Joash Crowned King of Judah^(A)

⁴ In ^(B)the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the ^[a]escorts—and brought them into the house of the Lord to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son. ⁵ Then he commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall do: One-third of you who ^[b]come on duty ^(C)on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king’s house, ⁶ one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down. ⁷ The two ^[c]contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord for the king.

⁸ So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed ^(A)the divisions.