1 Duties of the Kohathites Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
2 “Take 4:2 Lit the sum a census of the 4:2 Lit sons descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households,
3 from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the duty of doing the work in the tent of meeting.
4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting,concerningthe most holy things.
5 “Andwhenthe camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it;
6 and they shall put a covering of porpoise skin on it and shall spread overita cloth of pure 4:6 Or violet blue and shall insert its poles.
7 Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of 4:7Or violet blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the offering bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it.
8 And they shall spread over them a cloth of scarletmaterialand cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles.
9 Then they shall take a 4:9Or violet blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its tongs, and its 4:9Lit snuff dishes trays and all its oil vessels, by which they minister in connection to it;
10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin and shall put it on the carrying bars.
11 And over the golden altar they shall spread a 4:11Or violet blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin and shall insert its poles;
12 and they shall take all the utensils of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a 4:12 Or violet blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin and put them on the carrying bars.
13 Then they shall take away the 4:13Soaked with fat; or fat ashes ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.
14 They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they minister in connection with it: the firepans, the flesh hooks and shovels and the bowls, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles.
15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holyobjectsand all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carrythem, so that they will not touch the holyobjectsand die. These are the 4:15 Lit burden...of the sons things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16 “And the assignment of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil—the assignment of all the 4:16Lit dwelling place, so in ch tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”
17 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
18 “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites.
19 But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holyobjects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and set each of them to his service and to his load;
20 but they shall not go in to see the holyobjectseven for a moment, or they will die.”Duties of the Gershonites
21 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
22 “Take 4:22Lit the sum a census of the sons of Gershon 4:22Lit also them also, by their fathers’ households, by their families;
23 from thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall 4:23Lit muster, so in ch number them; all who enter to perform the duty of performing the service in the tent of meeting.
24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying:
25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meetingwithits covering and the covering of porpoise skin that is on top of it, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting,
26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the gate of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, 4:26Lit so they shall serve they shall perform.
27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their loads and in all their service, shall beperformedat the 4:27Lit mouth command of Aaron and his sons; and you shall assign to them as a responsibility all their loads.
28 This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their responsibilitiesshall be 4:28Lit in the hand under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.Duties of the Merarites
29 “As forthe sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers’ households;
30 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the duty of performing the service of the tent of meeting.
31 Now this is the responsibility of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its bases,
32 and the pillars around the court and their bases and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service; and you shall assigneach manby name the items of the responsibility of 4:32 Lit their his load.
33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, 4:33Lit in the hand under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ households,
35 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the duty of service in the tent of meeting.
36 Their numbered men by their families were2,750.
37 These are the numbered men of the Kohathite families, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the 4:37Lit mouth commandment of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
38 The numbered men of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their fathers’ households,
39 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the duty of service in the tent of meeting,
40 their numbered men by their families, by their fathers’ households, were2,630.
41 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the 4:41Lit mouth commandment of Yahweh.
42 The numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari by their families, by their fathers’ households,
43 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the duty of service in the tent of meeting,
44 their numbered men by their families were3,200.
45 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the 4:45Lit mouth commandment of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
46 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ households,
47 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to perform the work of service and the service of carrying in the tent of meeting,
48 their numbered men were 8,580.
49 According to the 4:49Lit mouth word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses, they were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying; thusthese werehis numbered men, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.