1 Now these were the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, and Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.
2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and without children. And so Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priestly office.
3 And David distributed them, that is, Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their courses and ministry.
4 And there were found many more of the sons of Eleazar among the leading men, than of the sons of Ithamar. Therefore, he divided them so that there were, of the sons of Eleazar, sixteen leaders by their families, and of the sons of Ithamar eight by their families and houses.
5 Then he divided among them, in both families, by lot. For there were leaders of the sanctuary and leaders of God, as much from the sons of Eleazar as from the sons of Ithamar.
6 And the scribe Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel, a Levite, wrote these down before the king and the leaders, with Zadok, the priest, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, and also the leaders of the priestly and Levitical families. And there was one house, which was preeminent over the others, that of Eleazar; and there was another house, which had the others under it, that of Ithamar.
7 Now the first lot went forth 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 Abijah,
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 were their courses according to their ministries, so that they would enter into the house of the Lord in accord with their practice, under the hand of Aaron, their father, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had instructed.
20 Now of the sons of Levi who were remaining, there were Shubael, from the sons of Amram, and Jehdeiah, from the sons of Shubael.
21 Also, there were Isshiah, the leader from the sons of Rehabiah,
22 and truly Shelomoth, the son of Izhar, and Jahath, the son of Shelomoth,
23 and his son, Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.
24 The son of Uzziel was Micah. The son of Micah was Shamir.
25 The brother of Micah was Isshiah. And the son of Isshiah was Zechariah.
26 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The son of Uzziah was Beno.
27 Also, the son of Merari: Uzziah, and Shoham, and Zaccur, and Hebri.
28 In addition, the son of Mahli was Eleazar, who had no children.
29 Truly, the son of Kish was Jerahmeel.
30 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of Levi according to the houses of their families.
31 And they also cast lots concerning their brothers, the sons of Aaron, before David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the leaders of the priestly and Levitical families, as much concerning the elder as the younger. The lot divided all things equitably.
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16 I approached one of the attendants and asked the truth from him about all these things. He told me the interpretation of the words, and he instructed me:
17 These four great beasts are four kingdoms, which will rise from the earth.
18 Yet it is the saints of the Most High God who will receive the kingdom, and they will hold the kingdom from this generation, and forever and ever.”
19 After this, I wanted to learn diligently about the fourth beast, which was very different from all, and exceedingly terrible; his teeth and claws were of iron; he devoured and crushed, and the remainder he trampled with his feet;
20 and about the ten horns, which he had on his head, and about the other, which had sprung up, before which three horns fell, and about that horn which had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, and which was more powerful than the rest.
21 I watched, and behold, that horn made war against the holy ones and prevailed over them,
22 until the Ancient of days came and gave judgment to the holy ones of the Supreme One, and the time arrived, and the holy ones obtained the kingdom.
23 And thus he said, “The fourth beast will be the fourth kingdom on earth, which will be greater than all the kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, and will trample and crush it.
24 Moreover, the ten horns of the same kingdom will be ten kings, and another will rise up after them, and he will be mightier than the ones before him, and he will bring down three kings.
25 And he will speak words against the Supreme One, and will exhaust the holy ones of the Most High, and he will think about what it would take to change the times and the laws, and they will be given into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time.
26 And a trial will begin, so that his power may be taken away, and be crushed, and be undone all the way to the end.
27 Yet the kingdom, and the power, and the greatness of that kingdom, which is under all of heaven, shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings will serve and obey him.”
28 And here is the end of the message. I, Daniel, was greatly disturbed by my thoughts, and my mood was changed in me, but I preserved the message in my heart.
1 Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 For in his hand are all the ends of the earth: and the heights of the mountains are his.
5 For the sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us.
7 For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
8 Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts:
9 As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works.
10 Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said: These always err in heart.
11 And these men have not known my ways: so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.
1 Or do you not know, brothers, (now I am speaking to those who know the law) that the law has dominion over a man only so long as he lives?
2 For example, a woman who is subject to a husband is obligated by the law while her husband lives. But when her husband has died, she is released from the law of her husband.
3 Therefore, while her husband lives, if she has been with another man, she should be called an adulteress. But when her husband has died, she is freed from the law of her husband, such that, if she has been with another man, she is not an adulteress.
4 And so, my brothers, you also have become dead to the law, through the body of Christ, so that you may be another one who has risen from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins, which were under the law, operated within our bodies, so as to bear fruit unto death.
6 But now we have been released from the law of death, by which we were being held, so that now we may serve with a renewed spirit, and not in the old way, by the letter.
7 What should we say next? Is the law sin? Let it not be so! But I do not know sin, except through the law. For example, I would not have known about coveting, unless the law said: “You shall not covet.”
8 But sin, receiving an opportunity through the commandment, wrought in me all manner of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.
9 Now I lived for some time apart from the law. But when the commandment had arrived, sin was revived,
10 and I died. And the commandment, which was unto life, was itself found to be unto death for me.
11 For sin, receiving an opportunity through the commandment, seduced me, and, through the law, sin killed me.
12 And so, the law itself is indeed holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.
13 Then was what is good made into death for me? Let it not be so! But rather sin, in order that it might be known as sin by what is good, wrought death in me; so that sin, through the commandment, might become sinful beyond measure.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual. But I am carnal, having been sold under sin.
15 For I do things that I do not understand. For I do not do the good that I want to do. But the evil that I hate is what I do.
16 So, when I do what I do not want to do, I am in agreement with the law, that the law is good.
17 But I am then acting not according to the law, but according to the sin which lives within me.
18 For I know that what is good does not live within me, that is, within my flesh. For the willingness to do good lies close to me, but the carrying out of that good, I cannot reach.
19 For I do not do the good that I want to do. But instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do.
20 Now if I do what I am not willing to do, it is no longer I who am doing it, but the sin which lives within me.
21 And so, I discover the law, by wanting to do good within myself, though evil lies close beside me.
22 For I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inner man.
23 But I perceive another law within my body, fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me with the law of sin which is in my body.
24 Unhappy man that I am, who will free me from this body of death?
25 The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord! Therefore, I serve the law of God with my own mind; but with the flesh, the law of sin.