1 Chronicles 9:17–32

¹⁷The gatekeepers:^a Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives.

Shallum was their chief; ¹⁸he was previously stationed at the King’s Gate on the east side.^b These were the gatekeepers from the camp of the Levites.

¹⁹Shallum son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah and his relatives from his ancestral family, the Korahites, were assigned to guard the thresholds of the tent.^A Their ancestors had been assigned to the Lord’s camp as guardians of the entrance.^{c 20}In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar had been their leader, and the Lord was with him.^{d 21}Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^e

²²The total number of those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by genealogy in their settlements. David and the seer Samuel had appointed them^f to their trusted positions. ²³So they and their sons were assigned as guards to the gates of the Lord’s temple, which had been the tent-temple. ²⁴The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north, and south. ²⁵Their relatives came from their settlements^g at fixed times to be with them seven days,^{h 26}but the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and the treasuries of God’s temple.^{i 27}They spent the night in the vicinity of God’s temple, because they had guard duty and were in charge of opening it every morning.^j

²⁸Some of them were in charge of the utensils used in worship. They would count them when they brought them in and when they took them out. ²⁹Others were put in charge of the furnishings and all the utensils of the sanctuary,^k as well as the fine flour,^l wine, oil, incense, and spices. ³⁰Some of the priests’ sons mixed the spices.^{m 31}A Levite called Mattithiah, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking the bread.^{B 32}Some of the Kohathites’ relatives were responsible for preparing the rows of the Bread of the Presenceⁿ every Sabbath.