וְדָוִיד זָקֵן וְשָׂבַע יָמִים וַיַּמְלֵךְ אֶת־שְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל

David was old and full of days, and he crowned Solomon his son king over Israel, as is related in detail in the book of Kings.

וַיֶּאֱסֹף אֶת־כָּל־שָׂרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם

He gathered all the princes of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, for another census; one that did not seek to count all the tribes of Israel. Since this was a necessary census, he is not condemned at all.

וַיִּסָּפְרוּ הַלְוִיִּם מִבֶּן שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וָמָעְלָה וַיְהִי מִסְפָּרָם לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם לִגְבָרִים שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁמוֹנָה אָלֶף

The Levites were counted from thirty years old and above, the age from which they start performing their service, and their number by their head count of males was thirty-eight thousand.

מאֵלֶּה לְנַצֵּחַ עַל־מְלֶאכֶת בֵּית־ה' עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה אָלֶף וְשֹׁטְרִים וְשֹׁפְטִים שֵׁשֶׁת אֲלָפִים

Of these, to supervise and manage the labor of the organizational aspects of the service in the House of the Lord, twenty-four thousand; and additional officers and judges, six thousand,

וְאַרְבַּעַת אֲלָפִים שֹׁעֲרִים וְאַרְבַּעַת אֲלָפִים מְהַלְלִים לַה' בַּכֵּלִים אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי לְהַלֵּל

and four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand praising the Lord with the instruments that I made for praise. This is apparently a quote from David, in which he claims that he was involved in the preparation of some of the Temple’s musical instruments.

וַיֶּחָלְקֵם דָּוִיד מַחְלְקוֹת לִבְנֵי לֵוִי לְגֵרְשׁוֹן קְהָת וּמְרָרִי

David divided them into divisions based on their patrilineal houses. For the sons of Levi son of Jacob, he divided them into three groups: The families of Gershon, Kehat, and Merari.

לַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּי לַעְדָּן וְשִׁמְעִי

For the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimi.

בְּנֵי לַעְדָּן הָרֹאשׁ יְחִיאֵל וְזֵתָם וְיוֹאֵל שְׁלֹשָׁה

The sons of Ladan: Yehiel was the leader, and Zetam and Yoel, a total of three heads of patrilineal houses.

בְּנֵי שִׁמְעִי שְׁלֹמִית וַחֲזִיאֵל וְהָרָן שְׁלֹשָׁה אֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְלַעְדָּן

The sons of Shimi: Shelomit, which here, atypically, is a man’s name, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the patrilineal houses of Ladan. It appears that some of the sons of Shimi were considered heads of the patrilineal houses of the sons of Ladan, their uncle. Alternatively, the reference might be to a different Shimi, who was one of the descendants of Ladan, and not Shimi son of Gershon.

וּבְנֵי שִׁמְעִי יַחַת זִינָא וִיעוּשׁ וּבְרִיעָה אֵלֶּה בְנֵי־שִׁמְעִי אַרְבָּעָה

The sons of Shimi son of Gershon: Yahat, Zina, Ye’ush, and Beria. These were the sons of Shimi, four.

וַיְהִי־יַחַת הָרֹאשׁ וְזִיזָה הַשֵּׁנִי וִיעוּשׁ וּבְרִיעָה לֹא־הִרְבּוּ בָנִים וַיִּהְיוּ לְבֵית אָב לִפְקֻדָּה אֶחָת

Yahat was the leader and Ziza the second. Ye’ush and Beria did not have many sons and they therefore became a patrilineal house in one reckoning. They were classified as a single patrilineal house in terms of their service.

בְּנֵי קְהָת עַמְרָם יִצְהָר חֶבְרוֹן וְעֻזִּיאֵל אַרְבָּעָה

The sons of Kehat: Amram, Yitzhar, Hevron, and Uziel, four.

בְּנֵי עַמְרָם אַהֲרֹן וּמֹשֶׁה וַיִּבָּדֵל אַהֲרֹן לְהַקְדִּישׁוֹ קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הוּא־וּבָנָיו עַד־עוֹלָם לְהַקְטִיר לִפְנֵי ה' לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ בִּשְׁמוֹ עַד־עוֹלָם

The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; Aaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, as priests, to burn offerings before the Lord, to serve Him by bringing offerings upon the altar and within the Sanctuary, and to bless in His name forever. These duties of the sons of Aaron distinguished them from the rest of the descendants of Kehat.

וּמֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים בָּנָיו יִקָּרְאוּ עַל־שֵׁבֶט הַלֵּוִי

But as for Moses, even though he was the man of God, his sons will be accounted among the rest of the tribe of Levi.

בְּנֵי מֹשֶׁה גֵּרְשׁוֹם וֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

בְּנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹם שְׁבוּאֵל הָרֹאשׁ

The sons of Gershom: Shevuel the leader.

וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי־אֱלִיעֶזֶר רְחַבְיָה הָרֹאשׁ וְלֹא־הָיָה לֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר בָּנִים אֲחֵרִים ובְנֵי רְחַבְיָה רָבוּ לְמָעְלָה

The sons of Eliezer were: Rehavya the leader. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehavya were very numerous. This branch of Moses’s family was much larger than most Levite families.

בְּנֵי יִצְהָר שְׁלֹמִית הָרֹאשׁ

The sons of Yitzhar: Shelomit the leader.

