¹⁷The men who guarded the gates were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and other Levites. Shallum was their chief. ¹⁸He was stationed at the King’s Gate on the east side of the temple. That duty has continued to this very day. Those guards belonged to the camp of the Levites.

¹⁹Shallum was the son of Kore. Kore was the son of Ebiasaph. Ebiasaph was the son of Korah. Shallum and the other Levites in his family belonged to the family line of Korah. They had the duty of guarding the entrances to the temple.

Their fathers had also had the duty of guarding the entrance to the house of the Lord. ²⁰Long ago Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was in charge of those who guarded the gate. And the Lord was with him.

²¹Zechariah guarded the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He was the son of Meshelemiah.

²²The total number of the men who were chosen to guard the entrances was 212. They were listed in their family history in their villages. David and the prophet Samuel had appointed them to their positions. They appointed them because they trusted them.

²³Those Levites and their children after them were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord was also called the temple.

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