Numbers 4

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

The Lord told Moses and Aaron,

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;

“Register the descendants of Kohath from the tribe of Levi, according to their family and father's line.

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.

Count men aged thirty to fifty—all who are entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting.

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

This work that they are to do in the Tent of Meetings involves the things that are most holy.

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,

Whenever you move camp, Aaron and his sons will go in, take down the veil, and place it over the Ark of the Testimony.

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.

On top of this they are to put a fine leather covering, spread a cloth of solid blue over it, and then insert its carrying poles.

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,

Have them spread a blue cloth over the table of the Presence as well, and put the plates and cups on it, as well as the bowls and jugs for the drink offering. The current bread offering is to stay 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,

Over everything they are to spread a crimson cloth, next a fine leather covering, and then insert its carrying poles.

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;

Using a blue cloth, they are to cover the lampstand of light, together with its lamps, wick tongs, and trays, as well as the jars of olive oil used to fill them.

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

Then have them wrap it together with all its utensils inside a fine leather covering and place it on the carrying frame.

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,

They are to spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with fine leather, and then insert its carrying poles.

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,

They are to place all the utensils used for the service in the sanctuary in a blue cloth, cover them with fine leather, and place them on the carrying frame.

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

Have them clean the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it,

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 put on it all the equipment used in the services on the altar: the firepans, meat forks, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. Spread over it a fine leather covering and then insert its carrying poles.

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.

Once Aaron and his sons have finished covering these holy things and all the equipment connected with them, when the camp is ready to move, the priests of the Kohath family are to come and carry them. But they are forbidden to touch anything holy, otherwise they'll die. These are their responsibilities for moving the Tent of Meeting.

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.”

Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, is to supervise obtaining olive oil for the lamps, the aromatic incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He is in charge of the whole Tabernacle and everything in it—all the holy things and equipment.”

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

The Lord told Moses and Aaron,

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

“Make sure the families of Kohath are not wiped out from 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,

This is what you have to do so that they'll live and won't die by getting too close to something holy. Aaron and his sons must go in and tell each of them what they have to do and what they have to carry.

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

But they must not to go in and look at the things that are most holy, even for just a moment, otherwise they'll die.”

21 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

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

“Register the descendants of Gershon, according to their family and father's line

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.

Count men aged thirty to fifty—all who are entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting.

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

This is how the families of Gershon will serve in terms of working and carrying:

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,

Have them carry the Tabernacle curtains, the Tent of Meeting with its fine leather covering, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

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 courtyard curtains, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the Tabernacle and altar, the ropes, and everything connected with their use. The families of Gershon are responsible for everything required involving these items.

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.

All that they do is to be under the supervision of Aaron and his sons—all their work and carrying assignments. You are to tell them all they are required to carry.

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.

These are their responsibilities for moving the Tent of Meeting, carried out under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.

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

Register the descendants of Merari, according to their family and father's line.

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.

Count men aged thirty to fifty—all who are entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting.

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,

This is how they will serve in handling the Tent of Meeting: they are to carry the frames of the Tabernacle with its crossbars, posts, and stands,

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 posts of the surrounding courtyard with their stands, tent pegs, and ropes, all their equipment and everything connected with their use. You are to tell them by name what they are responsible for carrying.

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.”

These are their responsibilities for all their work in moving the Tent of Meeting, carried out under the direction of Ithamar, 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,

Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite leaders registered the families of Kohath according to their family and father's line.

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,

They counted men aged thirty to fifty—all who were entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting.

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

The total by families was 2,750.

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 was the total of the families of Kohath—all who were entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron registered them in accordance with the Lord's instructions to Moses.

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

The families of Gershon were counted, according to their family and father's line,

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,

men aged thirty to fifty—all who were entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting.

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

The total by families and father's line was 2,630.

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 was the total of the families of Gershon —all who were entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting. They were registered by Moses and Aaron in accordance with the Lord's instructions.

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

The families of Merari were counted, according to their family and father's line,

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,

men aged thirty to fifty—all who were entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting.

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

The total by families was 3,200.

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 was the total of the families of Merari registered by Moses and Aaron in accordance with the Lord's instructions.

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,

This is how Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite leaders registered all the Levites according to their family and father's line.

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,

They counted men aged thirty to fifty—all who were entitled to do the work of serving in the Tent of Meeting and carrying it.

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

The sum total was 8,580.

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.

It was in response to the Lord's instructions that they were registered by Moses. Each of those registered were told what to do and what to carry, as the Lord had ordered Moses.