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Numbers 4
The Message

Duties of the Kohathites

4 1-3 God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, “Number the Kohathite line of Levites by clan and family. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age, all who enter the ministry to work in the Tent of Meeting.

4 “This is the assigned work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: care of the most holy things.

5-6 “When the camp is ready to set out, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the covering curtain and cover the Chest of The Testimony with it. Then they are to cover this with a dolphin skin, spread a solid blue cloth on top, and insert the poles.

7-8 “Then they are to spread a blue cloth on the Table of the Presence and set the Table with plates, incense dishes, bowls, and jugs for drink offerings. The bread that is always there stays on the Table. They are to cover these with a scarlet cloth, and on top of that spread the dolphin skin, and insert the poles.

9-10 “They are to use a blue cloth to cover the light-giving Lampstand and the lamps, snuffers, trays, and the oil jars that go with it. Then they are to wrap it all in a covering of dolphin skin and place it on a carrying frame.

11 “They are to spread a blue cloth over the Gold Altar and cover it with dolphin skins and place it on a carrying frame.

12 “They are to take all the articles used in ministering in the Sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with dolphin skins, and place them on a carrying frame.

13-14 “They are to remove the ashes from the Altar and spread a purple cloth over it. They are to place on it all the articles used in ministering at the Altar—firepans, forks, shovels, bowls; everything used at the Altar—place them on the Altar, cover it with the dolphin skins, and insert the poles.

15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and the camp is ready to set out, the Kohathites are to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are in charge of carrying all the things that are in the Tent of Meeting.

16 “Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, is to be in charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular Grain-Offering, and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire Dwelling and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles.”

17-20 God spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Don’t let the tribal families of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites. Protect them so they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. To protect them, Aaron and his sons are to precede them into the Sanctuary and assign each man his task and what he is to carry. But the Kohathites themselves must not go in to look at the holy things, not even a glance at them, or they will die.”

Duties of the Gershonites

21-23 God spoke to Moses: “Number the Gershonites by tribes according to their ancestral families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who enter the ministry of work in the Tent of Meeting.

24-28 “The Gershonites by family and clan will serve by carrying heavy loads: the curtains of the Sanctuary and the Tent of Meeting; the covering of the Tent and the outer covering of dolphin skins; the screens for the entrance to the Tent; the cords; and all the equipment used in its ministries. The Gershonites have the job of doing the work connected with these things. All their work of lifting and carrying and moving is to be done under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. Assign them specifically what they are to carry. This is the work of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest is to supervise their work.

Duties of the Merarites

29-30 “Number the Merarites by their ancestral families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who enter the ministry of work at the Tent of Meeting.

31-33 “This is their assigned duty as they go to work at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of The Dwelling, its crossbars, posts, and bases, as well as the posts of the surrounding Courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, cords, and all the equipment related to their use. Assign to each man exactly what he is to carry. This is the ministry of the Merarite clans as they work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”

* * *

34-37 Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation counted the Kohathites by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clans, were 2,750. This was the total from the Kohathite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded through Moses.

38-41 The Gershonites were counted by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clan and family, were 2,630. This was the total from the Gershonite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded.

42-45 The Merarites were counted by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clan, were 3,200. This was the total from the Merarite clans. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded through Moses.

46-49 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting numbered 8,580. At God’s command through Moses, each man was assigned his work and told what to carry.

And that’s the story of their numbering, as God commanded Moses.

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Numbers 4
Legacy Standard Bible

Duties of the Kohathites

4 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “Take [a]a census of the [b]descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households, 3 from (A)thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the duty of doing the work in the tent of meeting. 4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things.

5 “And when the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down (B)the veil of the screen and cover the (C)ark of the testimony with it; 6 and they shall put a (D)covering of porpoise skin on it and shall spread over it a cloth of pure [c]blue and shall insert its poles. 7 Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of [d]blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the offering bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and (E)the continual bread shall be on it. 8 And they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet material and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles. 9 Then they shall take a [e]blue cloth and cover the (F)lampstand for the light, (G)along with its lamps and its tongs, and its [f]trays and all its oil vessels, by which they minister in connection to it; 10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin and shall put it on the carrying bars. 11 And over the golden altar they shall spread a [g]blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin and shall insert its poles; 12 and they shall take all the utensils of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a [h]blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin and put them on the carrying bars. 13 Then they shall take away the [i]ashes from the (H)altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they minister in connection with it: the firepans, the flesh hooks and shovels and the bowls, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. 15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects (I)and die. These are the [j]things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

16 “And the assignment of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is (J)the oil for the light and the (K)fragrant incense and (L)the continual grain offering and (M)the anointing oil—the assignment of all the [k]tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

17 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 18 “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. 19 But do this to them that they may live and (N)not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and set each of them to his service and to his load; 20 but (O)they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”

Duties of the Gershonites

21 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take [l]a census of the sons of Gershon [m]also, by their fathers’ households, by their families; 23 from (P)thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall [n]number them; all who enter to perform the duty of performing the service in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying: 25 they shall carry (Q)the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and (R)the covering of porpoise skin that is on top of it, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, 26 and (S)the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the gate of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, [o]they shall perform. 27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their loads and in all their service, shall be performed at the [p]command of Aaron and his sons; and you shall assign to them as a responsibility all their loads. 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their responsibilities shall be [q]under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Merarites

29 “As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers’ households; 30 from (T)thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the duty of performing the service of the tent of meeting. 31 Now this is the responsibility of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its bases, 32 and the pillars around the court and their bases and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service; and you shall assign each man by name the items of the responsibility of [r]his load. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, [s]under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ households, 35 from (U)thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the duty of service in the tent of meeting. 36 Their numbered men by their families were 2,750. 37 These are the numbered men of the Kohathite families, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the [t]commandment of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

38 The numbered men of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their fathers’ households, 39 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the duty of service in the tent of meeting, 40 their numbered men by their families, by their fathers’ households, were 2,630. 41 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the [u]commandment of Yahweh.

