Numbers 4

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said,

And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2 “Conduct a census of the male descendants of Kohath from among the Levites, by their clans and families.

Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,

3 Count all the men who are thirty to fifty years old. These men must join the company to serve in the tent of meeting.

From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

4 The descendants of Kohath must take care of the most holy things reserved for me in the tent of meeting.

This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:

5 When the camp prepares to move forward, Aaron and his sons must go into the tent, take down the curtain that separates the most holy place from the holy place and cover the ark of the testimony with it.

And when the camp sets forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it:

6 They must cover the ark with sea cow skins. They must spread a blue cloth over it. They must insert the poles to carry it.

And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.

7 They are to spread a blue cloth on the table of the bread of the presence. On it they must put the dishes, spoons, bowls, and jars for pouring. Bread must always continue to be on the table.

And on the table of show bread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover with: and the continual bread shall be thereon:

8 They must cover them with a scarlet cloth and again with sea cow skins. They must insert poles to carry the table.

And they shall spread on them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.

9 They must take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand, along with its lamps, tongs, trays, and all the jars of oil for the lamps.

And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his firepans, and all the oil vessels thereof, with which they minister to it:

10 They must put the lampstand and all its accessories into a covering of sea cow skins, and they must put it on a carrying frame.

And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put it on a bar.

11 They must spread a cloth of blue on the gold altar. They must cover it with a covering of sea cow skins, and then insert the carrying poles.

And on the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put to the staves thereof:

12 They must take all the equipment for the work in the holy place and wrap it in a blue cloth. They must cover it with sea cow skins and put the equipment on the carrying frame.

And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put them on a bar:

13 They must remove the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth on the altar.

And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:

14 They must put on the carrying frame all the equipment that they use in the work of the altar. These objects are the firepans, forks, shovels, bowls, and all the other equipment for the altar. They must cover the altar with sea cow skins and then insert the carrying poles.

And they shall put on it all the vessels thereof, with which they minister about it, even the censers, the meat hooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of badgers’ skins, and put to the staves of it.

15 When Aaron and his sons have completely covered the holy place and all its equipment, and when the camp moves forward, then the descendants of Kohath must come to carry the holy place. If they touch the holy instruments, they must die. This is the work of the descendants of Kohath, to carry the furnishings in the tent of meeting.

And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

16 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest oversees the care of the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil. He oversees the care of the entire tabernacle and all that is in it, the holy place and its equipment.”

And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertains the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.

17 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said,

And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying,

18 “Do not allow the Kohathite tribal clans to be removed from among the Levites.

Cut you not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites:

19 Protect them, that they may live and not die, by doing this. When they approach the most holy things

But thus do to them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden:

20 they must not go in to see the holy place even for a moment, or they must die. Aaron and his sons must go in, and then Aaron and his sons must assign each of the Kohathites to his work, to his special tasks.”

But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

21 Yahweh spoke again to Moses. He said,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

22 “Conduct a census of the descendants of Gershon also, by their ancestor's families and by their clans.

Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families;

23 Count those who are thirty years old to fifty years old. Count all of them who will join the company to serve in the tent of meeting.

From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shall you number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

24 This is the work of the clans of the Gershonites, when they serve and what they carry.

This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens:

25 They must carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, its covering, the covering of sea cow skin that is on it, and the curtains for the entrance to the tent of meeting.

And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers’ skins that is above on it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

26 They must carry the curtains of the court, the curtain for the doorway of the court's gate, which is near the tabernacle and near the altar, their ropes, and all the instruments for their service. Whatever should be done with these things, they must do it.

And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.

27 Aaron and his sons must direct all the service of the descendants of the Gershonites, in everything that they transport, and in all their service. You must assign them to all their responsibilities.

At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and you shall appoint to them in charge all their burdens.

28 This is the service of the clans of the descendants of the Gershonites for the tent of meeting. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest must lead them in their service.

This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

29 You must count the descendants of Merari by their clans, and order them by their ancestor's families,

As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;

30 from thirty years old and older up to fifty years old. Count everyone who is going to join the company and serve in the tent of meeting.

From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old shall you number them, every one that enters into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.

31 This is their responsibility and their work in all their service for the tent of meeting. They must care for the framing of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, and sockets,

And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof,

32 along with the posts of the courtyard around the tabernacle, their sockets, pegs, and their ropes, with all their hardware. List by name the articles they must carry.

And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name you shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.

33 This is the service of the clans of the descendants of Merari, what they are to do for the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”

This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

34 Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the descendants of the Kohathites by the clans of their ancestor's families.

And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers,

35 They counted them from thirty years old and older up to fifty years old. They counted everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting.

From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:

36 They counted 2,750 men by their clans.

And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

37 Moses and Aaron counted all the men in the clans and families of the Kohathites who serve in the tent of meeting. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

38 The descendants of Gershon were counted in their clans, by their ancestor's families,

And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers,

39 from thirty to fifty years old, everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting.

From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,

40 All the men, counted by their clans and their ancestor's families, numbered 2,630.

Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.

41 Moses and Aaron counted the clans of the descendants of Gershon who would serve in the tent of meeting. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD.

42 The descendants of Merari were counted in their clans by their ancestor's families,

And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers,

43 from thirty to fifty years old, everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting.

From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,

44 All the men, counted by their clans and their ancestor's families, numbered 3,200.

Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred.

45 Moses and Aaron counted all these men, the descendants of Merari. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

46 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans in their ancestral families

All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers,

47 from thirty to fifty years old. They counted everyone who would do work in the tabernacle, and who would carry and care for the items in the tent of meeting.

From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation.

48 They counted 8,580 men.

Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore,

49 At Yahweh's command, Moses counted each man, keeping count of each by the type of work he was assigned to do. He counted each man by the kind of responsibility he would bear. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.