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Duties of the Gatekeepers

26 These are the divisions of the gatekeepers:

From the Korahites, there was Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the family of Abiasaph.[a] The sons of Meshelemiah were Zechariah (the oldest), Jediael (the second), Zebadiah (the third), Jathniel (the fourth), Elam (the fifth), Jehohanan (the sixth), and Eliehoenai (the seventh).

The sons of Obed-edom, also gatekeepers, were Shemaiah (the oldest), Jehozabad (the second), Joah (the third), Sacar (the fourth), Nethanel (the fifth), Ammiel (the sixth), Issachar (the seventh), and Peullethai (the eighth). God had richly blessed Obed-edom.

Obed-edom’s son Shemaiah had sons with great ability who earned positions of great authority in the clan. Their names were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. Their relatives, Elihu and Semakiah, were also very capable men.

All of these descendants of Obed-edom, including their sons and grandsons—sixty-two of them in all—were very capable men, well qualified for their work.

Meshelemiah’s eighteen sons and relatives were also very capable men.

10 Hosah, of the Merari clan, appointed Shimri as the leader among his sons, though he was not the oldest. 11 His other sons included Hilkiah (the second), Tebaliah (the third), and Zechariah (the fourth). Hosah’s sons and relatives, who served as gatekeepers, numbered thirteen in all.

12 These divisions of the gatekeepers were named for their family leaders, and like the other Levites, they served at the house of the Lord. 13 They were assigned by families for guard duty at the various gates, without regard to age or training, for it was all decided by means of sacred lots.

14 The responsibility for the east gate went to Meshelemiah[b] and his group. The north gate was assigned to his son Zechariah, a man of unusual wisdom. 15 The south gate went to Obed-edom, and his sons were put in charge of the storehouse. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were assigned the west gate and the gateway leading up to the Temple.[c] Guard duties were divided evenly. 17 Six Levites were assigned each day to the east gate, four to the north gate, four to the south gate, and two pairs at the storehouse. 18 Six were assigned each day to the west gate, four to the gateway leading up to the Temple, and two to the courtyard.[d]

19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the clans of Korah and Merari.

Treasurers and Other Officials

20 Other Levites, led by Ahijah, were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the gifts dedicated to the Lord. 21 From the family of Libni[e] in the clan of Gershon, Jehiel[f] was the leader. 22 The sons of Jehiel, Zetham and his brother Joel, were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

23 These are the leaders that descended from Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel:

24 From the clan of Amram, Shebuel was a descendant of Gershom son of Moses. He was the chief officer of the treasuries. 25 His relatives through Eliezer were Rehabiah, Jeshaiah, Joram, Zicri, and Shelomoth.

26 Shelomoth and his relatives were in charge of the treasuries containing the gifts that King David, the family leaders, and the generals and captains[g] and other officers of the army had dedicated to the Lord. 27 These men dedicated some of the plunder they had gained in battle to maintain the house of the Lord. 28 Shelomoth[h] and his relatives also cared for the gifts dedicated to the Lord by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah. All the other dedicated gifts were in their care, too.

29 From the clan of Izhar came Kenaniah. He and his sons were given administrative responsibilities[i] over Israel as officials and judges.

30 From the clan of Hebron came Hashabiah. He and his relatives—1,700 capable men—were put in charge of the Israelite lands west of the Jordan River. They were responsible for all matters related to the things of the Lord and the service of the king in that area.

31 Also from the clan of Hebron came Jeriah,[j] who was the leader of the Hebronites according to the genealogical records. (In the fortieth year of David’s reign, a search was made in the records, and capable men from the clan of Hebron were found at Jazer in the land of Gilead.) 32 There were 2,700 capable men among the relatives of Jeriah. King David sent them to the east side of the Jordan River and put them in charge of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were responsible for all matters related to God and to the king.

