Numbers 4
4
Preparing the Sanctuary to Move
1Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying,
2“Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families and by their ancestral households,
3everyone from 30 years of age to 50, all who come to serve doing the work in the Tent of Meeting.
4“This is the task of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting—the most holy things.
5Whenever the camp is about to move out, Aaron and his sons are to take down the shielding curtain and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it.
6Then they are to cover this with porpoise hide, then spread over it a cloth of solid blue. Then they are to put its poles in place.
7“Then over the table of the Presence they are to spread a solid blue cloth, then lay on it the plates, ladles, bowls, and jars for the drink offering. The bread that is continually there is to remain there.
8Over them they are to spread a solid scarlet cloth, cover it with a covering of porpoise hide, then install its poles.
9“Then they are to take a blue cloth and cover the menorah for light, along with its lamps, tongs, snuffers and oil jars that they use to tend to it.
10They then are to wrap it and all its accessories in a cover of porpoise hide and place it all on a carrying frame.
11“Over the golden altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with a covering of porpoise hide, then put its poles in place.
12“They are to take all the utensils used for the service of the ministry of the Sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with porpoise hide, and place them on a carrying frame.
13“They are to remove the ashes from the altar, then spread over it a purple cloth.
14They are to put onto it all the utensils with which they tend to the altar, among them the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. They are to spread over it a covering of porpoise hide and install its poles.
15“When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the Sanctuary and all its holy implements, and when the camp is ready to move out, after this the sons of Kohath may come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy items or they will die. These are the task of the sons of Kohath with regard to the Tent of Meeting.
16“Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen will have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to have charge of the Tabernacle and all that is in it, including its holy items and all its implements.”
17Adonai spoke to Moses and Aaron saying,
18“You are not to let the families of the tribe of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites.
19Do this for them so that they may live and not die whenever they approach the most holy items–-Aaron and his sons are to go into the Sanctuary and assign each man his job and his responsibility.
20But the Kohathites are not to go in to look at what is holy, not even momentarily, or they will die.”
Naso
21Again Adonai spoke to Moses saying,
22“Take a census also of the sons of Gershon, by their ancestral households and by their families.
23Count all the males from 30 to 50 years of age, everyone coming to work in the service of the Tent of Meeting.
24This is the task of the Gershonite families in working and carrying burdens.
25They are to carry the curtains of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, its covering, the outer covering of porpoise hide, the curtains for the entrance for the Tent of Meeting,
26the curtains surrounding the courtyard and the altar, the curtain for the entrance, the ropes and all the equipment used in its operations. They are to do all that needs to be done with these things.
27The sons of the Gershonites are to do all their tasks, whether carrying or doing other work, according to the word of Aaron and his sons. You are to assign to them all that is their responsibility to carry.
28This is the duty of the families of the sons of the Gershonites regarding the Tent of Meeting. Their duty will be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the kohen.
29Next, count the sons of Merari, according to their families and their ancestral houses,
30sons 30 years old and upward to 50, everyone coming to work in the service of the Tent of Meeting.
31This is their task in the service of the Tent of Meeting: the frames of the Tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases,
32as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard, plus their bases, tent pegs, ropes, and all their paraphernalia with everything related to their operation. Assign to them by name their duties and tasks.
33This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari as they work under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the kohen.”
34So Moses, Aaron and the princes of the community counted the sons of the Kohathites according to their families and their ancestral households.
35All the men who came to do the service of the Tent of Meeting, from 30 to 50 years of age,
36were counted by families—2,750.
37This was the total of those in the families of the Kohathites, every one serving in the Tent of Meeting—Moses and Aaron counted them according to the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand.
38The sons of Gershon were counted according to their families and their ancestral households.
39Males from 30 years old and upward to 50, all those coming into the work of the service of the Tent of Meeting,
40numbered according to their families and ancestral households 2,630.
41These were those counted from the families of the sons of Gershon, each serving in the Tent of Meeting—Moses and Aaron counted according to the mouth of Adonai.
