Numbers 4

The work of Kohath's clan

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 ‘Write a list of the people in Kohath's clan in their families. That list must be separate from the list of the other Levites. 3 Record the men who can work in the Tent of Meeting. Record them if they are between 30 and 50 years old.

4 These men must take care of everything that is most holy in the Tent of Meeting. 5 When the people are ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the Tent of Meeting. They must take down the curtain that is in front of the Covenant Box. They must cover the Covenant Box with the curtain. 6 Then they must cover the curtain with good leather. On the top of that, they must put a blue cloth. Then, they must put the poles through the rings, so that they can carry the Covenant Box.

7 They must put a blue cloth over the table for the special bread. The bread must remain on the table. They must put on the cloth the plates, bowls and dishes. They must also put on it the jars for the wine that they offer to me. 8 Then they must cover all those things with a red cloth. On the top of the red cloth, they must put good leather. Then they must fix the poles to the table, so that they can carry it.

9 They must cover the lampstand and its tools with a blue cloth. They must also cover the jars for the oil with the blue cloth. 10 Then they must cover all this with good leather. They must carry it on a board.

11 They must cover the gold altar with a blue cloth. They must cover the blue cloth with good leather. Then they must fix the poles to the altar, so that they can carry it. 12 They must cover all the tools from God's holy tent with a blue cloth. They must cover the blue cloth with good leather. They must carry all this on a board.

13 They must remove the ashes from the bronze altar. They must cover the bronze altar with a purple cloth. 14 They must put all the tools on top of it. These include the plates for the fire, the forks for the meat, the spades and the bowls. They must cover all these things with good leather. Then they must put the poles through the rings on the altar, so that they can carry it.

15 When the people are ready to leave, the men from Kohath's clan must be ready to carry all those things. But they must wait until Aaron and his sons have covered all the holy things of the tabernacle. The men from Kohath's clan must not touch the holy things. They will die if they touch them. Those are the jobs of Kohath's clan. They must carry the things from the Tent of Meeting when the Israelites travel.

16 Eleazar, who is the son of Aaron the priest, must keep the oil for the light. He must keep the incense and the grain offering. He must keep the special oil. The special oil is a mark on everything that God chooses. Eleazar must take care of the whole Tent of Meeting. He must work with God's holy tent and with everything in it.’

17 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 18 ‘You must not allow Kohath's clan to come to an end among the other Levites. 19 Do not let the men in that clan die. That will happen if they come near to the most holy things. You must do this: Aaron and his sons must go into the Tent of Meeting. They will tell each man the work that he must do. And they must tell each man the things that he must carry. 20 But the men from Kohath's clan must not look at any of the holy things, even for a moment. If they do look at those things, they will die.’

The work of Gershon's clan

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, 22 ‘Also write a list of the people in Gershon's clan in their families. 23 Record the men who can work in the Tent of Meeting. Record them if they are between 30 and 50 years old.

24 The work of the men in Gershon's clan is to carry these things: 25 They must carry the curtains of God's tent. They must carry the Tent of Meeting with the things that cover it. They must also carry the good leather skin that covers everything. And they must carry the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 26 They must carry the curtains of the yard that is around the tabernacle. Also, they must carry the curtain and the ropes for the entrance to the yard. That is the yard that is around the tent and the altar. The men from Gershon's clan must carry all the tools that belong with those curtains. They must do everything that they need to do with those things.

27 The men in Gershon's clan must do everything that Aaron and his sons ask them to do. Aaron and his sons must tell them the things that they should carry. And they must tell them everything that they should do. 28 That is the work for the Tent of Meeting that the descendants of Gershon must do. Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest, will tell them the things that they must do.’

The work of Merari's clan

29 The Lord also said to Moses, ‘Write a list of the people in Merari's clan in their families. 30 Record the men who can work in the Tent of Meeting. Record them if they are between 30 and 50 years old. 31 This is the work of the men in Merari's clan: They must carry the wood parts that hold the Tent of Meeting, and its poles. They must carry its pillars and its bases. 32 And they must carry the pillars, bases, pegs and ropes for the yard that is around the tent. And the men in Merari's clan must keep all the tools that belong with those things safe. Each man in Merari's clan must take care of something. Tell each man which things he must carry. 33 That is the work of the descendants of Merari in the Tent of Meeting. Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest, will tell them the things that they must do.’

The numbers in the Levite clans

34 So Moses, Aaron and the people's leaders recorded the names of Kohath's descendants in their clans and in their families. 35 They recorded the men who could work in the Tent of Meeting. They recorded them if they were between 30 and 50 years old. 36 They recorded them in clans. There were 2,750 men. 37 Moses and Aaron recorded the descendants of Kohath who worked at the Tent of Meeting. The Lord had told Moses that they must do that.

38 Moses and Aaron also recorded the names of Gershon's descendants in their clans and in their families. 39 They recorded the men who could work in the Tent of Meeting. They recorded them if they were between 30 and 50 years old. 40 They recorded them in clans and families. There were 2,630 men. 41 Moses and Aaron recorded the descendants of Gershon who worked at the Tent of Meeting. The Lord had told Moses that they must do that.

42 Moses and Aaron also recorded the names of Merari's descendants in their clans and in their families. 43 They counted all the men who worked in the Tent of Meeting. They counted them if they were between 30 and 50 years old. 44 They recorded them in clans. There were 3,200 men. 45 Moses and Aaron recorded the descendants of Merari who worked at the Tent of Meeting. The Lord had told Moses that they must do that.

46 Moses, Aaron and the people's leaders recorded the names of the Levites in their clans and in their families. 47 They counted all the men who worked in the Tent of Meeting. They also counted all the men who carried the tent and all its things. They counted them if they were between 30 and 50 years old. 48 There were 8,580 Levites in the list. 49 They told each man the things that he must do and what he must carry. Moses recorded all their names. The Lord had told him to do that.