Footnotes

  1. 26:1 As in Greek version (see also Exod 6:24); Hebrew reads Asaph.
  2. 26:14 Hebrew Shelemiah, a variant spelling of Meshelemiah; compare 26:2.
  3. 26:16 Or the gate of Shalleketh on the upper road (also in 26:18). The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  4. 26:18 Or the colonnade. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  5. 26:21a Hebrew Ladan, a variant spelling of Libni; compare 6:17.
  6. 26:21b Hebrew Jehieli (also in 26:22), a variant spelling of Jehiel; compare 23:8.
  7. 26:26 Hebrew the commanders of thousands and of hundreds.
  8. 26:28 Hebrew Shelomith, a variant spelling of Shelomoth.
  9. 26:29 Or were given outside work; or were given work away from the Temple area.
  10. 26:31 Hebrew Jerijah, a variant spelling of Jeriah; compare 23:19.

Divisions of the Gatekeepers

26 For the divisions of the gatekeepers there were of the Korahites, [a]Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of [b]Asaph.

Meshelemiah had sons:
Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,
Elam the fifth, Johanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh.
(A)Obed-edom had sons:
Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,
Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh and Peullethai the eighth; God had indeed blessed him.
Also to his son Shemaiah sons were born who ruled over the house of their father, for they were mighty men of valor.
The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were men of valor.
All these were of the sons of Obed-edom; they and their sons and their [c]relatives were valiant men with strength for the service, sixty-two from Obed-edom.
Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, eighteen men of valor.
10 Also (B)Hosah, one of the sons of Merari had sons:
Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father made him first),
11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth; all the sons and relatives of Hosah were thirteen.

12 To these divisions of the gatekeepers, the chief men, were given responsibilities like their relatives to minister in the house of Yahweh. 13 (C)And they cast lots, the small and the great alike, according to their fathers’ households, for every gate. 14 And the lot to the east fell to [d]Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a counselor with insight, and his lot came out to the north. 15 For Obed-edom it fell to the south, and to his sons went the house of storerooms. 16 For Shuppim and Hosah it was to the west, by the gate of Shallecheth, on the ascending highway. Guard corresponded to guard. 17 On the east there were six Levites, on the north four daily, on the south four daily, and at the storerooms two by two. 18 At the [e](D)Parbar on the west there were four at the highway and two at the Parbar. 19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers of the sons of Korah and of the sons of Merari.

Caring for the Holy Treasure

20 [f]As for the Levites, Ahijhah was (E)over the treasures of the house of God and of the treasures of the holy gifts. 21 The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, namely, the Jehielites, were the heads of the fathers’ households, belonging to Ladan the Gershonite.

22 The sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and Joel his brother, were over the treasures of the house of Yahweh. 23 As for the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites, 24 Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was officer over the treasures. 25 And his relatives by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomoth his son. 26 This Shelomoth and his relatives were over all the treasures of the holy gifts (F)which King David and the heads of the fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the army, had set apart as holy. 27 They set apart as holy part of what was won in battles and part of the spoil to repair the house of Yahweh. 28 And all that Samuel the seer had set apart as holy and Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, everyone who had set apart anything as holy, all of this was [g]in the care of [h]Shelomoth and his relatives.

Administrators of Outside Work

29 As for the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons (G)were assigned to the outside work for Israel, as (H)officers and judges. 30 As for the Hebronites, (I)Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 men of valor, were over the administration of Israel across the Jordan to the west, for all the work of Yahweh and the service of the king. 31 As for the Hebronites, (J)Jerijah the chief [i](these Hebronites were investigated according to their generations and fathers’ households, in the fortieth year of David’s reign, and mighty men of valor were found among them at (K)Jazer of Gilead) 32 and his relatives, men of valor, were 2,700 in number, heads of fathers’ households. And King David made them overseers of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of the Manassites (L)concerning [j]all the affairs of God and of the king.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 26:1 In v 14, Shelemiah
  2. 1 Chronicles 26:1 In 9:19, Ebiasaph
  3. 1 Chronicles 26:8 Lit brothers, so in ch
  4. 1 Chronicles 26:14 In 9:17, Shallum
  5. 1 Chronicles 26:18 Possibly court, colonnade
  6. 1 Chronicles 26:20 Gr The Levites, their relatives,
  7. 1 Chronicles 26:28 Lit under the hand
  8. 1 Chronicles 26:28 Heb Shelomith
  9. 1 Chronicles 26:31 Heb according to the Hebronites...father’s households
  10. 1 Chronicles 26:32 Lit every matter of God and matter of the king