The Duties of the Kohathites

4 The Lord told Moses and Aaron ² to take a census of the descendants of Kohath among the Levites, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, ³ from thirty years old to fifty years old, everyone eligible for the service of performing the tasks at the Tent of Meeting.

⁴ This is the work for the descendants of Kohath at the Tent of Meeting: to take care of the most holy things. ⁵ When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons are to go into the Dwelling. They are to take down the veil that screens the ark, cover the Ark of the Testimony with it, ⁶ put a covering made from the hides of sea cows^[a] over it, spread a solid blue cloth over that, and insert its poles.

⁷ Over the table for the Bread of the Presence^[b] they are to spread a blue cloth and put the dishes, the small bowls, the larger bowls, and the pitchers for the drink offering on it.^[c] The bread that is continually there is to remain on it. ⁸ Then they are to spread a scarlet cloth over these things, cover them with a covering made from the hides of sea cows, and insert its poles.

⁹ They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand used for light, its lamps, its snuffers, its fire pans, and all the jars of oil used to supply it. ¹⁰ They are to put the lampstand and all its accessories under a cover made from the hides of sea cows and put it on a carrying frame.

¹¹ Over the golden altar they are to spread a blue cloth, cover it with a covering made from the hides of sea cows, and insert its poles. ¹² They are to take all the utensils which they use in the sanctuary and put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering made from the hides of sea cows, and put them on a carrying frame.

¹³ They are to remove the fat-soaked ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. ¹⁴ They are to put on it all the utensils which they use around the altar: the fire pans, the meat hooks,^[d] the shovels, and the basins—the utensils of the altar. They will spread a covering made of the hides of sea cows over the altar and insert its poles.

¹⁵ After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the items of the sanctuary, when the camp sets out, the descendants of Kohath will come to carry them. But they are not to touch the sanctuary or they will die. The descendants of Kohath are to carry these things associated with the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁶ Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be in charge of the lamp oil, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He shall be in charge of the entire Dwelling, everything in it, the holy objects, and its furnishings.

¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ¹⁸ “Do not allow the tribe of the Kohathite clans to be cut off from among the Levites. ¹⁹ Do this for them so that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things: Aaron and his sons are to go in and assign to each one of them what he is to do and what he is to carry. ²⁰ But the Kohathites must not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment or they will die.”