Numbers 4:1-20

Modern English Version

Duties of the Kohathites

4 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to 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 older, even to fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tent of meeting.

⁴ This will be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the holiest things. ⁵ And when the camp sets out, Aaron will come, and his sons, and they will take down the covering curtain, and cover the ark of the testimony with it, ⁶ and will put on it the covering of porpoise skins, and will spread over it a cloth completely of blue, and will put in its poles.

⁷ Upon the table of showbread they will spread a cloth of blue, and put the dishes on it, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover it, and the showbread will be on it. ⁸ And they will spread on them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skins, and will put in its poles.

⁹ They will take a cloth of blue, and cover the lampstand of the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuff dishes, and all its oil vessels, with which they minister to it. ¹⁰ And they will put it and all its vessels within a covering of porpoise skins and will put it on a carrying pole.

¹¹ Upon the golden altar they will spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of porpoise skins, and will put in its poles.

¹² And they will take all the instruments of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of porpoise skins, and will put them on a carrying pole.

¹³ And they will take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth on it. ¹⁴ They shall put on it all the instruments with which they minister there, the censers, the flesh hooks, the shovels, the basins, all the utensils of the altar. And they will spread on it a covering of porpoise skins and insert its poles.

¹⁵ When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set out, after that, the sons of Kohath will come to carry it. But they will not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.

¹⁶ To the office of Eleazar, Aaron the priest’s son, pertains the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, in the sanctuary, and in the instruments thereof.

¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: ¹⁸ Do not cut the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites. ¹⁹ But do this to them, that they may live and not die, when they approach the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go in, and appoint each one to his service and to his burden. ²⁰ But they will not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.