1. And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with himself.
2. And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
3. And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD has said of the sons of David.
4. This is the thing that you shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be gatekeepers of the doors;
5. And a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD.
6. But let none come into the house of the LORD, except the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD.
7. And the Levites shall surround the king, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever else comes into the house, he shall be put to death: but you be with the king when he comes in, and when he goes out.
8. So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took everyone his men that were to come on duty on the sabbath, with them that were to go off duty on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the divisions.