1 Chronicles 24

THE DIVISIONS OF THE PRIESTS
The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. 3 Together with Zadok from the descendants of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the descendants of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service. 4 Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than Ithamar’s, they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of ancestral families were from Eleazar’s descendants, and eight heads of ancestral families were from Ithamar’s. 5 They were assigned by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

6 The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral family was taken for Eleazar, and then one 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 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, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
19 These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the Lord’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

THE REST OF THE LEVITES
20 As for the rest of Levi’s sons:
from Amram’s sons: Shubael;
from Shubael’s sons: Jehdeiah.
21 From Rehabiah:
from Rehabiah’s sons: Isshiah was the first.
22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth;
from Shelomoth’s sons: Jahath.
23 Hebron’s sons:
Jeriah the first, Amariah the second,
Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
24 From Uzziel’s sons: Micah;
from Micah’s sons: Shamir.
25 Micah’s brother: Isshiah;
from Isshiah’s sons: Zechariah.
26 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi,
and from his sons, Jaaziah his son.
27 Merari’s sons, by his son Jaaziah:
Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.
29 From Kish, from Kish’s sons: Jerahmeel.
30 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
Those were the descendants of the Levites according to their ancestral families. 31 They also cast lots the same way as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites ​— ​the family heads and their younger brothers alike.

1 Chronicles 25

THE LEVITICAL MUSICIANS
David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who were to prophesy accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals. This is the list of the men who performed their service:

2 From Asaph’s sons:
Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under Asaph’s authority, who prophesied under the authority of the king.
3 From Jeduthun: Jeduthun’s sons:
Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah ​— ​six ​— ​under the authority of their father Jeduthun, prophesying to the accompaniment of lyres, giving thanks and praise to the Lord.
4 From Heman: Heman’s sons:
Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 5 All these sons of Heman, the king’s seer, were given by the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6 All these men were under their own fathers’ authority for the music in the Lord’s temple, with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king’s authority. 7 They numbered 288 together with their relatives who were all trained and skillful in music for the Lord. 8 They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.

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

1 Peter 5

ABOUT THE ELDERS
I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed:
2 Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because

God resists the proud

but gives grace to the humble.

CONCLUSION
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. 8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. 11 To him be dominion forever. Amen.

12 Through Silvanus, a faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly in order to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Micah 3

UNJUST LEADERS JUDGED
Then I said, “Now listen, leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel.
Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?
2 You hate good and love evil.
You tear off people’s skin
and strip their flesh from their bones.
3 You eat the flesh of my people
after you strip their skin from them
and break their bones.
You chop them up
like flesh for the cooking pot,
like meat in a cauldron.”
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time
because of the crimes they have committed.
FALSE PROPHETS JUDGED
5 This is what the Lord says
concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who proclaim peace
when they have food to sink their teeth into
but declare war against the one
who puts nothing in their mouths.
6 Therefore, it will be night for you —
without visions;
it will grow dark for you —
without divination.
The sun will set on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn black over them.
7 Then the seers will be ashamed
and the diviners disappointed.
They will all cover their mouths
because there will be no answer from God.
8 As for me, however, I am filled with power
by the Spirit of the Lord,
with justice and courage,
to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion
and to Israel his sin.
ZION’S DESTRUCTION
9 Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice
and pervert everything that is right,
10 who build Zion with bloodshed
and Jerusalem with injustice.
11 Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,
her priests teach for payment,
and her prophets practice divination for silver.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Isn’t the Lord among us?
No disaster will overtake us.”
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,
and the temple’s mountain
will be a high thicket.

Psalm 104

GOD THE CREATOR
My soul, bless the Lord!
Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with majesty and splendor.
2 He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe,
spreading out the sky like a canopy,
3 laying the beams of his palace
on the waters above,
making the clouds his chariot,
walking on the wings of the wind,
4 and making the winds his messengers,
flames of fire his servants.
5 He established the earth on its foundations;
it will never be shaken.
6 You covered it with the deep
as if it were a garment;
the water stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder they hurried away —
8 mountains rose and valleys sank —
to the place you established for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
they will never cover the earth again.
10 He causes the springs to gush into the valleys;
they flow between the mountains.
11 They supply water for every wild beast;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky live beside the springs;
they make their voices heard among the foliage.
13 He waters the mountains from his palace;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of your labor.
14 He causes grass to grow for the livestock
and provides crops for man to cultivate,
producing food from the earth,
15 wine that makes human hearts glad —
making his face shine with oil —
and bread that sustains human hearts.
16 The trees of the Lord flourish,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests;
storks make their homes in the pine trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes.
19 He made the moon to mark the festivals;
the sun knows when to set.
20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals stir.
21 The young lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises; they go back
and lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until evening.
24 How countless are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, vast and wide,
teeming with creatures beyond number —
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships move about,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play there.
27 All of them wait for you
to give them their food at the right time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your breath,
they are created,
and you renew the surface of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works.
32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
he touches the mountains,
and they pour out smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in the Lord.
35 May sinners vanish from the earth
and wicked people be no more.
My soul, bless the Lord!
Hallelujah!

— 1 Chronicles 24-25, 1 Peter 5, Micah 3, Psalm 104 (CSB)