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Numbers 4:1-5:10
English Standard Version
Numbers 4:1-5:10
English Standard Version
Duties of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites
4 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 3 (A)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: (B)the most holy things. 5 When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down (C)the veil of the screen and cover (D)the ark of the testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin[a] and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its (E)poles. 7 And over the (F)table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; (G)the regular showbread also shall be on it. 8 Then they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet and cover the same with a covering of goatskin, and shall (H)put in its poles. 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover (I)the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied. 10 And they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of goatskin and put it on the carrying frame. 11 And over (J)the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 12 And they shall take all (K)the vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame. 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that (L)the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, (M)but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16 “And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of (N)the oil for the light, the (O)fragrant incense, (P)the regular grain offering, and (Q)the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”
17 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, 19 but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to (R)the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, 20 (S)but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
21 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses and by their clans. 23 (T)From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can (U)come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens: 25 (V)they shall carry (W)the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with (X)its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting 26 and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them. 27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry. 28 This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be (Y)under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29 “As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers' houses. 30 (Z)From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 31 And (AA)this is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases, 32 and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall (AB)list by name the objects that they are required to carry. 33 This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, (AC)under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
34 And Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation listed the sons of the Kohathites, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 35 (AD)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting; 36 and those listed by clans were 2,750. 37 (AE)This was the list of the clans of the Kohathites, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
38 Those listed of the sons of Gershon, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 39 (AF)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty for service in the tent of meeting— 40 those listed by their clans and their fathers' houses were 2,630. 41 (AG)This was the list of the clans of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord.
42 Those listed of the clans of the sons of Merari, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 43 (AH)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting— 44 those listed by clans were 3,200. 45 (AI)This was the list of the clans of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
46 All those who were listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel listed, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 47 (AJ)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come to do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, 48 those listed were 8,580. 49 According to the commandment of the Lord through Moses they were listed, (AK)each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, (AL)as the Lord commanded Moses.
Unclean People
5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel that they (AM)put out of the camp everyone who is leprous[b] or has (AN)a discharge and everyone who is (AO)unclean through contact with the dead. 3 You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, (AP)in the midst of which I dwell.” 4 And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord said to Moses, so the people of Israel did.
Confession and Restitution
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Speak to the people of Israel, (AQ)When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, 7 (AR)he shall confess his sin that he has committed.[c] (AS)And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. 8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to (AT)the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him. 9 And (AU)every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his. 10 Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 4:6 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; compare Exodus 25:5
- Numbers 5:2 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Numbers 5:7 Hebrew they shall confess their sin that they have committed
Numbers 4:1-5:10
New International Version
Numbers 4:1-5:10
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.
The Purity of the Camp
5 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease[b](BQ) or a discharge(BR) of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean(BS) because of a dead body.(BT) 3 Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.(BU)” 4 The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
Restitution for Wrongs
5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way[c] and so is unfaithful(BV) to the Lord is guilty(BW) 7 and must confess(BX) the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution(BY) for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged. 8 But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram(BZ) with which atonement is made for the wrongdoer.(CA) 9 All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him.(CB) 10 Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.(CC)’”
Footnotes
- Numbers 4:6 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals; also in verses 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 25
- Numbers 5:2 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
- Numbers 5:6 Or woman who commits any wrong common to mankind
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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