Numbers 4
King James Version
4 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,
3 From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
4 This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:
5 And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it:
6 And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.
7 And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:
8 And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.
9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it:
10 And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it upon a bar.
11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the staves thereof:
12 And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar:
13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:
14 And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it.
15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
16 And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.
17 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying,
18 Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites:
19 But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden:
20 But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.
21 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
22 Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families;
23 From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens:
25 And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
26 And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.
27 At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens.
28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;
30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.
31 And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof,
32 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.
33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
34 And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers,
35 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:
36 And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
37 These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers,
39 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
40 Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.
41 These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the Lord.
42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers,
43 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
44 Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred.
45 These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
46 All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers,
47 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation.
48 Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore,
49 According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Numbers 4
Lexham English Bible
The Census of the Kohathites
4 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census[a] of the descendants[b] of Kohath from the midst of the descendants[c] of Levi, according to their clans and their families,[d] 3 from thirty years old[e] and above, up to fifty years old,[f] everyone who comes to the service to do the work in the tent of assembly. 4 This is the work of the descendants[g] of Kohath in the tent of assembly, concerning the holiness of the sanctuary: 5 When setting out the camp, Aaron and his sons will go and lower the curtain of the covering and cover with it the ark of the testimony.[h] 6 They will put on it a covering of fine leather,[i] and they will spread a cloth of perfect blue over it, and they will place its poles. 7 And over the table of the presence they will spread out a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes, and libation bowls, and the pitchers of the libation; and the bread of continuity will be on it. 8 They will spread over it a scarlet cloth, and they will cover it with a covering of fine leather,[j] and they will place its poles. 9 They will take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light source, its lamps, a pair of its tongs, its small pans, and all the vessels of its oil with which they attend to it. 10 They will put it and all its vessels inside a covering of fine leather[k] and put it on the carrying frame. 11 Over the altar of gold they will spread a blue cloth, and they will cover it with a covering of fine leather[l] and place its poles. 12 They will take all the vessels of the cultic service with which they serve in the sanctuary and put them on a blue cloth, and they will cover them with a covering of fine leather;[m] and they will put them on the carrying frame. 13 They will remove the fat-soaked ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it; 14 they will put on it all the vessels with which they serve, the fire pans, forks, shovels, and bowls—all the vessels of the altar. They will spread on it a covering of fine leather;[n] and they will place its poles. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary when the camp sets out, the descendants[o] of Kohath will come after to carry these, but they must not touch the sanctuary, or they will die. These are the load of the descendants[p] of Kohath in the tent of assembly.
16 “Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is to supervise the oil of the light source, the incense, the regular grain offering,[q] the oil of anointment, the supervision of all the tabernacle and all that is in it, in the sanctuary and in its vessels.”
17 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “You must not cut off the tribe of the clan of the Kohathites[r] from the midst of the Levites. 19 Do this to them and they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go and appoint them, each one to his task and burden. 20 But they must not go and look for a moment[s] at the holy objects.”
21 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 22 “Take a census[t] of the descendants[u] of Gershon also, according to their families[v] and clans, 23 from those twenty years old[w] and above until fifty years old;[x] you will muster[y] them, all who come to help to do the work of the tent of assembly. 24 This is the work of the clans of the Gershonites:[z] to serve and to carry. 25 They will carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of assembly and its covering and the covering of fine leather,[aa] which is on top of it,[ab] and the curtain of the doorway of the tent of assembly, 26 and the curtains of the courtyard, and the covering for the doorway of the gate of the courtyard, which is all around on the tabernacle and altar, and their cords and all the vessels of their work; and all that is done to them they will do. 27 And all the work of the descendants[ac] of the Gershonites[ad] will be at the command[ae] of Aaron and his sons, for all they are to carry and for all their work, and you will appoint to them responsibility for all they are to carry. 28 This is the work of the clan of the descendants[af] of the Gershonites[ag] in the tent of assembly, and their responsibility lies under the direction[ah] of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
29 “For the descendants[ai] of Merari according to their clans, according to their families,[aj] you will muster[ak] them; 30 from those thirty years old[al] and above until fifty years old;[am] you will muster[an] them, all who come to do the work of the tent of assembly. 31 And this is the responsibility of those who are to carry,[ao] all their work in the tent of assembly: the frames of the tabernacle and its bars, pillars, and bases, 32 and the pillars of the courtyard all around, and their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their vessels and for all their work. You will appoint by name the vessels that they are responsible to carry. 33 This is the work of the clan of the descendants[ap] of Merari, for all their work in the tent of assembly under the direction[aq] of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”
34 And Moses and Aaron mustered the leaders of the community according to the house of their families,[ar] 35 from those thirty years old[as] and above until fifty years old;[at] everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly, 36 the ones counted[au] were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37 These were those counted of the clans of the Kohathites,[av] everyone who served in the tent of assembly whom Moses and Aaron mustered[aw] according to the command[ax] of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.[ay]
38 And the descendants[az] of Gershon counted according to their clans and according to their families,[ba] 39 from those thirty years old[bb] and above until fifty years old,[bc] everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly; 40 the ones counted,[bd] according to their clans, according to their families,[be] were two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41 These were those counted of the clans of the descendants[bf] of Gershon, everyone who serves in the tent of assembly whom Moses and Aaron mustered[bg] according to the command[bh] of Yahweh.
