1And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying , 2Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , 3from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old , all that enter upon the service , to do the work in the tent of meeting . 4This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting , about the most holy things : 5when the camp setteth forward , Aaron shall go in , and his sons , and they shall take down the veil of the screen , and cover the ark of the testimony with it , 6and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue , and shall put in the staves thereof. 7And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue , and put thereon the dishes , and the spoons , and the bowls and the cups wherewith to pour out ; and the continual bread shall be thereon : 8and they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet , and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof. 9And they shall take a cloth of blue , and cover the candlestick of the light , and its lamps , and its snuffers , and its snuffdishes , and all the oil vessels thereof , wherewith they minister unto it : 10and they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it upon the frame . 11And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue , and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof: 12and they shall take all the vessels of ministry , wherewith they minister in the sanctuary , and put them in a cloth of blue , and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame . 13And they shall take away the ashes from the altar , and spread a purple cloth thereon : 14and they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof , wherewith they minister about it , the firepans , the flesh-hooks, and the shovels , and the basins , all the vessels of the altar ; and they shall spread upon it a covering of sealskin, and put in the staves thereof . 15And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary , and all the furniture of the sanctuary , as the camp is set forward ; after that , the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it : but they shall not touch the sanctuary , lest they die . These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting . 16And the charge of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light , and the sweet incense , and the continual meal-offering, and the anointing oil , the charge of all the tabernacle , and of all that therein is , the sanctuary , and the furniture thereof . 17And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying , 18Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites ; 19but 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 ; 20but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment , lest they die .
The Responsibilities of the Gershonites and Merarites
21And Jehovah spake unto Moses , saying , 22Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also , by their fathers’ houses , by their families ; 23from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them ; all that enter in to wait upon the service , to do the work in the tent of meeting . 24This is the service of the families of the Gershonites , in serving and in bearing burdens : 25they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle , and the tent of meeting , its covering , and the covering of sealskin that is above upon it , and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting , 26and the hangings of the court , and the screen 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 whatsoever shall be done with them : therein shall they serve . 27At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites , in all their burden , and in all their service ; and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burden . 28This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting : and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest . 29As for the sons of Merari , thou shalt number them by their families , by their fathers’ houses ; 30from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them , every one that entereth upon the service , to do the work of the tent of meeting . 31And this is 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 the sockets thereof , 32and 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 appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden . 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 congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families , and by their fathers’ houses , 35from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old , every one that entered upon the service , for work in the tent of meeting : 36and those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty . 37These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites , all that did serve in the tent of meeting , whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses . 38And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon , their families , and by their fathers’ houses , 39from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old , every one that entered upon the service , for work in the tent of meeting , 40even those that were numbered of them , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , were two thousand and six hundred and thirty . 41These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon , all that did serve 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 , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , 43from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old , every one that entered upon the service , for work in the tent of meeting , 44even those that were numbered of them by their families , were three thousand and 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 by Moses . 46All those that were numbered of the Levites , whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered , by their families , and by their fathers’ houses , 47from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old , every one that entered in to do the work of service , and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting , 48even those that were numbered of them , were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore . 49According to the commandment of Jehovah they were numbered by Moses , every one according to his service , and according to his burden : thus were they numbered of him , as Jehovah commanded Moses .