Tasks for the Levites

1And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

2Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by the house of their fathers,

3From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter the service , to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.

4This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, about the most holy things:

5And when the camp moves forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it:

6And shall put thereon the covering of badger skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in its poles.

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 covers to cover them: and the showbread shall be on it:

8And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins, and shall put in its poles.

9And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the lampstand of the light, and its lamps, and its wick trimmers, and its trays, and all the oil vessels thereof, with which they minister unto it:

10And they shall put it and all the utensils thereof within a covering of badger skins, and shall put it upon a carrying beam.

11And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badger skins, and shall put in its poles:

12And 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 badger skins, and shall put them on a carrying beam:

13And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it:

14And they shall put upon it all its utensils, with which they minister about it, even the fire pans, the forks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badger skins, and put in its poles.

15And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, as the camp is to move 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 meeting.

16And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertains the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that is therein, in the sanctuary, and in the utensils thereof.

17And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

18Cut 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 when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

21And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

22Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families;

23From 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 meeting.

24This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and to carry burdens:

25And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of meeting, its covering, and the covering of the badger skins that is on it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of meeting,

26And 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, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.

27At 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 unto them the task of all their burdens.

28This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting: and their work shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

29As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;

30From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shall you number them, every one that enters into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting.

31And this is the task of their burdens, according to all their service in the tabernacle of meeting; the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets,

32And the pillars round about the court, and their sockets, and their pegs, and their cords, with all their furnishings, and with all their service: and by name you shall reckon the objects of the charge of their burdens.

33This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

34And Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by the house of their fathers,

35From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of meeting:

36And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

37These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

38And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers,

39From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of meeting,

40Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.

41These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD.

42And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers,

43From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of meeting,

44Even those that were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand and two hundred.

45These are 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.

46All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families, and by the house of their fathers,

47From 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 meeting,

48Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore.

49According 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.