Igitur David, senex et plenus dierum, regem constituit Salomonem filium suum super Israël.

David was already an old man, and near his end, and had already designated his son Solomon as king of Israel,

And David being old and full of days, made Solomon his son king over Israel.

Et congregavit omnes principes Israël, et sacerdotes atque Levitas.

when he held this muster of the rulers, priests and Levites.

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

Numeratique sunt Levitæ a triginta annis et supra: et inventa sunt triginta octo millia virorum.

There were thirty-eight thousand Levites over the age of thirty;

And the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years, and upwards: and there were found of them thirty-eight thousand men.

Ex his electi sunt, et distributi in ministerium domus Domini, viginti quatuor millia: præpositorum autem et judicum, sex millia.

twenty-four thousand of these were appointed to carry out various duties in the Lord’s house; of the rest, six thousand were rulers and judges,

Of these twenty-four thousand were chosen, and distributed unto the ministry of the house of the Lord: and six thousand were the overseers and judges.

Porro quatuor millia janitores, et totidem psaltæ, canentes Domino in organis quæ fecerat ad canendum.

four thousand were porters, and as many more were musicians, to sound the Lord’s praises with the instruments David had made for psalmody.

Moreover four thousand were porters: and as many singers singing to the Lord with the instruments, which he had made to sing with.

Et distribuit eos David per vices filiorum Levi, Gerson videlicet, et Caath, et Merari.

It was David who prescribed courses of service for the various Levite families, all coming down from Gerson, Caath, and Merari.

And David distributed them into courses by the families of the sons of Levi, to wit, of Gerson, and of Caath, and of Merari.

Filii Gerson: Leedan, et Semei.

From Gerson came Leedan and Semei,

The sons of Gerson were Leedan and Semei.

Filii Leedan: princeps Jahiel, et Zethan, et Joël, tres.

from Leedan Jahiel, Zethan and Joel,

The sons of Leedan: the chief Jahiel, and Zethan, and Joel, three.

Filii Semei: Salomith, et Hosiel, et Aran, tres: isti principes familiarum Leedan.

(from Semei Salomith, Hosiel and Aran; all these of Leedan’s race).

The sons of Semei: Salomith, and Hosiel, and Aran, three: these were the heads of the families of Leedan.

Porro filii Semei: Leheth, et Ziza, et Jaus, et Baria: isti filii Semei, quatuor.

From Semei Leheth, Ziza, Jaus and Baria,

And the sons of Semei were Leheth, and Ziza, and Jaus, and Baria: these were the sons of Semei, four.

Erat autem Leheth prior, Ziza secundus: porro Jaus et Baria non habuerunt plurimos filios, et idcirco in una familia, unaque domo computati sunt.

the first two taking rank separately, while Jaus and Baria counted as one family, so few were their descendants.

And Leheth was the first, Ziza the second: but Jaus and Baria had not many children, and therefore they were counted in one family, and in one house.

Filii Caath: Amram, et Isaar, Hebron, et Oziel, quatuor.

From Caath came Amram, Isaar, Hebron and Oziel,

The sons of Caath were Amram, and Isaar, Hebron, and Oziel, four.

Filii Amram: Aaron et Moyses. Separatusque est Aaron ut ministraret in Sancto sanctorum, ipse et filii ejus in sempiternum, et adoleret incensum Domino secundum ritum suum, ac benediceret nomini ejus in perpetuum.

from Amram Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his sons were set apart to serve in the inner sanctuary for all time, to make the Lord due offering of incense and pronounce eternal blessing in his name.

The sons of Amram, Aaron, and Moses. And Aaron was separated to minister in the holy of holies, he and his sons for ever, and to burn incense before the Lord, according to his ceremonies, and to bless his name for ever.

Moysi quoque hominis Dei filii annumerati sunt in tribu Levi.

Moses, too, the man of God’s choice, had descendants who were reckoned among the Levites;

The sons also of Moses, the man of God, were numbered in the tribe of Levi.

Filii Moysi: Gersom et Eliezer.

from him came Gersom and Eliezer.

The sons of Moses were Gersom and Eliezer:

Filii Gersom: Subuel primus.

Gersom’s first-born son was Subuel,

The sons of Gersom: Subuel the first.

Fuerunt autem filii Eliezer: Rohobia primus: et non erant Eliezer filii alii. Porro filii Rohobia multiplicati sunt nimis.

and Eliezer’s Rohobia; Eliezer had no other sons, but he had many descendants through Rohobia.

And the sons of Eliezer were: Rohobia the first: and Eliezer had no more sons. But the sons of Rohobia were multiplied exceedingly.

Filii Isaar: Salomith primus.

Isaar’s first-born son was called Salomith.

The sons of Isaar: Salomith the first.

