They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle.

They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.

Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

“This is the work of the Kohathites at the tent of meeting: the care of the most holy things.

So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry.

Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

“This is the service of the Gershonite clans in their carrying and their other work:

All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. You shall assign to them as their responsibility all they are to carry.

Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the tent of meeting under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.”

All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting,

All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting,

All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting,

All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the tent of meeting

At the Lord’s command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry. Thus they were counted, as the Lord commanded Moses.

“Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man’s work requires.”

He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required,

and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.

Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.

“After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting.

From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”

After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.

“This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting,

but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer.

They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”