^11:4In the seventh year Jehoiada summoned⁶ the officers of the units of hundreds of the Carians⁷ and the royal bodyguard.⁸ He met with them⁹ in the Lord’s temple. He made an agreement¹⁰ with them and made them swear an oath of allegiance in the Lord’s temple. Then he showed them the king’s son. ^11:5He ordered them, “This is what you must do. One third of the unit that is on duty during the Sabbath will guard the royal palace. ^11:6Another third of you will be stationed at the Foundation¹¹ Gate. Still another third of you will be stationed at the gate behind the royal guard.¹² You will take turns guarding the palace.¹³

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Footnotes

6 Heb “Jehoiada sent and took.”
7 The Carians were apparently a bodyguard, probably comprised of foreigners. See כָּרִי and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
8 Heb “the runners.”
9 Heb “he brought them to himself.”
10 Or “covenant.”
11 Heb “the gate of Sur” (followed by many English versions) but no such gate is mentioned elsewhere in the OT. The parallel account in 2 Chr 23:5 has “Foundation Gate.” סוּר (sur), “Sur,” may be a corruption of יְסוֹד (yésod) “foundation,” involving in part dalet-resh confusion.
12 Heb “the runners.”
13 The meaning of מַסָּח (massakh) is not certain. The translation above, rather than understanding it as a genitive modifying “house,” takes it as an adverb describing how the groups will guard the palace. See מַסָּח for the proposed meaning “alternating” (i.e., “in turns”).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of 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. And he commanded them, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, those who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king’s house (another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the Lord. Then he showed them the king’s son. 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 third of you guarding the royal palace, a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple—

CSBChristian Standard Bible

In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards. He had them come to him in the Lord’s temple, where he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath are to provide protection for the king’s palace. A third are to be at the Foundation Gate and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns providing protection for the palace.

NLTNew Living Translation

In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada the priest summoned the commanders, the Carite mercenaries, and the palace guards to come to the Temple of the Lord. He made a solemn pact with them and made them swear an oath of loyalty there in the Lord’s Temple; then he showed them the king’s son.

Jehoiada told them, “This is what you must do. A third of you who are on duty on the Sabbath are to guard the royal palace itself. Another third of you are to stand guard at the Sur Gate. And the final third must stand guard behind the palace guard. These three groups will all guard the palace.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and took the commanders of the hundreds of the Carites and the runners, and he brought them to himself to the temple of Yahweh. Then he made a covenant with them and made them swear in the house of Yahweh and showed them the son of the king. He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you must do: one third of you who go off duty on the Sabbath, the keepers of the guard in the house of the king, and another third at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the runners, shall guard the post of the palace alternately.

KJV 1900King James Version

And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord, and shewed them the king’s son. And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king’s house; And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.

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