De taak van de tempelwachters
1De tempelwachters kwamen onder meer uit het geslacht van Korach. Hoofd van de wacht was Meselemja, de zoon van Kore uit de familie van Asaf. 2-3 Zijn helpers waren zijn zonen: Zecharja, de oudste, Jediaël, de tweede, Zebadja, de derde, Jathniël, de vierde, Elam, de vijfde, Johanan, de zesde en Eljoënai, de zevende. 4-5 Ook de zonen van Obed-Edom werden als tempelwachters aangesteld: Semaja, de oudste, Jozabad, de tweede, Joah, de derde, Sachar, de vierde, Netanel, de vijfde, Ammiël, de zesde, Issachar, de zevende, en Peüllethai, de achtste. Wat zegende God hem door hem zoveel zonen te geven! 6-7 Semajaʼs zonen waren allemaal buitengewone mannen met invloedrijke posities in hun familie. Hun namen waren Othni, Refaël, Obed en Elzabad. Hun moedige broers Elihu en Semachja waren ook zeer bekwame mannen. 8Al deze zonen en kleinzonen van Obed-Edom, in totaal 62, waren buitengewone mannen, die uitzonderlijk geschikt bleken voor hun werk. 9Meselemjaʼs achttien zonen en broers waren dat ook. 10Hosa, een lid van de Merari-groep, benoemde Simri tot leider van zijn zonen, ook al was hij niet de oudste. 11De namen van enkele anderen van zijn zonen waren Hilkia, de tweede, Tebalja, de derde en Zecharja, de vierde. Hosaʼs zonen en broers waren in totaal met dertien man.
12Deze afdelingen van de tempelwachters en hun leiders hadden dus de zorg voor de bewaking van de tempel. Evenals de andere Levieten waren zij verantwoordelijk voor een taak in het huis van de Here. 13Het lot bepaalde bij welke van de talloze tempelingangen zij wacht moesten houden, waarbij niet werd gelet op de familie waaruit zij kwamen. 14-15 De verantwoordelijkheid voor de oostelijke poort lag bij Selemja en zijn groep, de noordelijke poort viel onder zijn zoon Zecharja, een man met buitengewone wijsheid, de zuidelijke poort viel onder Obed-Edom en zijn groep, terwijl zijn zonen de verantwoording droegen voor de pakhuizen. 16De westelijke poort en de Sallechet-poort bij de oplopende straat vielen onder Suppim en Hosa. 17Elke dag stonden zes wachters bij de oostpoort, vier bij de noordpoort, vier bij de zuidpoort en twee bij elk van de pakhuizen. 18Bij de westpoort stonden altijd zes wachters, vier bij de oplopende weg en twee bij het wachthuis. 19De tempelwachters waren allemaal uit het geslacht van Korach en Merari.
20-22Andere Levieten kregen de zorg voor de geschenken die aan de Here werden gegeven en in de schatkamer van het huis van God werden bewaard. Tot deze mannen, afkomstig uit de familie van Ladan, een deel van de familie van Gersom, behoorden Zetham en Joël, de zonen van Jehiëli. 23-24 Sebuël, een nakomeling van Mozesʼ zoon Gersom, was het hoofd van de schatkamer. Hij had de leiding over de groepen genoemd naar Amram, Jizha, Hebron en Uzziël. 25De geslachtslijn vanaf Eliëzer liep via Rehabja, Jesaja, Joram, Zichri en Selomit. 26Selomit en zijn broers hadden de zorg voor de geschenken die koning David en de andere leiders van het volk, zoals familiehoofden en legerofficieren, de Here gaven. 27Want deze mannen schonken hun oorlogsbuit om te helpen voorzien in de vaste kosten van de tempel. 28Selomit en zijn broers waren eveneens verantwoordelijk voor de geschenken die de profeet Samuël, Saul, de zoon van Kis, Abner, de zoon van Ner, Joab, de zoon van Zeruja, en alle andere hoogwaardigheidsbekleders aan de Here hadden gewijd. 29Kenanja en zijn zonen, leden van de familie van Jishar, vervulden de functie van ambtenaren en rechters. 30Hasabja en zeventienhonderd van zijn familieleden uit de familie van Hebron, allemaal zeer bekwame mannen, kregen de leiding over het gedeelte van Israël ten westen van de Jordaan, zij waren verantwoordelijk voor godsdienstige zaken en rijksaangelegenheden in dat gebied. 31-32 In het veertigste regeringsjaar van koning David werden in de stad Jazer in Gilead nog zevenentwintighonderd andere familieleden van Hebron gevonden, die allemaal uitstekend geschikt waren voor dit werk. Onder leiding van Jeria kregen zij de leiding over de godsdienstige zaken en algemene bestuurszaken van de stammen van Ruben, Gad en Manasse.
