Numbers 4
Contemporary English Version
The Duties of the Kohathite Clans
4 The Lord told Moses and Aaron:
2-3 Find out how many men between the ages of 30 and 50 are in the four Levite clans of Kohath. Count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.
4 The Kohathites will be responsible for carrying the sacred objects used in worship at the sacred tent. 5 When the Israelites are ready to move their camp, Aaron and his sons will enter the tent and take down the curtain that separates the sacred chest from the rest of the tent. They will cover the chest with this curtain, 6 and then with a piece of fine leather, and cover it all with a solid blue cloth. After this they will put the carrying poles in place.
7 Next, Aaron and his sons will use another blue cloth to cover the table for the sacred bread.[a] On the cloth they will place the dishes, the bowls for incense, the cups, the jugs for wine, as well as the bread itself. 8 They are to cover all of this with a bright red cloth, and then with a piece of fine leather, before putting the carrying poles in place.
9 With another blue cloth they will cover the lampstand, along with the lamps, the lamp snuffers, the fire pans, and the jars of oil for the lamps. 10 All of this will then be covered with a piece of fine leather and placed on a carrying frame.
11 The gold incense altar[b] is to be covered with a blue cloth, and then with a piece of fine leather, before its carrying poles are put in place.
12 Next, Aaron and his sons will take blue cloth and wrap all the objects used in worship at the sacred tent. These will need to be covered with a piece of fine leather, then placed on a carrying frame.
13 They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and cover it with a purple cloth. 14 On that cloth will be placed the utensils used at the altar, including the fire pans, the meat forks, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls. All of this will then be covered with a piece of fine leather, before the carrying poles are put in place.
15 When the camp is ready to be moved, the Kohathites will be responsible for carrying the sacred objects and the furnishings of the sacred tent. But Aaron and his sons must have already covered those things so the Kohathites won't touch them and die.
16 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest will be in charge of the oil for the lamps, the sweet-smelling incense, the grain for the sacrifices, and the olive oil used for dedications and ordinations. Eleazar is responsible for seeing that the sacred tent, its furnishings, and the sacred objects are taken care of.
17-20 The Kohathites must not go near or even look at the sacred objects until Aaron and his sons have covered those objects. If they do, their entire clan will be wiped out. So make sure that Aaron and his sons go into the tent with them and tell them what to carry.
The Duties of the Gershonite Clans
21 The Lord said to Moses:
22-23 Find out how many men between the ages of 30 and 50 are in the two Levite clans of Gershon. Count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.
24 The Gershonites will be responsible 25 for carrying the curtains of the sacred tent, its two outer coverings,[c] the curtain for the entrance to the tent, 26 the curtains hanging around the courtyard of the tent, and the curtain and ropes for the entrance to the courtyard. The Gershonites are to do whatever needs to be done to take care of these things, 27 and they will carry them wherever Aaron and his sons tell them to. 28 These are the duties of the Gershonites at the sacred tent, and Ithamar son of Aaron will make sure they do their work.
The Duties of the Merarite Clans
29-30 The Lord said:
Moses, find out how many men between 30 and 50 are in the two Levite clans of Merari, but count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.
31 The Merarites will be responsible for carrying the frames of the tent and its other pieces, including the bars, the posts, and the stands, 32 as well as the posts that support the courtyard, together with their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merarites are to be told exactly what objects they are to carry, 33 and Ithamar son of Aaron will make sure they do their work.
The Levites Are Counted Again
34-49 Moses, Aaron, and the other Israelite leaders obeyed the Lord and counted the Levi tribe by families and clans, to find out how many men there were between the ages of 30 and 50 who could work at the sacred tent. There were 2,750 Kohathites, 2,630 Gershonites, and 3,200 Merarites, making a total of 8,580. Then they were all assigned their duties.
Footnotes
- 4.7 sacred bread: This bread was offered to the Lord and was a symbol of his presence in the sacred tent. It was put out on a special table and was replaced with fresh bread each Sabbath (Leviticus 24.5-9).
- 4.11 gold incense altar: This altar for offering incense was inside the sacred tent; it was made of acacia wood covered with gold. A large altar for offering sacrifices was in front of the entrance to the tent; it was made of acacia wood covered with bronze (see verse 13).
- 4.25 two outer coverings: See Exodus 26.14.
Numbers 4
Tree of Life Version
Preparing the Sanctuary to Move
4 Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families and by their ancestral households, 3 everyone from 30 years of age to 50, all who come to serve doing the work in the Tent of Meeting.
