Numbers 4
4
Duties of the Kohathite Clan
1Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2“Record the names of the members of the clans and families of the Kohathite division of the tribe of Levi. 3List all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle.#4:3 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting; also in 4:4, 15, 23, 25, 28, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 47.
4“The duties of the Kohathites at the Tabernacle will relate to the most sacred objects. 5When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons must enter the Tabernacle first to take down the inner curtain and cover the Ark of the Covenant#4:5 Or Ark of the Testimony. with it. 6Then they must cover the inner curtain with fine goatskin leather and spread over that a single piece of blue cloth. Finally, they must put the carrying poles of the Ark in place.
7“Next they must spread a blue cloth over the table where the Bread of the Presence is displayed, and on the cloth they will place the bowls, ladles, jars, pitchers, and the special bread. 8They must spread a scarlet cloth over all of this, and finally a covering of fine goatskin leather on top of the scarlet cloth. Then they must insert the carrying poles into the table.
9“Next they must cover the lampstand with a blue cloth, along with its lamps, lamp snuffers, trays, and special jars of olive oil. 10Then they must cover the lampstand and its accessories with fine goatskin leather and place the bundle on a carrying frame.
11“Next they must spread a blue cloth over the gold incense altar and cover this cloth with fine goatskin leather. Then they must attach the carrying poles to the altar. 12They must take all the remaining furnishings of the sanctuary and wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with fine goatskin leather, and place them on the carrying frame.
13“They must remove the ashes from the altar for sacrifices and cover the altar with a purple cloth. 14All the altar utensils—the firepans, meat forks, shovels, basins, and all the containers—must be placed on the cloth, and a covering of fine goatskin leather must be spread over them. Finally, they must put the carrying poles in place. 15The camp will be ready to move when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the sacred articles. The Kohathites will come and carry these things to the next destination. But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. So these are the things from the Tabernacle that the Kohathites must carry.
16“Eleazar son of Aaron the priest will be responsible for the oil of the lampstand, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. In fact, Eleazar will be responsible for the entire Tabernacle and everything in it, including the sanctuary and its furnishings.”
17Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 18“Do not let the Kohathite clans be destroyed from among the Levites! 19This is what you must do so they will live and not die when they approach the most sacred objects. Aaron and his sons must always go in with them and assign a specific duty or load to each person. 20The Kohathites must never enter the sanctuary to look at the sacred objects for even a moment, or they will die.”
Duties of the Gershonite Clan
21And the Lord said to Moses, 22“Record the names of the members of the clans and families of the Gershonite division of the tribe of Levi. 23List all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle.
24“These Gershonite clans will be responsible for general service and carrying loads. 25They must carry the curtains of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle itself with its coverings, the outer covering of fine goatskin leather, and the curtain for the Tabernacle entrance. 26They are also to carry the curtains for the courtyard walls that surround the Tabernacle and altar, the curtain across the courtyard entrance, the ropes, and all the equipment related to their use. The Gershonites are responsible for all these items. 27Aaron and his sons will direct the Gershonites regarding all their duties, whether it involves moving the equipment or doing other work. They must assign the Gershonites responsibility for the loads they are to carry. 28So these are the duties assigned to the Gershonite clans at the Tabernacle. They will be directly responsible to Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
Duties of the Merarite Clan
29“Now record the names of the members of the clans and families of the Merarite division of the tribe of Levi. 30List all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle.
31“Their only duty at the Tabernacle will be to carry loads. They will carry the frames of the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the posts, and the bases; 32also the posts for the courtyard walls with their bases, pegs, and ropes; and all the accessories and everything else related to their use. Assign the various loads to each man by name. 33So these are the duties of the Merarite clans at the Tabernacle. They are directly responsible to Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”
Summary of the Registration
34So Moses, Aaron, and the other leaders of the community listed the members of the Kohathite division by their clans and families. 35The list included all the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle, 36and the total number came to 2,750. 37So this was the total of all those from the Kohathite clans who were eligible to serve at the Tabernacle. Moses and Aaron listed them, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
38The Gershonite division was also listed by its clans and families. 39The list included all the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle, 40and the total number came to 2,630. 41So this was the total of all those from the Gershonite clans who were eligible to serve at the Tabernacle. Moses and Aaron listed them, just as the Lord had commanded.
