I Chronicles 23

¹So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

²And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

³Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.

⁴Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges:

⁵Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.

⁶And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and Shimei.

⁸The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

⁹The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.

¹⁰And the sons of Shimei were, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

¹¹And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father’s house.

¹²The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

¹³The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.

¹⁴Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵The sons of Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer.

¹⁶Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.

¹⁷And the sons of Eliezer were, Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

¹⁸Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief.

¹⁹Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁰Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah the first, and Jesiah the second.

²¹The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.

²²And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them.

²³The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

²⁴These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upward.

²⁵For David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:

²⁶And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.

²⁷For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:

²⁸Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God;

²⁹Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;

³⁰And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even;

³¹And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord:

³²And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the Lord.

I Chronicles 23

¹Now David was old and full of days; and he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

²And he got together all the chiefs of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

³And the Levites, all those of thirty years old and over, were numbered; and the number of them, by heads, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand.

⁴Of these, twenty-four thousand were to be overseers of the work of the house of the Lord, and six thousand were judges and men of authority;

⁵Four thousand were door-keepers; and four thousand gave praise to the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, for giving praise.

⁶And David put them into divisions under the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

⁸The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham and Joel, three.

⁹The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth and Haziel and Haran, three; these were the heads of the families of Ladan.

¹⁰And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zizah and Jeush and Beriah; these four were the sons of Shimei.

¹¹Jahath was the chief and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah had only a small number of sons, so they were grouped together as one family.

¹²The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

¹³The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was made separate and holy, he and his sons for ever, for the care of the most holy things and the burning of offerings before the Lord, to do his work and give blessings in his name for ever.

¹⁴And the sons of Moses, the man of God, were put into the list of the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

¹⁶The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

¹⁷And the sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the first; and Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had a great number.

¹⁸The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

¹⁹The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁰The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, and Isshiah the second.

²¹The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

²²And at his death Eleazar had no sons, but only daughters, and their relations, the sons of Kish, took them as wives.

²³The sons of Mushi: Mahli and Eder and Jeremoth, three.

²⁴These were the sons of Levi, grouped by families, the heads of the families of those who were numbered by name, by heads, all those of twenty years old and over who did the work of the house of the Lord.

²⁵For David said, The Lord, the God of Israel, has given his people rest, and he has made his resting-place in Jerusalem for ever;

²⁶And from now, there will be no need for the House of the Lord, and the vessels used in it, to be moved about by the Levites.

²⁷So among the last acts of David was the numbering of the sons of Levi, from twenty years old and over.

²⁸Their place was by the side of the sons of Aaron in all the work of the house of the Lord, in the open spaces and in the rooms, in the making clean of all the holy things, in doing all the work of the house of the Lord,

²⁹The holy bread was in their care, and the crushed grain for the meal offering, of unleavened cakes or meal cooked over the fire or in water; they had control of all sorts of weights and measures;

³⁰They had to take their places every morning to give praise and make melody to the Lord, and in the same way at evening;

³¹At every offering of burned offerings to the Lord, on Sabbaths, and at the new moons, and on the regular feasts, in the number ordered by the law, at all times before the Lord;

³²And they had the care of the Tent of meeting and the holy place, under the direction of the sons of Aaron their brothers, for the work of the house of the Lord.

I Chronicles 23

¹So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

²And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

³Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.

⁴Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges:

⁵Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.

⁶And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and Shimei.

⁸The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

⁹The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.

¹⁰And the sons of Shimei were, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

¹¹And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father’s house.

¹²The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

¹⁴Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵The sons of Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer.

¹⁶Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.

¹⁷And the sons of Eliezer were, Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

¹⁸Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief.

¹⁹Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁰Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah the first, and Jesiah the second.

²¹The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.

²²And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them.

²³The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

²⁵For David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:

²⁶And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.

²⁷For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:

³⁰And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even;

³¹And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord:

I Chronicles 23:1

KJV

So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

BBE

Now David was old and full of days; and he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

KJV

And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

BBE

And he got together all the chiefs of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

KJV

Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.

BBE

And the Levites, all those of thirty years old and over, were numbered; and the number of them, by heads, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand.

KJV

Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges:

BBE

Of these, twenty-four thousand were to be overseers of the work of the house of the Lord, and six thousand were judges and men of authority;

KJV

Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.

BBE

Four thousand were door-keepers; and four thousand gave praise to the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, for giving praise.

KJV

And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

BBE

And David put them into divisions under the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

KJV

Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and Shimei.

BBE

Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

KJV

The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

BBE

The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham and Joel, three.

KJV

The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.

BBE

The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth and Haziel and Haran, three; these were the heads of the families of Ladan.

KJV

And the sons of Shimei were, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

BBE

And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zizah and Jeush and Beriah; these four were the sons of Shimei.

KJV

And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father’s house.

BBE

Jahath was the chief and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah had only a small number of sons, so they were grouped together as one family.

KJV

The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

BBE

The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

KJV

The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.

BBE

The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was made separate and holy, he and his sons for ever, for the care of the most holy things and the burning of offerings before the Lord, to do his work and give blessings in his name for ever.

KJV

Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi.

BBE

And the sons of Moses, the man of God, were put into the list of the tribe of Levi.

KJV

The sons of Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer.

BBE

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

KJV

Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.

BBE

The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the first.

KJV

And the sons of Eliezer were, Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

BBE

And the sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the first; and Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had a great number.

KJV

Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief.

BBE

The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the first.

KJV

Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

BBE

The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

KJV

Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah the first, and Jesiah the second.

BBE

The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, and Isshiah the second.

KJV

The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.

BBE

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

KJV

And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them.

BBE

And at his death Eleazar had no sons, but only daughters, and their relations, the sons of Kish, took them as wives.

KJV

The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

BBE

The sons of Mushi: Mahli and Eder and Jeremoth, three.

KJV

These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upward.

BBE

These were the sons of Levi, grouped by families, the heads of the families of those who were numbered by name, by heads, all those of twenty years old and over who did the work of the house of the Lord.

KJV

For David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:

BBE

For David said, The Lord, the God of Israel, has given his people rest, and he has made his resting-place in Jerusalem for ever;

KJV

And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.

BBE

And from now, there will be no need for the House of the Lord, and the vessels used in it, to be moved about by the Levites.

KJV

For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:

BBE

So among the last acts of David was the numbering of the sons of Levi, from twenty years old and over.

KJV

Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God;

BBE

Their place was by the side of the sons of Aaron in all the work of the house of the Lord, in the open spaces and in the rooms, in the making clean of all the holy things, in doing all the work of the house of the Lord,

KJV

Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;

BBE

The holy bread was in their care, and the crushed grain for the meal offering, of unleavened cakes or meal cooked over the fire or in water; they had control of all sorts of weights and measures;

KJV

And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even;

BBE

They had to take their places every morning to give praise and make melody to the Lord, and in the same way at evening;

KJV

And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord:

BBE

At every offering of burned offerings to the Lord, on Sabbaths, and at the new moons, and on the regular feasts, in the number ordered by the law, at all times before the Lord;

KJV

And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the Lord.

BBE

And they had the care of the Tent of meeting and the holy place, under the direction of the sons of Aaron their brothers, for the work of the house of the Lord.

Understanding King James Version vs Bible in Basic English in I Chronicles 23

King James Version (KJV)

The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.

Bible in Basic English (BBE)

A simplified translation using a limited English vocabulary for clarity and accessibility. Helpful for new readers, ESL learners, and quick comprehension. Great for devotional reading and getting the big picture of each passage.

You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of I Chronicles 23 in the King James Version and Bible in Basic English. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.