42Those were counted from the families and ancestral households of the sons of Merari,
43from 30 years of age upward to 50, who came to the work of the service of the Tent of Meeting.
44Numbered by their families, they were 3,200.
45These were those numbered from the families of the sons of Merari by Moses and Aaron in accordance with the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand.
46Thus Moses, Aaron and the princes of Israel counted all the Levites by their families and by their ancestral houses.
47All the men from 30 to 50 years old who came to do the work of the service and of carrying the Tent of Meeting
48numbered 8,580.
49From the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand, each man was assigned his work and his burden to carry. So they were counted, as Adonai commanded Moses.
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Numbers 4
4
1And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, according to their fathers' houses, 3from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, all that enter into the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: it is most holy. 5And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron and his sons shall go in, and they shall take down the veil of separation and cover the ark of testimony with it; 6and shall put thereon a covering of badgers' skin, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put its staves to it. 7And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue; and put thereon the dishes, and the cups, and the bowls, and goblets of the drink-offering; and the continual bread shall be thereon. 8And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skin, and shall put its staves to it. 9And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuff-trays, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they perform its service; 10and they shall put it and all the utensils thereof within a covering of badgers' skin, and shall put it upon a pole. 11And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skin, and shall put its staves to it. 12And they shall take all the instruments of service, wherewith they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skin, and shall put them upon a pole. 13And they shall cleanse the altar of the ashes, and spread a purple cloth thereon; 14and they shall put upon it all the utensils thereof, wherewith they perform service about it: the firepans, the forks, and the shovels, and the bowls, — all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skin, and put its staves to it. 15And when Aaron and his sons have ended covering the sanctuary, and all the utensils of the sanctuary, when the camp setteth forward, then afterwards the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it; but they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die. This is what the sons of Kohath have to carry in the tent of meeting. 16And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have the oversight of the oil for the light, and the fragrant incense, and the continual oblation, and the anointing oil, — the oversight of the whole tabernacle, and of all that is therein, over the sanctuary, and over its furniture. 17And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 18Ye shall not cut off the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites, 19but this shall ye do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they draw near unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden; 20but they shall not go in and see for a moment the holy things, lest they die.
21And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 22Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, according to their fathers' houses, after their families. 23From thirty years old and upward to fifty years old shalt thou number them; every one that cometh to labour in the work, to perform the service in the tent of meeting. 24This shall be the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving, and in carrying: 25they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of badgers' skin that is above upon it, and the curtain of the entrance to the tent of meeting, 26and the hangings of the court, and the curtain of the entrance, of the gate of the court, which surroundeth the tabernacle and the altar, and the cords thereof, and all the instruments of their service; and all that is to be done for these things shall they perform. 27At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their carrying, and in all their service; and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their carrying. 28This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting, and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 29The sons of Merari: after their families, according to their fathers' houses shalt thou number them; 30from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the labour, to perform the service of the tent of meeting. 31And this shall be the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and bases thereof, 32and the pillars of the court round about, and their bases, and their pegs, and their cords, all their instruments, according to all their service; and by name ye shall number to them the materials which are their charge to carry. 33This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
34And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the assembly numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and according to their fathers' houses, 35from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that entered into the labour, for service in the tent of meeting. 36And those that were numbered of them according to their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, every one that served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah through Moses. 38And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, after their families, and according to their fathers' houses, 39from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that entered into the labour, for service in the tent of meeting, 40even those that were numbered of them, after their families, according to their fathers' houses, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all that served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah. 42And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, after their families, according to their fathers' houses, 43from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that entered into the labour, for service in the tent of meeting, 44even those that were numbered of them according to their families, were three thousand two hundred. 45These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah through Moses. 46All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, after their families and according to their fathers' houses, 47from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that came to serve in the work of the service, and in the work of carrying, in the tent of meeting, 48even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand five hundred and eighty. 49According to the commandment of Jehovah they were numbered by Moses, every one for his service, and for his burden, and numbered by him, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.