בְּנֵי חֶבְרוֹן יְרִיָּהוּ הָרֹאשׁ אֲמַרְיָה הַשֵּׁנִי יַחֲזִיאֵל הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וִיקַמְעָם הָרְבִיעִי

The sons of Hevron: Yeriyahu the leader, Amarya the second, Yahaziyel the third, and Yekame’am the fourth.

בְּנֵי עֻזִּיאֵל מִיכָה הָרֹאשׁ וְיִשִּׁיָּה הַשֵּׁנִי

The sons of Uziel: Mikha the leader and Yishiya the second.

בְּנֵי מְרָרִי מַחְלִי וּמוּשִׁי בְּנֵי מַחְלִי אֶלְעָזָר וְקִישׁ

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Elazar and Kish.

וַיָּמָת אֶלְעָזָר וְלֹא־הָיוּ לוֹ בָּנִים כִּי אִם־בָּנוֹת וַיִּשָּׂאוּם בְּנֵי־קִישׁ אֲחֵיהֶם

Elazar died, and he had no sons, only daughters; the sons of Kish their brothers married them. The sons and daughters of the two brothers married each other, thereby keeping the family unified. There are other examples in the Bible where a cousin is referred to as a brother.

בְּנֵי מוּשִׁי מַחְלִי וְעֵדֶר וִירֵמוֹת שְׁלוֹשָׁה

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

אֵלֶּה בְנֵי־לֵוִי לְבֵית אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לִפְקוּדֵיהֶם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם עֹשֵׂה הַמְּלָאכָה לַעֲבֹדַת בֵּית ה' מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמָעְלָה

These were the sons of Levi by their patrilineal houses, the heads of the patrilineal houses by their head count, according to the number of names by their count, all who were performers of the labor for the service of the House of the Lord, from twenty years old and above.

כִּי אָמַר דָּוִיד הֵנִיחַ ה' אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעַמּוֹ וַיִּשְׁכֹּן בִּירוּשָׁלִַם עַד־לְעוֹלָם

For David said: The Lord, God of Israel, has given respite to His people, as the nation is no longer wandering from place to place, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever,

וְגַם לַלְוִיִּם אֵין לָשֵׂאת אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְאֶת־כָּל־כֵּלָיו לַעֲבֹדָתוֹ

and therefore the Levites also need not carry the Tabernacle and all its vessels for its service, as was the case in the wilderness, as God’s Temple will be permanently established in Jerusalem.

כִּי בְדִבְרֵי דָוִיד הָאַחֲרוֹנִים הֵמָּה מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי־לֵוִי מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וּלְמָעְלָה

For among the last matters of David was his establishment of the numbering of the sons of Levi from twenty years old and above, and not from the age of thirty, as in the wilderness, when the main function of the Levites was to carry the sacred vessels.

כִּי מַעֲמָדָם לְיַד־בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן לַעֲבֹדַת בֵּית ה' עַל־הַחֲצֵרוֹת וְעַל־הַלְּשָׁכוֹת וְעַל־טָהֳרַת לְכָל־קֹדֶשׁ וּמַעֲשֵׂה עֲבֹדַת בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים

For their station was alongside the sons of Aaron for the service of the House of the Lord, in the courtyards, and in the chambers, and in the purification of everything sacred, and the performance of the service of the House of God. The Levites were tasked with the order and cleanliness of the courtyards and chambers, and the ritual purity of the holy places. It was incumbent upon them to remove all impurity found in the Temple and to ensure that no impure items entered the Temple. Furthermore, they were in charge of the service protocols in the Temple;

וּלְ לֶחֶם הַמַּעֲרֶכֶת וּלְסֹלֶת לְמִנְחָה וְלִרְקִיקֵי הַמַּצּוֹת וְלַמַּחֲבַת וְלַמֻּרְבָּכֶת וּלְכָל־מְשׂוּרָה וּמִדָּה

and for the preparation of the bread of the arrangement, the showbread, and for the high-quality flour for meal offerings, and for the unleavened wafers, and for that which is on the pan, and for that which is boiled, all of which are types of meal offerings, and for all volume, vessels for measuring liquids, and measure, other kinds of measuring implements. It was the Levites, not the priests, who prepared the foods and vessels, and took pains to watch over them;

ולַעֲמֹד בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר לְהֹדוֹת וּלְהַלֵּל לַה' וְכֵן לָעָרֶב

and another service performed by the Levites was to stand each and every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise in the evening,

וּלְכֹל הַעֲלוֹת עֹלוֹת לַה' לַשַּׁבָּתוֹת לֶחֳדָשִׁים וְלַמֹּעֲדִים בְּמִסְפָּר כְּמִשְׁפָּט עֲלֵיהֶם תָּמִיד לִפְנֵי ה'

and in addition to the fixed songs for every day, to sing on every occasion when the priests would offer up all burnt offerings to the Lord, for the Sabbaths, for the New Moons, and for the appointed times, in number according to their ordinance, their laws, continually, before the Lord.

וְשָׁמְרוּ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶרֶת אֹהֶל־מוֹעֵד וְאֵת מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּמִשְׁמֶרֶת בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֲחֵיהֶם לַעֲבֹדַת בֵּית ה'

They shall keep the commission of the Tent of Meeting, the commission of the sacred, or the charge of the holy items, the vessels and sacrifices, and the commission of the sons of Aaron their brethren, as the Levites were also responsible for providing the priests with whatever they needed, for the service of the House of the Lord. The Levites dealt with all services that did not have to be performed specifically by the priests, and were in charge of maintaining the Temple and everything in it.