Chapter 4, And the LORD spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,
Set it forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the
covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it, and shall put thereon
the covering of badger skins, and shall spread over it a cloth holy of blue,
and shall put in the staves thereof.
And upon the table of showbread 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, and they shall spread upon them a cloth of
scarlet, and cover the same with the covering of badger skins, and shall put in
the staves thereof.
And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light,
and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuff dishes, and all the oil vessels
thereof, wherewith they minister unto it.
And they shall put it, and all the vessels thereof, within a covering of badger
skins, and shall put it upon a bar.
And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with
a covering of badger skins, and shall put to the staves thereof.
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
badger skins, and shall put them on a bar.
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth
thereon, and they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they
minister about it, even the censers, the flesh hooks, and the shovels,
and the basins, all the vessels of the altar, and they shall spread upon it a
covering of badger skins, and put to the staves of it.
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.
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.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Cut ye not off the tribe of
the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites, 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.
But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take also the sum of the sons of
Gershon throughout the houses of their fathers by their families.
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.
This is the service of the families of the Gershonites to serve and for burdens.
And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the
congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgerskins that is above
upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
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.
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.
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.
As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families by the
house of their fathers.
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.
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, 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.
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.
And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation number the sons of the
Kohathites after their families and after the house of their fathers, 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.
And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven
hundred and fifty.
These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that by
due 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.
And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon throughout their families and
by the house of their fathers, 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, even those that were numbered of them
throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six
hundred and thirty.
These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon,
of all that by due service in the tabernacle of the congregation,
whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the Lord.
And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Morari throughout
their families, by the house of their fathers, 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, even those that were numbered of them
after their families, were three thousand and two hundred.
These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Morari,
whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
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, 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, even those that were numbered of them,
were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore.
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.