Numbers 4

1 And YHWH speaks to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, and Aaron, saying:

2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from the midst of the sons of Levi, by their families, by the house of their fathers;

Take the sum of the sons of Caath from the midst of the Levites, by their houses and families.

3 from a son of thirty years and upward, even until a son of fifty years, everyone going in to the host, to do work in the Tent of Meeting.

From thirty years old and upward, to fifty years old, of all that go in to stand and to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

4 This [is] the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting [for] the most holy things:

This is the service of the sons of Caath:

5 when Aaron and his sons have come in, in the journeying of the camp, and have taken down the veil of the hanging, and have covered the Ark of the Testimony with it,

When the camp is to set forward, Aaron and his sons shall go into the tabernacle of the covenant, and the holy of holies, and shall take down the veil that hangeth before the door, and shall wrap up the ark of the testimony in it,

6 then they have put a covering of tachash skin on it, and have spread a garment completely of blue above, and have placed its poles.

And shall cover it again with a cover of violet skins, and shall spread over it a cloth all of violet, and shall put in the bars.

7 And they spread a garment of blue over the table of the presence, and have put the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and the cups of the drink-offering on it, and the bread of continuity is on it,

They shall wrap up also the table of proposition in a cloth of violet, and shall put with it the censers and little mortars, the cups and bowls to pour out the libations: the leaves shall be always on it:

8 and they have spread a garment of scarlet over them, and have covered it with a covering of tachash skin, and have placed its poles,

And they shall spread over it a cloth of scarlet, which again they shall cover with a covering of violet skins, and shall put in the bars.

9 and have taken a garment of blue, and have covered the lampstand of the lamp, and its lights, and its snuffers, and its snuff-dishes, and all its oil vessels with which they minister to it;

They shall take also a cloth of violet wherewith they shall cover the candlestick with the lamps and tongs thereof and the snuffers and all the oil vessels, which are necessary for the dressing of the lamps:

10 and they have put it and all its vessels into a covering of tachash skin, and have put [it] on the bar.

And over all they shall put a cover of violet skins and put in the bars.

11 And they spread a garment of blue over the golden altar, and have covered it with a covering of tachash skin, and have placed its poles,

And they shall wrap up the golden altar also in a cloth of violet, and shall spread over it a cover of violet skins, and put in the bars.

12 and have taken all the vessels of ministry with which they minister in the holy place, and have put [them] into a garment of blue, and have covered them with a covering of tachash skin, and have put [them] on the bar,

All the vessels wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, they shall wrap up in a cloth of violet, and shall spread over it a cover of violet skins, and put in the bars.

13 and have removed the ashes of the altar, and have spread a garment of purple over it,

They shall cleanse the altar also from the ashes, and shall wrap it up in a purple cloth,

14 and have put on it all its vessels with which they minister on it—the censers, the hooks, and the shovels, and the bowls, all the vessels of the altar—and have spread a covering of tachash skin on it, and have placed its poles.

And shall put it with all the vessels that they use in the ministry thereof, that is to say, firepans, fleshhooks and forks, pothooks and shovels. They shall cover all the vessels of the altar together with a covering of violet skins, and shall put in the bars.

15 And Aaron has finished—his sons also—covering the holy place, and all the vessels of the holy place, in the journeying of the camp, and afterward the sons of Kohath come in to carry [it], and they do not come to the holy thing, lest they have died; these [things are] the burden of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting.

And when Aaron and his sons have wrapped up the sanctuary and the vessels thereof at the removing of the camp, then shall the sons of Caath enter in to carry the things wrapped up: and they shall not touch the vessels of the sanctuary, lest they die. These are the burdens of the sons of Caath: in the tabernacle of the covenant:

16 And the oversight of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, [is] the oil of the lamp, and the spice-incense, and the present of continuity, and the anointing oil, the oversight of all the Dwelling Place and of all that [is] in it, in the sanctuary and in its vessels.”

And over them shall be Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, to whose charge pertaineth the oil to dress the lamps, and the sweet incense, and the sacrifice, that is always offered, and the oil of unction, and whatsoever pertaineth to the service of the tabernacle, and of all the vessels that are in the sanctuary.

17 And YHWH speaks to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

18 “You do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathite from the midst of the Levites;

Destroy not the people of Caath from the midst of the Levites:

19 but do this for them, and they have lived and do not die in their drawing near [to] the Holy of Holies: Aaron and his sons go in, and have set them, each man to his service, and to his burden,

But do this to them, that they may live, and not die, by touching the holies of holies. Aaron and his sons shall go in, and they shall appoint every man his work, and shall divide the burdens that every man is to carry.

20 and they do not go in to see when the holy thing is swallowed, lest they have died.”

Let not others by any curiosity see the things that are in the sanctuary before they be wrapped up, otherwise they shall die.

21 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

22 “Also take a census of the sons of Gershon by the house of their fathers, by their families;

Take the sum of the soils of Gerson also by their houses and families and kindreds.

