David Organizes the Priests

1 The divisions of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of ⁱAaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 ^jBut Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests. 3 With the help of ^kZadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, David organized them according to the appointed duties in their service. 4 Since more chief men were found among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, they organized them under sixteen heads of fathers’ houses of the sons of Eleazar, and eight of the sons of Ithamar. 5 They divided them ^lby lot, all alike, for there were sacred officers and officers of God among both the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar. 6 And the scribe Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the princes and Zadok the priest and ^mAhimelech the son of Abiathar and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites, one father’s house being chosen for Eleazar and one chosen 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 Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, 10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to ⁿAbijah, 11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, 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 Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, 18 the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. 19 These had as their appointed duty in their service ^oto come into the house of the Lord according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

20 And of the rest of the sons of Levi: ^pof the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. 21 ^qOf Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief. 22 Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. 23 ^rThe sons of Hebron:¹ Jeriah the chief,² Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. 24 ^sThe sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir. 25 The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. 26 ^tThe sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Jaaziah: Beno.³ 27 The sons of Merari: of Jaaziah, Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. 28 Of Mahli: Eleazar, ^uwho had no sons. 29 Of Kish, the sons of Kish: Jerahmeel. 30 ^vThe sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. 31 These also, the head of each father’s house and his younger brother alike, ^wcast lots, just as their brothers the sons of Aaron, in the presence of King David, ^xZadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites.

David Organizes the Musicians

1 David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of ^yAsaph, and of ^zHeman, and of ^aJeduthun, who ^bprophesied with lyres, with ^charps, and with cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: 2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who ^bprophesied under the direction of the king. 3 Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei,⁴ Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, ^bwho prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. 4 Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman ^dthe king’s seer, according to the promise of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6 They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, ^charps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king. 7 The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skillful, was ^e288. 8 And they cast lots for their duties, ^fsmall and great, teacher and pupil alike.

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

Shepherd the Flock of God

1 So I exhort the elders among you, ^mas a fellow elder and ⁿa witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 ^oshepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^{1 p}not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^{2 q}not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not ^rdomineering over those in your charge, but ^sbeing examples to the flock. 4 And when ^tthe chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^uunfading ^vcrown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. ^wClothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ^x“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 ^xHumble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 ^ycasting all your anxieties on him, because ^zhe cares for you. 8 ^aBe sober-minded; ^bbe watchful. Your ^cadversary the devil ^dprowls around ^elike a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 ^fResist him, ^gfirm in your faith, knowing that ^hthe same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And ⁱafter you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, ^jwho has called you to his ^keternal glory in Christ, will himself ^lrestore, ^mconfirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 ⁿTo him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

12 By ^oSilvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, ^pI have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is ^qthe true grace of God. ^rStand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does ^sMark, my son. 14 ^tGreet one another with the kiss of love.

^uPeace to all of you who are in Christ.

Rulers and Prophets Denounced

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees

1 In the meantime, ^twhen so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, ^u“Beware of ^vthe leaven of the Pharisees, ^wwhich is hypocrisy. 2 ^xNothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in ^yprivate rooms shall be proclaimed on ^zthe housetops.

Have No Fear

4 “I tell you, my friends, ^ado not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him ^bwho, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.¹ Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?² And ^cnot one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, ^deven the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; ^eyou are of more value than many sparrows.

Acknowledge Christ Before Men

8 “And I tell you, ^feveryone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge ^gbefore the angels of God, 9 but ^hthe one who denies me before men ⁱwill be denied ^gbefore the angels of God. 10 And ^jeveryone who speaks a word ^kagainst the Son of Man ^lwill be forgiven, but the one who ^mblasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 ⁿAnd when they ^obring you before the synagogues and ^pthe rulers and ^pthe authorities, ^qdo not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 ^rfor the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 ^sSomeone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, ^t“Man, ^uwho made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, ^v“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, ^w“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ^x‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ^ybarns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up ^zfor many years; relax, ^aeat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ^b‘Fool! ^zThis night ^cyour soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^dwhose will they be?’ 21 So is the one ^ewho lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

22 And he said to his disciples, ^f“Therefore I tell you, ^gdo not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 ^hConsider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. ⁱOf how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^jspan of life?³ 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,⁴ yet I tell you, ^keven Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, ^lO you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor ^mbe worried. 30 For ⁿall the nations of the world seek after these things, and ⁿyour Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, ^oseek ^phis⁵ kingdom, ^qand these things will be added to you.

32 ^r“Fear not, little ^sflock, for ^tit is your Father’s good pleasure to give you ^uthe kingdom. 33 ^vSell your possessions, and ^wgive to the needy. ^xProvide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with ^ya treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 ^zFor where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You Must Be Ready

35 ^a“Stay dressed for action⁶ and ^bkeep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are ^cwaiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and ^dknocks. 37 ^eBlessed are those servants⁷ whom the master finds ^eawake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ^fhe will dress himself for service and ^ghave them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 ^hBut know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour ⁱthe thief was coming, he⁸ would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ^jready, for ^kthe Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, ^lare you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is ^mthe faithful and ^mwise ⁿmanager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 ^oBlessed is that servant⁹ whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, ^phe will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ^qis delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and ^rget drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come ^son a day when he does not expect him and ^sat an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 ^tAnd that servant who ^uknew his master’s will but ^vdid not get ready ^uor act according to his will, will receive a ^wsevere beating. 48 ^xBut the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^ywill receive a light beating. ^zEveryone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Not Peace, but Division

49 ^a“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 ^bI have a baptism to be baptized with, and how ^cgreat is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 ^dDo you think that I have come to give peace on earth? ^eNo, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, ^ffather against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Time

54 He also said to the crowds, ^g“When you see ^ha cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And ^gwhen you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be ⁱscorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! ^jYou know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settle with Your Accuser

57 “And why ^kdo you not judge ^lfor yourselves what is right? 58 ^mAs you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, ⁿyou will never get out until you have paid the very last ^openny.”¹⁰