12. The guards were divided into groups, according to their family leaders, and they were assigned duties at the temple, just like the other Levites.
13. Each group, no matter how large or small, was assigned a gate to guard, and they let the Lord show them what he wanted done.
14. Shelemiah was chosen to guard the East Gate. Zechariah his son was a wise man and was chosen to guard the North Gate.
15. Obed-Edom was then chosen to guard the South Gate, and his sons were chosen to guard the storerooms.
16. Shuppim and Hosah were chosen to guard the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road.The guards were assigned the following work schedule:
17. each day six guards were on duty on the east side of the temple, four were on duty on the north side, and four were on duty on the south side. Two guards were stationed at each of the two storerooms,
18. four were stationed along the road leading to the west courtyard, and two guards stayed in the court itself.
19. These were the guard duties assigned to the men from the clans of Korah and Merari.
20. The Levites who were relatives of the Korahites and the Merarites were in charge of guarding the temple treasury and the gifts that had been dedicated to God.
21. Ladan was from the Gershon clan and was the father of Jehieli. Many of his other descendants were family leaders in the clan.