^50 (A)But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it ^(B)and shall camp around the tabernacle.

Materials for the Tabernacle

²¹ These are the records of the tabernacle, ^(A)the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites ^(B)under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

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 ^(A)the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, ^(B)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.

¹⁸ And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the ^(A)two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with ^(B)the finger of God.

²² Then I commanded the Levites ^(A)that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. ^(B)Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

¹⁰ I also found out that ^(A)the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each ^(B)to his field. ^11 (C)So I confronted the officials and said, ^(D)“Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. ¹² Then all Judah brought ^(E)the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. ¹³ And ^(F)I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, ^(G)for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers.

^25 (A)they shall carry ^(B)the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with ^(C)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 ^(D)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 (E)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 ^(F)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 ^(G)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, ^(H)under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

^23 (A)The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, ²⁴ with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers' house of the Gershonites. ²⁵ And the ^(B)guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved ^(C)the tabernacle, ^(D)the tent with ^(E)its covering, ^(F)the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, ^26 (G)the hangings of the court, ^(H)the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and ^(I)its cords—all the service connected with these.

²⁷ To Kohath belonged the clan of the ^(J)Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites. ²⁸ According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary. ²⁹ The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, ³⁰ with ^(K)Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers' house of the clans of the Kohathites. ³¹ And their guard duty involved ^(L)the ark, ^(M)the table, ^(N)the lampstand, ^(O)the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and ^(P)the screen; all the service connected with these. ³² And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary.

³³ To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari. ³⁴ Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200. ³⁵ And the chief of the fathers' house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. ^36 (Q)And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the ^(R)frames of the tabernacle, ^(S)the bars, ^(T)the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these; ³⁷ also ^(U)the pillars around the court, with their bases and ^(V)pegs and ^(W)cords.

³⁸ Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, ^(X)guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect^[a] the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death.