1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2 Take
the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their
families, by the house of their fathers,
3 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 This shall be the
service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the
most holy things:
5 And
when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall
take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it:
6 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 And
upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon
the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the
continual bread shall be thereon:
8 And
they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a
covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.
9 And
they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and
his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof,
wherewith they minister unto it:
10 And
they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers'
skins, and shall put it upon a bar.
11 And
upon 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 And
they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith 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 And
they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth
thereon:
14 And
they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about
it, even the
censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of
the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put
to the staves of it.
15 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 And
to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth 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 And
the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
18 Cut
ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites:
19 But
thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the
most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to
his service and to his burden:
20 But
they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.
21 And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
22 Take
also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by
their families;
23 From
thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all
that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the
congregation.
24 This is the
service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens:
25 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
upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
26 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 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 ye shall
appoint unto them in charge all their burdens.
28 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 As
for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the
house of their fathers;
30 From
thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them,
every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of
the congregation.
31 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 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 ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.
33 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 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 From
thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth
into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:
36 And
those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven
hundred and fifty.
37 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 And
those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and
by the house of their fathers,
39 From
thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth
into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
40 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 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 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 years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth
into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
44 Even
those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and
two hundred.
45 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 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 years old and upward even unto 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 Even
those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and
fourscore.
49 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.