42 Those counted of the clans of the descendants[bi] of Merari according to their clans, according to their families,[bj] 43 from those thirty years old[bk] and above until fifty years old,[bl] everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly, 44 the ones counted,[bm] according to their clans, were three thousand two hundred. 45 These were those counted of the clans of the descendants[bn] of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron mustered[bo] according to the command[bp] of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.[bq]
46 All those counted of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and all the leaders of Israel mustered[br] according to their clans, according to their families,[bs] 47 from those thirty years old[bt] and above until fifty years old,[bu] everyone who comes to the service to do the work of the service carrying in the tent of assembly, 48 the ones counted[bv] were eighty thousand five hundred and eighty. 49 According to the command[bw] of Yahweh by the hand of Moses[bx] they were mustered,[by] each man according to his service and according to their[bz] service and according to their[ca] burden; and so they were counted by him just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 4:2 Literally “and lift up the number of”
- Numbers 4:2 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:2 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:2 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 4:3 Literally “a son of thirty years”
- Numbers 4:3 Literally “a son of fifty years”
- Numbers 4:4 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:5 Or “the ark of the covenant”
- Numbers 4:6 Literally “the hide of a sea cow”
- Numbers 4:8 Literally “the hide of a sea cow”
- Numbers 4:10 Literally “the hide of a sea cow”
- Numbers 4:11 Literally “the hide of a sea cow”
- Numbers 4:12 Literally “the hide of a sea cow”
- Numbers 4:14 Literally “the hide of a sea cow”
- Numbers 4:15 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:15 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:16 Literally “the grain offering of continuity”
- Numbers 4:18 Hebrew “Kohathite”
- Numbers 4:20 Literally “as devouring”
- Numbers 4:22 Literally “And lift up the number of”
- Numbers 4:22 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:22 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 4:23 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 4:23 Literally “a son of fifty years”
- Numbers 4:23 Or “count,” or “summon,” or “enroll”
- Numbers 4:24 Hebrew “Gershonite”
- Numbers 4:25 Literally “the hide of a sea cow”
- Numbers 4:25 Literally “is above upon it”
- Numbers 4:27 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:27 Hebrew “Gershonite”
- Numbers 4:27 Literally “the mouth”
- Numbers 4:28 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:28 Hebrew “Gershonite”
- Numbers 4:28 Literally “in the hand”
- Numbers 4:29 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:29 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 4:29 Or “count,” or “summon,” or “enroll”
- Numbers 4:30 Literally “a son of thirty years”
- Numbers 4:30 Literally “a son of fifty years”
- Numbers 4:30 Or “count,” or “summon,” or “enroll”
- Numbers 4:31 Literally “them carrying”
- Numbers 4:33 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:33 Literally “in the hand”
- Numbers 4:34 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 4:35 Literally “a son of thirty years”
- Numbers 4:35 Literally “a son of fifty years”
- Numbers 4:36 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
- Numbers 4:37 Hebrew “Kohathite”
- Numbers 4:37 Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 4:37 Literally “the mouth”
- Numbers 4:37 Or “through Moses”
- Numbers 4:38 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:38 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 4:39 Literally “a son of thirty years”
- Numbers 4:39 Literally “a son of fifty years”
- Numbers 4:40 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
- Numbers 4:40 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 4:41 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:41 Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 4:41 Literally “the mouth”
- Numbers 4:42 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:42 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 4:43 Literally “thirty years and above”
- Numbers 4:43 Literally “a son of fifty years”
- Numbers 4:44 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
- Numbers 4:45 Or “sons”
- Numbers 4:45 Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 4:45 Literally “the mouth”
- Numbers 4:45 Or “through Moses”
- Numbers 4:46 Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 4:46 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 4:47 Literally “a son of thirty years”
- Numbers 4:47 Literally “a son of fifty years”
- Numbers 4:48 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
- Numbers 4:49 Literally “the mouth”
- Numbers 4:49 Or “through Moses”
- Numbers 4:49 Hebrew “he mustered”
- Numbers 4:49 Hebrew “his”
- Numbers 4:49 Hebrew “his”
Numbers 4
New King James Version
Duties of the Sons of Kohath
4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “Take a census of the sons of (A)Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house, 3 (B)from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.
