^38 (A)Moreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, ^(B)keeping charge of the sanctuary, ^(C)to meet the needs of the children of Israel; but ^(D)the outsider who came near was to be put to death.

¹⁰ So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, ^(A)and they shall attend to their priesthood; ^(B)but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

^53 (A)but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no ^(B)wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall ^(C)keep^[a] charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

³ On the ^(A)east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and ^(B)Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah.”

⁴⁸ And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to every ^(A)kind of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

The Family of Aaron

^49 (B)But Aaron and his sons offered sacrifices ^(C)on the altar of burnt offering and ^(D)on the altar of incense, for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 Then the Lord said to Aaron: ^(A)“You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall ^(B)bear the ^[a]iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. ² Also bring with you your brethren of the ^(C)tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be ^(D)joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of ^[b]witness. ³ They shall attend to your ^[c]needs and ^(E)all the needs of the tabernacle; ^(F)but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, ^(G)lest they die—they and you also. ⁴ They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; ^(H)but an outsider shall not come near you. ⁵ And you shall attend to ^(I)the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, ^(J)that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel.

³⁵ The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. ^(A)These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

^29 (A)The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.

^23 (A)The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward.