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
Expanded Bible
The Jobs of the Kohath Family
4 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “·Count [Take a census of; L Lift the head of] the Kohathites ·among [or separate from] the Levites by ·family groups [clans] and families. 3 ·Count [Take a census of; L Lift the head of] the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who come to serve in the Meeting Tent.
4 “The Kohathites are responsible for the most holy things in the Meeting Tent. 5 When the ·Israelites are [L camp is] ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], take down the curtain, and cover the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; Ex. 25:10] with it. 6 Over this they must put a covering made from ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14], then spread the solid blue cloth over that [Ex. 26:1–6], and put the poles in place.
7 “Then they must spread a blue cloth over the table for the ·bread that shows a person is in God’s presence [Bread of Presence; Ex. 25:30]. They must put the plates, pans, bowls, and the jars for drink offerings on the table; they must leave the bread that is always there on the table. 8 Then they must put a ·red [crimson] cloth over all of these things, cover everything with ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14], and put the poles in place.
9 “With a blue cloth they must cover the ·lampstand [L Menorah; Ex. 25:31–40], its lamps, its wick trimmers, its trays, and all the jars for the oil used in the lamps. 10 Then they must wrap everything in ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14] and put all these things on a frame for carrying them.
11 “They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar [C the altar of incense; Ex. 30:1–6], cover it with ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14], and put the poles in place.
12 “They must gather all the things used for serving in the Holy Place and wrap them in a blue cloth. Then they must cover that with ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14] and put these things on a frame for carrying them.
13 “They must clean the ashes off the bronze altar [Ex. 27:1–8] and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 They must gather all the things used for serving at the altar—the ·pans for carrying the fire [firepans], the meat forks, the shovels, and the ·bowls [basins]—and put them on the bronze altar. Then they must spread a covering of ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14] over it and put the poles in place.
15 “When the ·Israelites are [L camp is] ready to move, and when Aaron and his sons have covered the ·holy furniture [or Holy Place] and all the holy things, the Kohathites may go in and carry them away. In this way they won’t touch the holy things and die. It is the Kohathites’ job to carry the things that are in the Meeting Tent.
16 “Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, will be responsible for the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and for everything in it, for all the holy things it has: the oil for the lamp [Ex. 27:20–21], the sweet-smelling incense, the continual ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1], and the oil used to appoint priests [Ex. 30:22–38] and things to the Lord’s service.”
17 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 18 “Don’t let the ·Kohathites [L the tribe of the clans of Kohath] be cut off from the Levites. 19 Do this for the Kohathites so that they may go near the Most Holy Place and live and not die: Aaron and his sons must go in and show each Kohathite what to do and what to carry. 20 The Kohathites must not enter and look at the holy things, even for a second, or they will die.”
The Jobs of the Gershon Family
21 The Lord said to Moses, 22 “·Count [Take a census of; L Lift the head of] the Gershonites by families and ·family groups [clans]. 23 ·Count [Take a census of; L Lift the head of] the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who have a job to do in the Meeting Tent.
24 “This is what the Gershonite ·family groups [clans] must do and what they must carry. 25 They must carry the curtains of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Meeting Tent, its covering, and its outer covering made from ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14]. They must also carry the ·curtains [screen] for the entrance to the Meeting Tent, 26 the curtains of the courtyard [Ex. 27:9–19] that go around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and the altar [Ex. 27:1–8], the ·curtain [screen] for the entry to the courtyard, the ropes, and all the things used with the curtains. They must do everything connected with these things. 27 Aaron and his sons are in charge of what the Gershonites do or carry; you tell them what they are responsible for carrying. 28 This is the work of the ·Gershonite family group [L clan of the sons of Gershon] at the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.
The Jobs of the Merari Family
29 “·Count [Take a census of; L Lift the head of] the ·Merarite families and [L sons of Merari by] ·family groups [clans]. 30 ·Count [Take a census of; L Lift the head of] the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who work at the Meeting Tent. 31 It is their job to carry the following as they serve in the Meeting Tent: the frames of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the crossbars, the ·posts [pillars], and bases, 32 in addition to the ·posts [pillars] that go around the courtyard, their bases, tent pegs, ropes, and everything that is used with the poles around the courtyard. Tell each man exactly what to carry. 33 This is the work the Merarite ·family group [clan] will do for the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.”
The Levite Families
34 Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of ·Israel [L the community/congregation/assembly] counted the ·Kohathites [L sons/descendants of Kohath] by families and ·family groups [clans], 35 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent. 36 There were 2,750 men in the ·family groups [clans]. 37 This was the total of the Kohath ·family groups [clans] who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded Moses.
38 Also, the ·Gershonites [L the sons/descendants of Gershon] were counted by families and ·family groups [clans], 39 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were given work at the Meeting Tent. 40 The families and family groups had 2,630 men. 41 This was the total of the Gershon ·family groups [clans] who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded.
42 Also, the men in the families and ·family groups [clans] of the ·Merari family [L sons/descendants of Merari] were counted, 43 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent. 44 The family groups had 3,200 men. 45 This was the total of the Merari ·family groups [clans], whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded Moses.
46 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by families and ·family groups [clans]. 47 They counted the men from thirty to fifty who were given work at the Meeting Tent and who carried the Tent. 48 The total number of these men was 8,580. 49 Each man was counted as the Lord had commanded Moses; each man was given his work and told what to carry as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Numbers 4
English Standard Version
Duties of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites
4 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 3 (A)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: (B)the most holy things. 5 When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down (C)the veil of the screen and cover (D)the ark of the testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin[a] and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its (E)poles. 7 And over the (F)table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; (G)the regular showbread also shall be on it. 8 Then they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet and cover the same with a covering of goatskin, and shall (H)put in its poles. 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover (I)the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied. 10 And they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of goatskin and put it on the carrying frame. 11 And over (J)the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 12 And they shall take all (K)the vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame. 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that (L)the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, (M)but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16 “And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of (N)the oil for the light, the (O)fragrant incense, (P)the regular grain offering, and (Q)the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”
17 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, 19 but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to (R)the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, 20 (S)but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
21 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses and by their clans. 23 (T)From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can (U)come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens: 25 (V)they shall carry (W)the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with (X)its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting 26 and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them. 27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry. 28 This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be (Y)under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29 “As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers' houses. 30 (Z)From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 31 And (AA)this is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases, 32 and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall (AB)list by name the objects that they are required to carry. 33 This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, (AC)under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
34 And Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation listed the sons of the Kohathites, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 35 (AD)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting; 36 and those listed by clans were 2,750. 37 (AE)This was the list of the clans of the Kohathites, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
38 Those listed of the sons of Gershon, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 39 (AF)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty for service in the tent of meeting— 40 those listed by their clans and their fathers' houses were 2,630. 41 (AG)This was the list of the clans of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord.
42 Those listed of the clans of the sons of Merari, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 43 (AH)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting— 44 those listed by clans were 3,200. 45 (AI)This was the list of the clans of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
46 All those who were listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel listed, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 47 (AJ)from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come to do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, 48 those listed were 8,580. 49 According to the commandment of the Lord through Moses they were listed, (AK)each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, (AL)as the Lord commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 4:6 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; compare Exodus 25:5
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