1 Chronicles 26:1–19

THE LEVITICAL GATEKEEPERS

26The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers:

From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

²Meshelemiah had sons:

Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second,

Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

³Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth,

and Eliehoenai the seventh.

⁴Obed-edom also had sons:

Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second,

Joah the third, Sachar the fourth,

Nethanel the fifth, ⁵Ammiel the sixth,

Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth,

for God blessed him.

⁶Also, to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled their ancestral families because they were strong, capable men.

⁷Shemaiah’s sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semachiah were also capable men. ⁸All of these were among the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and relatives; they were capable men with strength for the work—sixty-two from Obed-edom.

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

¹⁰Hosah,^a from the Merarites, also had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first), ¹¹Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were thirteen in all.

¹²These divisions of the gatekeepers, under their leading men, had duties for ministering in the Lord’s temple, just as their relatives did. ¹³They cast lots for each temple gate according to their ancestral families, young and old alike.^b

¹⁴The lot for the east gate fell to Shelemiah.^B They also cast lots for his son Zechariah, an insightful counselor, and his lot came out for the north gate. ¹⁵Obed-edom’s was the south gate, and his sons’ lot was for the storehouses; ¹⁶it was the west gate and the gate of Shallecheth on the ascending highway for Shuppim and Hosah.

There were guards stationed at every watch. ¹⁷There were six Levites each day^C on the east, four each day on the north, four each day on the south, and two pair at the storehouses. ¹⁸As for the court on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court. ¹⁹Those were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the descendants of the Korahites and Merarites.