19. Shallum, son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, a descendant of Korah, and his brothers of the same ancestral house of the Korahites had as their assigned task the guarding of the threshold of the tent, just as their fathers had guarded the entrance to the encampment of the Lord.
20. Phinehas, son of Eleazar, had been their chief in times past; the Lord was with him.
21. Zechariah, son of Meshelemiah, guarded the gate of the tent of meeting.
22. In all, those who were chosen for gatekeepers at the threshold were two hundred and twelve. They were inscribed in the family records of their villages. David and Samuel the seer had established them in their position of trust.
23. Thus they and their sons kept guard over the gates of the house of the Lord, the house which was then a tent.
24. The gatekeepers were stationed at the four sides, to the east, the west, the north, and the south.
25. Their brothers who lived in their own villages took turns in assisting them for seven-day periods,
26. while the four chief gatekeepers were on permanent duty. These were the Levites who also had charge of the chambers and treasures of the house of God.
27. They would spend the night near the house of God, for it was in their charge and they had the duty of opening it each morning.
28. Some of them had charge of the vessels used there, tallying them as they were brought in and taken out.
29. Others were appointed to take care of the utensils and all the sacred vessels, as well as the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the frankincense, and the spices.
30. It was the sons of priests, however, who mixed the spiced ointments.