These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the LORD: In Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation the demonstrative pronoun These refers back to the men previously mentioned. However, in Hebrew it points forward to the following noun rendered appointed duty, which is singular. So some interpreters change one vowel to make this noun plural. American Bible, for example, makes this correction and says “official classifications.” HALOT similarly suggests the noun may be read as plural and translated “duty groups.” It is not clear whether the word “assignments” in Good News Translation is based on a correction of the Hebrew vowel or is simply a use of the plural in English as the context requires. American Bible provides a good model for expressing the intended meaning of the first half of this verse as follows: “These were their official classifications for their ministry when they entered the house of Yahweh.”

According to the procedure established for them by Aaron is literally “as the decision for them by the hand of Aaron.” The passive expression in Revised Standard Version will have to be made active in certain languages. But since the agent is clearly expressed in the text, it may be easily transformed by saying “as Aaron decided for them” or “as Aaron made these rules for them” (similarly God’s Word).

The following translations of this verse may provide useful models:

• The groups kept to this order for their service in the temple of the Lord; they carried out their tasks according to the instructions passed on by their ancestor Aaron, who had received them from the Lord, the God of Israel himself [Bible en français courant].

• The Levites of each family worked in the temple in the order of this list. They performed their service according to the procedure established by their ancestor Aaron on the command of the Lord, God of Israel [Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente].

• In this way the shifts were organized for the service in the LORD’s temple, just as the LORD, God of Israel, had commanded by Aaron, their ancestor [Nueva Versión Internacional].

• This was the order in which they carried out their assigned responsibilities when they entered the LORD’s temple, according to the regulations given them by their ancestor Aaron, just as the LORD God of Israel had instructed him [ NET Bible].

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .