wafers made without yeast, the baked offerings, and the flour mixed with olive oil; to weigh and measure the Temple offerings; 30 and to praise and glorify the Lord every morning and every evening 31 and whenever offerings to the Lord are burned on the Sabbath, the New Moon Festival, and other festivals. Rules were made specifying the number of Levites assigned to do this work each time. The Levites were assigned the duty of worshiping the Lord for all time. 32 They were given the responsibility of taking care of the Tent of the Lord's presence and the Temple, and of assisting their relatives, the priests descended from Aaron, in the Temple worship.