Groups of temple guards
1 These are the groups of guards for the entrances of the temple:
26:1The temple guards were Levites. Their job was to watch the gates and doors of the temple. They would open the gates and doors at the right times. And they would close them at the proper times.
From Korah's descendants there was Kore's son Meshelemiah, who was a descendant of Asaph.
2 Meshelemiah's seven sons were: Zechariah (his firstborn son), then Jediael (his second son), Zebadiah (his third son), Jathniel (his fourth son), 3 Elam (his fifth son), Jehohanan (his sixth son) and Eliehoenai (his seventh son).
4 Obed-Edom's sons were: Shemaiah (his firstborn son), Jehozabad (his second son), Joah (his third son), Sachar (his fourth son), Nethanel (his fifth son), 5 Ammiel (his sixth son), Issachar (his seventh son) and Peullethai (his eighth son). God blessed Obed-Edom with those eight sons.
6-7 Obed-Edom's son Shemaiah had four sons. They were called Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad. They were leaders in their clan, because they were brave men. People respected them very much. People also respected their relatives, Elihu and Semakiah.
8 There were 62 descendants of Obed-Edom. People respected them, as well as their sons and their relatives. They could all do their work well.
9 Meshelemiah had 18 sons and relatives. People respected them as men who could work well.
10 From Merari's descendants there was Hosah. He had four sons: Shimri was his firstborn son. His father chose him to be the leader among his sons, but he was not the oldest of them. 11 Hilkiah was Hosah's second son, Tebaliah was his third son and Zechariah was his fourth son. 13 men from among Hosah's sons and relatives worked as guards for the temple.
12 Each group of guards had a leader. Like the other Levites, each group had a job to do as they served the Lord in his temple. 13 They used lots to decide which family group would be the guards for each gate of the temple. They chose the jobs for everyone in the same way, important people and ordinary people.
14 They chose Shelemiah's group to be guards for the East gate. They chose his son Zechariah's group for the North gate. Zechariah was a wise man who gave good advice. 15 They chose Obed-Edom's group to be guards at the South gate. They chose his sons to be guards for the rooms where they kept valuable things. 16 They chose Shuppim's group and Hosah's group to be guards at the West gate, as well as the Shalleketh Gate on the higher road.
They chose the times for each group of guards to work each day. 17 Six Levites watched the east side of the temple. Four men watched the north side and four men watched the south side. Two guards worked together at each room where they kept valuable things. 18 There were four guards on the road near the yard at the west side of the temple. And there were two guards in the yard.
19 That was the work of the different groups of guards who were descendants of Korah and Merari.