4 “This is the task of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting—the most holy things. 5 Whenever the camp is about to move out, Aaron and his sons are to take down the shielding curtain[a] and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it. 6 Then they are to cover this with porpoise hide, then spread over it a cloth of solid blue. Then they are to put its poles in place.
7 “Then over the table of the Presence they are to spread a solid blue cloth, then lay on it the plates, ladles, bowls, and jars for the drink offering. The bread that is continually there is to remain there. [b] 8 Over them they are to spread a solid scarlet cloth, cover it with a covering of porpoise hide, then install its poles.
9 “Then they are to take a blue cloth and cover the menorah for light, along with its lamps, tongs, snuffers and oil jars that they use to tend to it. 10 They then are to wrap it and all its accessories in a cover of porpoise hide and place it all on a carrying frame.
11 “Over the golden altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with a covering of porpoise hide, then put its poles in place.
12 “They are to take all the utensils used for the service of the ministry of the Sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with porpoise hide, and place them on a carrying frame.
13 “They are to remove the ashes from the altar, then spread over it a purple cloth. 14 They are to put onto it all the utensils with which they tend to the altar, among them the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. They are to spread over it a covering of porpoise hide and install its poles.
15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the Sanctuary and all its holy implements, and when the camp is ready to move out, after this the sons of Kohath may come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy items or they will die. These are the task of the sons of Kohath with regard to the Tent of Meeting.
16 “Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen will have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to have charge of the Tabernacle and all that is in it, including its holy items and all its implements.”
17 Adonai spoke to Moses and Aaron saying, 18 “You are not to let the families of the tribe of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. 19 Do this for them so that they may live and not die whenever they approach the most holy items—Aaron and his sons are to go into the Sanctuary and assign each man his job and his responsibility. 20 But the Kohathites are not to go in to look at what is holy, not even momentarily, or they will die.”
Parashat Naso
21 Again Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 22 “Take a census also of the sons of Gershon, by their ancestral households and by their families. 23 Count all the males from 30 to 50 years of age, everyone coming to work in the service of the Tent of Meeting. 24 This is the task of the Gershonite families in working and carrying burdens. 25 They are to carry the curtains of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, its covering, the outer covering of porpoise hide, the curtains for the entrance for the Tent of Meeting, 26 the curtains surrounding the courtyard and the altar, the curtain for the entrance, the ropes and all the equipment used in its operations. They are to do all that needs to be done with these things.
27 The sons of the Gershonites are to do all their tasks, whether carrying or doing other work, according to the word of Aaron and his sons. You are to assign to them all that is their responsibility to carry. 28 This is the duty of the families of the sons of the Gershonites regarding the Tent of Meeting. Their duty will be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the kohen.
29 Next, count the sons of Merari, according to their families and their ancestral houses, 30 sons 30 years old and upward to 50, everyone coming to work in the service of the Tent of Meeting. 31 This is their task in the service of the Tent of Meeting: the frames of the Tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases, 32 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard, plus their bases, tent pegs, ropes, and all their paraphernalia with everything related to their operation. Assign to them by name their duties and tasks. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari as they work under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the kohen.”
34 So Moses, Aaron and the princes of the community counted the sons of the Kohathites according to their families and their ancestral households. 35 All the men who came to do the service of the Tent of Meeting, from 30 to 50 years of age, 36 were counted by families—2,750. 37 This was the total of those in the families of the Kohathites, every one serving in the Tent of Meeting—Moses and Aaron counted them according to the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand.
38 The sons of Gershon were counted according to their families and their ancestral households. 39 Males from 30 years old and upward to 50, all those coming into the work of the service of the Tent of Meeting, 40 numbered according to their families and ancestral households 2,630. 41 These were those counted from the families of the sons of Gershon, each serving in the Tent of Meeting—Moses and Aaron counted according to the mouth of Adonai.
42 Those were counted from the families and ancestral households of the sons of Merari, 43 from 30 years of age upward to 50, who came to the work of the service of the Tent of Meeting. 44 Numbered by their families, they were 3,200. 45 These were those numbered from the families of the sons of Merari by Moses and Aaron in accordance with the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand.
46 Thus Moses, Aaron and the princes of Israel counted all the Levites by their families and by their ancestral houses. 47 All the men from 30 to 50 years old who came to do the work of the service and of carrying the Tent of Meeting 48 numbered 8,580.
49 From the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand, each man was assigned his work and his burden to carry. So they were counted, as Adonai commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 4:5 cf. Matt. 27:51.
- Numbers 4:8 cf. Heb. 9:2.
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Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.