⁵ He commanded them, saying, “This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath^(A)—a third of you guarding the royal palace,^(B)

²⁵ Their fellow Levites in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day^(A) periods.

⁸ Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,^{(A) 9} he was chosen by lot,^(B) according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.^(C)

² The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico^(A) of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering^(B) and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.^{(C) 3} On the Sabbaths^(D) and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of that gateway.^(E)

² The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it.^(A) It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. ³ The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence^(B) of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.^(C)”

¹⁰ When the officials^(A) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate^(B) of the Lord’s house.

³ With the help of Zadok^(A) a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelek a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering. ⁴ A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants. ⁵ They divided them impartially by casting lots,^(B) for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁶ The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok the priest, Ahimelek^(C) son of Abiathar and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.

³² And so the Levites^(A) carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting,^(B) for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord.^(C)

³ The Levites thirty years old or more^(A) were counted,^(B) and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.^{(C) 4} David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge^(D) of the work^(E) of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.^{(F) 5} Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments^(G) I have provided for that purpose.”^(H)

⁶ David separated^(I) the Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi:^(J) Gershon, Kohath and Merari.