Filii Hebron: Jeriau primus, Amarias secundus, Jahaziel tertius, Jecmaam quartus.

From Hebron came Jeriau, Amarias, Jahaziel and Jecmaan,

The sons of Hebron: Jeriau the first, Amarias the second, Jahaziel the third, Jecmaam the fourth.

Filii Oziel: Micha primus, Jesia secundus.

from Oziel Micha and Jesia.

The sons of Oziel: Micha the first, Jesia the second.

Filii Merari: Moholi, et Musi. Filii Moholi: Eleazar et Cis.

From Merari came Moholi and Musi, from Moholi Eleazar and Cis;

The sons of Merari: Moholi, and Musi. The sons of Moholi: Eleazar and Cis.

Mortuus est autem Eleazar, et non habuit filios, sed filias: acceperuntque eas filii Cis fratres earum.

of these, Eleazar died without male issue, but his daughters married their cousins, the sons of Cis.

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

Filii Musi: Moholi, et Eder, et Jerimoth, tres.

Musi’s sons were Moholi, Eder and Jerimoth.

The sons of Musi: Moholi, and Eder, and Jerimoth, three.

Hi filii Levi in cognationibus et familiis suis, principes per vices, et numerum capitum singulorum qui faciebant opera ministerii domus Domini, a viginti annis et supra.

Clan and family of the Levites, their courses named after these clan chieftains, used to do duty in the Lord’s house after reaching the age of twenty;

These are the sons of Levi in their kindreds and families, princes by their courses, and the number of every head that did the works of the ministry of the house of the Lord from twenty years old and upward.

Dixit enim David: Requiem dedit Dominus Deus Israël populo suo, et habitationem Jerusalem usque in æternum.

the Lord God of Israel, thought David, has given his people a resting-place, and made Jerusalem their home for ever;

For David said: The Lord the God of Israel hath given rest to his people, and a habitation in Jerusalem for ever.

Nec erit officii Levitarum ut ultra portent tabernaculum et omnia vasa ejus ad ministrandum.

no more need of Levites to carry the tabernacle and all its furniture this way and that.

And it shall not be the office of the Levites to carry any more the tabernacle, and all the vessels for the service thereof.

Juxta præcepta quoque David novissima, supputabitur numerus filiorum Levi a viginti annis et supra.

It was by David’s last dispositions that the Levites were registered as soon as they reached the age of twenty.

So according to the last precepts of David, the sons of Levi are to be numbered from twenty years old and upward.

Et erunt sub manu filiorum Aaron in cultum domus Domini, in vestibulis, et in exedris, et in loco purificationis, et in sanctuario, et in universis operibus ministerii templi Domini.

They were to assist the sons of Aaron in the care of the Lord’s temple, in court and chamber, wash-house and shrine, wherever their service was needed.

And they are to be under the hand of the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, in the porches, and in the chambers, and in the place of purification, and in the sanctuary, and in all the works of the ministry of the temple of the Lord.

Sacerdotes autem, super panes propositionis, et ad similæ sacrificium, et ad lagana azyma, et sartaginem, et ad torrendum, et super omne pondus atque mensuram.

There was work (for the priests) to do in setting out the consecrated loaves, looking after the unleavened cakes, the frying and the roasting, the weights and the measures.

And the priests have the charge of the loaves of proposition, and of the sacrifice of fine flour, and of the unleavened cakes, and of the fryingpan, and of the roasting, and of every weight and measure.

Levitæ vero ut stent mane ad confitendum et canendum Domino: similiterque ad vesperam,

There was work to do (for the Levites) in waiting upon the Lord with songs of praise morning and evening;

And the Levites are to stand in the morning to give thanks, and to sing praises to the Lord: and in like manner in the evening,

tam in oblatione holocaustorum Domini, quam in sabbatis et calendis et solemnitatibus reliquis juxta numerum et cæremonias uniuscujusque rei, jugiter coram Domino.

there was burnt-sacrifice to be offered on sabbaths, and at the new moon, and on all other days of solemnity; every occasion had its due ceremonies that must still be carried out in the Lord’s presence.

As well in the oblation of the holocausts of the Lord, as in the sabbaths and in the new moons, and the rest of the solemnities, according to the number and ceremonies prescribed for every thing, continually before the Lord.

Et custodiant observationes tabernaculi fœderis, et ritum sanctuarii, et observationem filiorum Aaron fratrum suorum, ut ministrent in domo Domini.

The tabernacle with its usages, the sanctuary with its worship, the needs of their brethren, the sons of Aaron, as they ministered in the Lord’s house, were all in the Levites’ charge.

And let them keep the observances of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the ceremonies of the sanctuary, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, that they may minister in the house of the Lord.