42The Merarite division was also listed by its clans and families. 43The list included all the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle, 44and the total number came to 3,200. 45So this was the total of all those from the Merarite clans who were eligible for service. Moses and Aaron listed them, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
46So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel listed all the Levites by their clans and families. 47All the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle and for its transportation 48numbered 8,580. 49When their names were recorded, as the Lord had commanded through Moses, each man was assigned his task and told what to carry.
And so the registration was completed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
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Numbers 4: NLT
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Numbers 4
4
Duties of the Sons of Kohath
1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2“Take a census of the sons of #Num. 3:27–32Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house, 3#Num. 4:23, 30, 35; 8:24; 1 Chr. 23:3, 24, 27; Ezra 3:8from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.
4#Num. 4:15“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to #Num. 4:19the most holy things: 5When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down #Ex. 26:31; Heb. 9:3the covering veil and cover the #Ex. 25:10, 16ark of the Testimony with it. 6Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of #Ex. 39:1blue; and they shall insert #Ex. 25:13; 1 Kin. 8:7, 8its poles.
7“On the #Ex. 25:23, 29, 30table of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for pouring; and the #Lev. 24:5–9showbread shall be on it. 8They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. 9And they shall take a blue cloth and cover the #Ex. 25:31lampstand of the light, #Ex. 25:37, 38with its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil vessels, with which they service it. 10Then they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of badger skins, and put it on a carrying beam.
11“Over #Ex. 30:1–5the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. 12Then they shall take all the #Ex. 25:9; 1 Chr. 9:29utensils of service with which they minister in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger skins, and put them on a carrying beam. 13Also they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. 14They shall put on it all its implements with which they minister there—the firepans, the forks, the shovels, the basins, and all the utensils of the altar—and they shall spread on it a covering of badger skins, and insert its poles. 15And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then #Num. 7:9; 10:21; Deut. 31:9; Josh. 4:10; 2 Sam. 6:13; 1 Chr. 15:2, 15the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; #2 Sam. 6:6, 7; 1 Chr. 13:9, 10but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.
“#Num. 3:31These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16“The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is #Ex. 25:6; Lev. 24:2the oil for the light, the #Ex. 30:34sweet incense, #Ex. 29:38the daily grain offering, the #Ex. 30:23–25anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”
17Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 18“Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; 19but do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach #Num. 4:4the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint each of them to his service and his task. 20#Ex. 19:21; 1 Sam. 6:19But they shall not go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, lest they die.”
Duties of the Sons of #Num. 3:22Gershon
21Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 22“Also take a census of the sons of Gershon, by their fathers’ house, by their families. 23#Num. 4:3; 1 Chr. 23:3, 24, 27From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. 24This is the #Num. 7:7service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and carrying: 25#Num. 3:25, 26They shall carry the #Ex. 36:8curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meeting with its covering, the covering of #Ex. 26:14badger skins that is on it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 26the screen for the door of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve.
27“Aaron and his sons shall assign all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall appoint to them all their tasks as their duty. 28This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their duties shall be #Num. 4:33under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Duties of the Sons of Merari
29“As for the sons of #Num. 3:33–37Merari, you shall number them by their families and by their fathers’ house. 30#Num. 4:3; 8:24–26From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 31And #Num. 3:36, 37this is #Num. 7:8what they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: #Ex. 26:15the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 32and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings and all their service; and you shall #Ex. 25:9; 38:21assign to each man by name the items he must carry. 33This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
Census of the Levites
34#Num. 4:2And Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ house, 35from thirty #Num. 4:47years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting; 36and those who were numbered by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37These were the ones who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
38And those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families and by their fathers’ house, 39from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— 40those who were numbered by their families, by their fathers’ house, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41#Num. 4:22These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord.
42Those of the families of the sons of Merari who were numbered, by their families, by their fathers’ house, 43from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— 44those who were numbered by their families were three thousand two hundred. 45These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered #Num. 4:29according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
46All who were #Num. 3:39; 26:57–62; 1 Chr. 23:3–23numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ houses, 47#Num. 4:3, 23, 30from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tabernacle of meeting— 48those who were numbered were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.
49According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moses, #Num. 4:15, 24, 31each according to his service and according to his task; thus were they numbered by him, #Num. 4:1, 21as the Lord commanded Moses.
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