4 (C)“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to (D)the most holy things: 5 When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down (E)the covering veil and cover the (F)ark of the Testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of (G)blue; and they shall insert (H)its poles.
7 “On the (I)table of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the [a]pitchers for pouring; and the (J)showbread[b] shall be on it. 8 They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. 9 And they shall take a blue cloth and cover the (K)lampstand of the light, (L)with its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil vessels, with which they service it. 10 Then they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of badger skins, and put it on a carrying beam.
11 “Over (M)the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. 12 Then they shall take all the (N)utensils of service with which they minister in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger skins, and put them on a carrying beam. 13 Also they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 They shall put on it all its implements with which they minister there—the firepans, the forks, the shovels, the [c]basins, and all the utensils of the altar—and they shall spread on it a covering of badger skins, and insert its poles. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then (O)the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; (P)but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.
“(Q)These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16 “The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is (R)the oil for the light, the (S)sweet incense, (T)the daily grain offering, the (U)anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 18 “Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; 19 but do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach (V)the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and [d]appoint each of them to his service and his task. 20 (W)But they shall not go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, lest they die.”
Duties of the Sons of Gershon
21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 22 “Also take a census of the sons of (X)Gershon, by their fathers’ house, by their families. 23 (Y)From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. 24 This is the (Z)service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and carrying: 25 (AA)They shall carry the (AB)curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meeting with its covering, the covering of (AC)badger skins that is on it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 26 the screen for the door of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve.
27 “Aaron and his sons shall [e]assign all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall [f]appoint to them all their tasks as their duty. 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their duties shall be (AD)under the [g]authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Duties of the Sons of Merari
29 “As for the sons of (AE)Merari, you shall number them by their families and by their fathers’ house. 30 (AF)From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 31 And (AG)this is (AH)what they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: (AI)the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 32 and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings and all their service; and you shall (AJ)assign to each man by name the items he must carry. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting, under the [h]authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
Census of the Levites
34 (AK)And Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ house, 35 from thirty (AL)years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting; 36 and those who were numbered by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37 These were the ones who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
38 And those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families and by their fathers’ house, 39 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— 40 those who were numbered by their families, by their fathers’ house, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41 (AM)These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord.
42 Those of the families of the sons of Merari who were numbered, by their families, by their fathers’ [i]house, 43 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— 44 those who were numbered by their families were three thousand two hundred. 45 These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered (AN)according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
46 All who were (AO)numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ houses, 47 (AP)from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tabernacle of meeting— 48 those who were numbered were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.
49 According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moses, (AQ)each according to his service and according to his task; thus were they numbered by him, (AR)as the Lord commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 4:7 jars for the drink offering
- Numbers 4:7 Lit. continual bread
- Numbers 4:14 bowls
- Numbers 4:19 assign
- Numbers 4:27 command
- Numbers 4:27 assign
- Numbers 4:28 Lit. hand
- Numbers 4:33 Lit. hand
- Numbers 4:42 household
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
