^3 (A)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.

^23 (A)From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can ^(B)come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting.

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, ^(A)be strong in the Lord and in ^(B)the strength of his might. ^11 (C)Put on ^(D)the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against ^(E)the schemes of the devil. ¹² For ^(F)we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against ^(G)the rulers, against the authorities, against ^(H)the cosmic powers over ^(I)this present darkness, against ^(J)the spiritual forces of evil ^(K)in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore ^(L)take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in ^(M)the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, ^(N)having fastened on the belt of truth, and ^(O)having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, ^(P)as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up ^(Q)the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all ^(R)the flaming darts of ^(S)the evil one; ¹⁷ and take ^(T)the helmet of salvation, and ^(U)the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying ^(V)at all times ^(W)in the Spirit, ^(X)with all prayer and supplication. To that end, ^(Y)keep alert with all perseverance, making ^(Z)supplication for all the saints,

^24 (A)These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, the heads of fathers' houses ^(B)as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from ^(C)twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. ²⁵ For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, ^(D)has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ And so the Levites no longer need ^(E)to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” ²⁷ For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from ^(F)twenty years old and upward. ²⁸ For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. ²⁹ Their duty was also to assist with the ^(G)showbread, the ^(H)flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the ^(I)baked offering, the ^(J)offering mixed with oil, and all ^(K)measures of quantity or size. ³⁰ And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, ³¹ and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord ^(L)on Sabbaths, ^(M)new moons, and feast days, ^(N)according to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord. ³² Thus ^(O)they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the ^(P)service of the house of the Lord.

³ The Levites, ^(A)thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and ^(B)the total was ^(C)38,000 men. ⁴ “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said,^{[a] (D)}“shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be ^(E)officers and judges, ⁵ 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments ^(F)that I have made for praise.”

Joash Anointed King in Judah

^4 (A)But in the seventh year ^(B)Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of ^(C)the Carites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and he showed them the king's son. ⁵ And he commanded them, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, ^(D)those who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king's house ⁶ (^(E)another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace.^{[a] 7} And the two divisions of you, which come on duty in force on the Sabbath and guard the house of the Lord on behalf of the king, ⁸ shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king ^(F)when he goes out and when he comes in.”

⁹ The captains did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ And the priest gave to the captains the spears and ^(G)shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ And the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house on behalf of the king. ¹² Then he brought out the king's son and put ^(H)the crown on him and gave him ^(I)the testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, ^(J)“Long live the king!”

⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may ^(A)become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Qualifications for Overseers

3 The saying is ^(A)trustworthy: If anyone aspires to ^(B)the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

¹⁸ This charge ^(A)I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with ^(B)the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may ^(C)wage the good warfare,