42 The numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari by their families, by their fathers’ households, 43 from (V)thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the duty of service in the tent of meeting, 44 their numbered men by their families were 3,200. 45 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the [v]commandment of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

46 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ households, 47 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to perform the work of service and the service of carrying in the tent of meeting, 48 their numbered men were (W)8,580. 49 According to the [w]word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses, they (X)were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying; thus these were his numbered men, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 4:2 Lit the sum
  2. Numbers 4:2 Lit sons
  3. Numbers 4:6 Or violet
  4. Numbers 4:7 Or violet
  5. Numbers 4:9 Or violet
  6. Numbers 4:9 Lit snuff dishes
  7. Numbers 4:11 Or violet
  8. Numbers 4:12 Or violet
  9. Numbers 4:13 Soaked with fat; or fat ashes
  10. Numbers 4:15 Lit burden...of the sons
  11. Numbers 4:16 Lit dwelling place, so in ch
  12. Numbers 4:22 Lit the sum
  13. Numbers 4:22 Lit also them
  14. Numbers 4:23 Lit muster, so in ch
  15. Numbers 4:26 Lit so they shall serve
  16. Numbers 4:27 Lit mouth
  17. Numbers 4:28 Lit in the hand
  18. Numbers 4:32 Lit their
  19. Numbers 4:33 Lit in the hand
  20. Numbers 4:37 Lit mouth
  21. Numbers 4:41 Lit mouth
  22. Numbers 4:45 Lit mouth
  23. Numbers 4:49 Lit mouth
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Numbers 4
New International Version

The Kohathites

4 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “Take a census(A) of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families. 3 Count(B) all the men from thirty to fifty years of age(C) who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

4 “This is the work(D) of the Kohathites(E) at the tent of meeting: the care of the most holy things.(F) 5 When the camp is to move,(G) Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain(H) and put it over the ark of the covenant law.(I) 6 Then they are to cover the curtain with a durable leather,[a](J) spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles(K) in place.

7 “Over the table of the Presence(L) they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings;(M) the bread that is continually there(N) is to remain on it. 8 They are to spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover that with the durable leather and put the poles(O) in place.

9 “They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light, together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays,(P) and all its jars for the olive oil used to supply it. 10 Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of the durable leather and put it on a carrying frame.(Q)

11 “Over the gold altar(R) they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with the durable leather and put the poles(S) in place.

12 “They are to take all the articles(T) used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with the durable leather and put them on a carrying frame.(U)

13 “They are to remove the ashes(V) from the bronze altar(W) and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 Then they are to place on it all the utensils(X) used for ministering at the altar, including the firepans,(Y) meat forks,(Z) shovels(AA) and sprinkling bowls.(AB) Over it they are to spread a covering of the durable leather and put the poles(AC) in place.

15 “After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move,(AD) only then are the Kohathites(AE) to come and do the carrying.(AF) But they must not touch the holy things(AG) or they will die.(AH) The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting.

16 “Eleazar(AI) son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light,(AJ) the fragrant incense,(AK) the regular grain offering(AL) and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles.”

17 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 18 “See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the Levites. 19 So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things,(AM) do this for them: Aaron and his sons(AN) are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry.(AO) 20 But the Kohathites must not go in to look(AP) at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.”

The Gershonites

21 The Lord said to Moses, 22 “Take a census also of the Gershonites by their families and clans. 23 Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age(AQ) who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

24 “This is the service of the Gershonite clans in their carrying and their other work: 25 They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle,(AR) that is, the tent of meeting,(AS) its covering(AT) and its outer covering of durable leather, the curtains for the entrance to the tent of meeting, 26 the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar,(AU) the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard,(AV) the ropes and all the equipment(AW) used in the service of the tent. The Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things. 27 All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons.(AX) You shall assign to them as their responsibility(AY) all they are to carry. 28 This is the service of the Gershonite clans(AZ) at the tent of meeting. Their duties are to be under the direction of Ithamar(BA) son of Aaron, the priest.

The Merarites

29 “Count(BB) the Merarites by their clans and families.(BC) 30 Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting. 31 As part of all their service at the tent, they are to carry the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases,(BD) 32 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes,(BE) all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry. 33 This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the tent of meeting under the direction of Ithamar(BF) son of Aaron, the priest.”

The Numbering of the Levite Clans

34 Moses, Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the Kohathites(BG) by their clans and families. 35 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age(BH) who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting, 36 counted by clans, were 2,750. 37 This was the total of all those in the Kohathite clans(BI) who served at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord’s command through Moses.

38 The Gershonites(BJ) were counted by their clans and families. 39 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting, 40 counted by their clans and families, were 2,630. 41 This was the total of those in the Gershonite clans who served at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord’s command.

42 The Merarites were counted by their clans and families. 43 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age(BK) who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting, 44 counted by their clans, were 3,200. 45 This was the total of those in the Merarite clans.(BL) Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord’s command through Moses.

46 So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted(BM) all the Levites by their clans and families. 47 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age(BN) who came to do the work of serving and carrying the tent of meeting 48 numbered 8,580.(BO) 49 At the Lord’s command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry.

Thus they were counted,(BP) as the Lord commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 4:6 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals; also in verses 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 25
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