Chapter 26

Classes of Gatekeepers. ¹ These are the divisions of the gatekeepers.

From the Korahites, there was Meshelemiah, the son of Kore, one of the sons of Abiasaph. ² The sons of Meshelemiah were Zechariah, his firstborn, Jediael, his second, Zebadiah, his third, Jathniel, his fourth, ³ Elam, his fifth, Jehohanan, his sixth, and Eliehoenai, his seventh.

⁴ Obed-edom also had sons. They were Shemaiah, his firstborn, Jehozabad, his second, Joah, his third, Sachar, his fourth, Nethanel, his fifth, ⁵ Ammiel, his sixth, Issachar, his seventh, and Peullethai, his eighth, for God blessed Obed-edom.

⁶ His son Shemaiah also had sons who became the leaders of the ancestral clans because they were most capable. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. His brethren Elihu and Semachiah were also capable men. ⁸ All of these were the descendants of Obed-edom. They and their brethren were capable men, strong enough to do their work. There were sixty-two descendants of Obed-edom in all.

⁹ Meshelemiah had eighteen sons and relatives who were capable men.

¹⁰ The sons of Hosah the Merarite were Shimri, his firstborn (although he was not really the firstborn, his father assigned him the honor of firstborn), ¹¹ Hilkiah, the second, Tebaliah, the third, and Zechariah, the fourth. Hosah had thirteen sons and relatives in all.

¹² These were the divisions of the gatekeepers according to their leaders. Their duties were to minister in the temple of the Lord. ¹³ They cast lots for the gates, the young and the old, according to their ancestral clans.

¹⁴ The lot for the East Gate fell to Meshelemiah. They then cast lots for his son Zechariah who was a wise counselor. His lot came out, and the North Gate was allotted to him. ¹⁵ The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-edom, and that for the storehouse fell to his sons. ¹⁶ The lot for the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road fell to Shuppim and Hosah.

There were guards alongside of guards. ¹⁷ Each day there were six Levites to the east. Each day there were four to the north. Each day there were four to the south, and there were two at a time for the storehouse. ¹⁸ As for the courtyard^[a] to the west, there were four on the roadway and two in the courtyard itself.

¹⁹ These were the divisions for the gatekeepers who were the descendants of Korah and the descendants of Merari.

²⁰ Treasurers and Other Officials. Their fellow Levites supervised the treasury of the temple of God and the treasury of the dedicated objects. ²¹ The descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and leaders of the ancestral clans of Ladan the Gershonite were Jehiel, ²² with the sons of Jehiel, who were Zetham and his brother Joel. They were responsible for the treasury of the temple of the Lord.

²³ From the Amramites there were the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites.

²⁴ Shubael, a descendant of Gershom, who was the son of Moses, was the supervisor of the treasury.

²⁵ His relatives through Eliezer were Rehabiah, his son, Jeshaiah, his son, Joram, his son, Zichri, his son, and Shelomith, his son. ²⁶ Shelomith and his brethren were responsible for the treasury of the dedicated objects. They had been dedicated by King David, by the leaders of the ancestral clans, by the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, and by the captains of the army. ²⁷ Some of the spoils taken in battle had been dedicated for the maintenance of the temple of the Lord. ²⁸ There were also all the things that had been dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul, the son of Kish, Abner, the son of Ner, and Joab, the son of Zeruiah. Whatever had been dedicated was under the supervision of Shelomith and his brethren.

²⁹ Magistrates. From the Izharites there were Chenaniah and his sons who were assigned responsibilities outside of the temple as officials and judges over Israel.

³⁰ From the Hebronites there were Hashabiah and his relatives, one thousand seven hundred capable men, who were officials on the west side of the Jordan for all of the concerns involving the Lord and all of the service to the king.

³¹ From the Hebronites there was Jerijah, who was the leader of the Hebronites according to the generations of the ancestral clans.

In the fortieth year of the reign of David, a search was made, and some of their capable men were found in Jazer of Gilead. ³² He had two thousand seven hundred capable men among his brethren who were the leaders of the ancestral clans. King David made them responsible for any concern of God or any concern of the king among the Reubenites, the Gadites, and among one-half of the tribe of Manasseh.