The Men Who Guarded the Gates
1Here are the groups of men who guarded the gates.
From the family of Korah came
Meshelemiah, the son of Kore. Kore was one of the sons of Asaph. 2Meshelemiah had sons.
Zechariah was his first son.
Jediael was his second son.
Zebadiah was the third.
Jathniel was the fourth.
3Elam was the fifth.
Jehohanan was the sixth.
And Eliehoenai was the seventh.
4Obed-Edom also had sons.
Shemaiah was his first son.
Jehozabad was his second son.
Joah was the third.
Sakar was the fourth.
Nethanel was the fifth.
5Ammiel was the sixth.
Issachar was the seventh.
And Peullethai was the eighth.
God had blessed Obed-Edom.
6Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons. They were leaders in their family. That’s because they were men of great ability. 7The sons of Shemaiah were
Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad.
Elzabad’s relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also capable men.
8All of them belonged to the family line of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and relatives were capable men. They were strong enough to do their work. The total number of men in the family line of Obed-Edom was 62.
9Meshelemiah’s sons and relatives were capable men. Their total number was 18.
10Hosah belonged to the family line of Merari. Hosah’s first son was
Shimri. But Shimri wasn’t the oldest son. His father had made him the first.
11Hilkiah was Hosah’s second son.
Tabaliah was the third.
Zechariah was the fourth.
The total number of Hosah’s sons and relatives was 13.
12Those groups of men guarded the gates. They worked under their leaders. They served at the Lord’s temple, just as their relatives had served. 13Lots were cast for each gate, family by family. Young and old alike were chosen.
14The lot chosen for the East Gate was for Shelemiah.
Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, who gave wise advice. The lot chosen for the North Gate was for Zechariah.
15The lot chosen for the South Gate was for Obed-Edom. The lot chosen for the storeroom was for his sons.
16Lots were chosen for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road. Those lots were chosen for Shuppim and Hosah.
One guard stood next to another.
17There were six Levites a day on the east.
There were four a day on the north.
There were four a day on the south.
And there were two at a time at the storeroom.
18Two Levite guards were at the courtyard to the west. And four were at the road.
19Those were the groups of the men who guarded the gates. They belonged to the family lines of Korah and Merari.
Other Officials
20Men were in charge of the treasures in the house of God. They were the Levite relatives of the men who guarded the gates. These men were also in charge of other treasures that had been set apart for God.
21Ladan was from the family line of Gershon. Some leaders of families belonged to Ladan’s family line. One of them was Jehieli. 22The sons of Jehieli were Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasures in the Lord’s temple.
23Here are the officials who were from the family lines of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
24Shubael was from the family line of Moses’ son Gershom. Shubael was the official in charge of the treasures. 25His relatives through Eliezer included his son Rehabiah. Jeshaiah was Rehabiah’s son. Joram was Jeshaiah’s son. Zikri was Joram’s son. And Shelomith was Zikri’s son.
26Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasures that had been set apart for God. King David had set those treasures apart. Some family leaders had also set them apart. They were the commanders of thousands of men and commanders of hundreds. The treasures had also been set apart by other army commanders. 27Some of the goods that had been taken in battle were set apart to repair the Lord’s temple. 28Samuel the prophet had set apart some things for God. Saul, the son of Kish, had set apart other things. So had Abner, the son of Ner. And so had Joab, the son of Zeruiah. All these things and everything else that had been set apart were taken care of by Shelomith and his relatives.
29From the family line of Izhar came
Kenaniah and his sons. They were given duties that were away from the temple. They were officials and judges over Israel.
30From the family line of Hebron came
Hashabiah and his relatives. They were capable men. The total number was 1,700. It was their duty to serve the king in Israel west of the Jordan River. It was also their duty to do all the Lord’s work there. 31Jeriah was the chief of the family line of Hebron. That’s based on their family history.
In the 40th year of David’s rule, a search was made in the records. That’s how capable men were found in the family line of Hebron at Jazer in Gilead. 32Jeriah had 2,700 relatives. They were capable men and family leaders. King David had put them in charge of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. They were in charge of matters having to do with God and the king.