23 from a son of thirty years and upward, until a son of fifty years, you number them—everyone who is going in to serve the host, to do the service in the Tent of Meeting.

From thirty Sears old and upward, unto fifty years old. Number them all that go in and minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

24 This [is] the service of the families of the Gershonite, to serve and for burden:

This is the office of the family of the Gersonites:

25 and they have carried the curtains of the Dwelling Place, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering, and the covering of the tachash [skin] which [is] on it above, and the veil at the opening of the Tent of Meeting,

To carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the roof of the covenant, the other covering, and the violet covering over all, and the hanging that hangeth in the entry of the tabernacle of the covenant,

26 and the hangings of the court, and the veil at the opening of the gate of the court which [is] by the Dwelling Place, and by the altar all around, and their cords, and all the vessels of their service, and all that is made for them—and they have served.

The curtains of the court, and the veil in the entry that is before the tabernacle. All things that pertain to the altar, the cords and the vessels of the ministry,

27 By the command of Aaron and his sons is all the service of the sons of the Gershonite, in all their burden and in all their service; and you have laid a charge on them concerning the charge of all their burden.

The sons of Gerson shall carry, by the commandment of Aaron and his sons: and each man shall know to what burden he must be assigned.

28 This [is] the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonite in the Tent of Meeting; and their charge [is] under the hand of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

This is the service of the family of the Gersonites in the tabernacle of the covenant, and they shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

29 The sons of Merari, by their families, by the house of their fathers—you number them;

Thou shalt reckon up the sons of Merari also by the families and houses of their fathers,

30 from a son of thirty years and upward even to a son of fifty years, you number them—everyone who is going in to the host, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting.

From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that go in to the office of their ministry, and to the service of the covenant of the testimony.

31 And this [is] the charge of their burden, of all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the boards of the Dwelling Place, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets,

These are their burdens: They shall carry the boards of the tabernacle and the bars thereof, the pillars and their sockets,

32 and the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, of all their vessels, and of all their service; and you number the vessels of the charge of their burden by name.

The pillars also of the court round about, with their sockets and pins and cords. They shall receive by account all the vessels and furniture, and so shall carry them.

33 This [is] the service of the families of the sons of Merari, for all their service, in the Tent of Meeting, by the hand of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”

This is the office of the family of the Merarites, and their ministry in the tabernacle of the covenant: and they shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

34 And Moses numbers—Aaron also, and the princes of the congregation—the sons of the Kohathite, by their families, and by the house of their fathers,

So Moses and Aaron and the princes of the synagogue reckoned up the sons of Caath, by their kindreds and the houses of their fathers,

35 from a son of thirty years and upward even to a son of fifty years, everyone who is going in to the host, for service in the Tent of Meeting,

From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that go in to the ministry of the tabernacle of the covenant:

36 and their numbered ones, by their families, are two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

And they were found two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

37 These [are] those numbered of the families of the Kohathite, everyone who is serving in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the command of YHWH, by the hand of Moses.

This is the number of the people of Caath that go in to the tabernacle of the covenant: these did Moses and Aaron number according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

38 And those numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families, and by the house of their fathers,

The sons of Gerson also were numbered by the kindreds and houses of their fathers,

39 from a son of thirty years and upward even to a son of fifty years, everyone who is going in to the host, for service in the Tent of Meeting,

From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant:

40 even their numbered ones, by their families, by the house of their fathers, are two thousand and six hundred and thirty.

And they were found two thousand six hundred and thirty.

41 These [are] those numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who is serving in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the command of YHWH.

This is the people of the Gersonites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord.

42 And those numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by the house of their fathers,

The sons of Merari also were numbered by the kindreds and houses of their fathers,

43 from a son of thirty years and upward even to a son of fifty years, everyone who is going in to the host, for service in the Tent of Meeting,

From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that go in to fulfill the rites of the tabernacle of the covenant:

44 even their numbered ones, by their families, are three thousand and two hundred.

And they were found three thousand two hundred.

45 These [are] those numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the command of YHWH, by the hand of Moses.

This is the number of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron reckoned up according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

46 All those numbered, whom Moses numbered—Aaron also, and the princes of Israel—of the Levites, by their families, and by the house of their fathers,

All that were reckoned up of the Levites, and whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel took by name, by the kindreds and houses of their fathers,

47 from a son of thirty years and upward even to a son of fifty years, everyone who is going in to do the work of the service, even the service of burden in the Tent of Meeting,

From thirty years old and upward, until fifty years old, that go into the ministry of the tabernacle, and to carry the burdens,

48 even their numbered ones are eight thousand and five hundred and eighty;

Were in all eight thousand five hundred and eighty.

49 he has numbered them by the command of YHWH, by the hand of Moses, each man by his service, and by his burden, with his numbered ones, as YHWH has commanded Moses.

Moses reckoned them up according to the word of the Lord, every one according to their office and burdens, as the Lord had commanded him.