Numbers 4

1 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaron saying:

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

2 Reckon up the sum of the sons of Kohath, out of the midst of the sons of Levi, —by their families by their ancestral house:

“Take a total of the sons of Kohath from the midst of the Levites, by their houses and families,

3 from thirty years old, and upwards, even unto fifty years, —every one that can enter into the host, to do service in the tent of meeting.

from thirty years and above, even to the fiftieth year, of all who enter so as to stand and minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

4 This, shall be the labour of the sons of Kohath, in the tent of meeting, —the most holy things,

This is the service of the sons of Kohath: the tabernacle of the covenant and the Holy of holies.

5 So then Aaron and his sons shall enter when the camp is to set forward, and take down the screening veil, —and enwrap therein the ark of the testimony;

Aaron and his sons shall enter, when the camp is going to move, and they shall take down the veil, which hangs before the entrance, and they shall wrap the ark of the testimony in it,

6 and put thereon a covering of badgers’ skin, and spread a complete wrapper of blue over above, —and put in the staves thereof.

and they shall cover it further with a veil of violet skins, and they shall extend over it a cloth made entirely of hyacinth, and they shall draw in the bars.

7 And over the Presence-table, shall they spread a wrapper of blue and put thereon the dishes and the pans and the bowls and the libation cups, the perpetual bread also, thereupon, shall remain;

Likewise, they shall wrap the table of the presence in a cloth of hyacinth, and they shall place with it the censers and little mortars, the cups and bowls for pouring out libations; the bread shall be always on it.

8 and they shall spread over them a wrapper of crimson, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skin, —and shall put in the staves thereof.

And they shall extend over it a cloth of scarlet, which they shall further cover with a veil of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

9 Then shall they take a wrapper of blue, and cover the light-giving lampstand, and the lamps thereof, and the snuffers thereof and the snuff-trays thereof, —and all the oil-vessels, thereof, wherewith they minister thereunto;

They shall take also a cloth of hyacinth, with which they shall cover the lampstand with the lamps, and its tongs, and the candle snuffers, and all the vessels of oil, which are necessary for the preparation of the lamps.

10 and shall put the same and all the vessels thereof, within a covering of, badgers’ skin, —and shall put it upon a frame.

And over all this they shall place a covering of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

11 And upon the altar of gold, shall they spread a wrapper of blue, and shall cover the same in a covering of badgers’ skin, —and shall put in the staves thereof,

And certainly they shall wrap the golden altar in a hyacinth garment, and they shall extend over it a covering of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

12 And they shall take all the utensils of attendance wherewith they attend in the sanctuary, and put them within a wrapper of blue, and cover the same in a covering of badgers’ skin, —and put them on a frame.

All the vessels with which they minister in the Sanctuary they shall wrap in a cloth of hyacinth, and they shall extend over it a covering of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

13 Then shall they remove the fat-ashes from the altar, —and spread over it a wrapper of purple;

Moreover, they shall cleanse the altar of ashes, and they shall wrap it in a purple garment,

14 and put thereupon all the utensils thereof wherewith they minister thereupon—the fire-pans, the flesh-hooks—and the shovels and the tossing-bowls, all the utensils of the altar, —and shall spread over it a covering of badgers’ skin and put in the staves thereof.

and they shall place it with all the vessels which they use in its ministry, that is, receptacles for fire, small hooks as well as forks, larger hooks and shovels. They shall cover all the vessels of the altar together with a veil of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

15 So shall Aaron and his sons make an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the utensils of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set forward, then after that, shall the sons of Kohath enter to bear it, but they must not put forth a touch unto that which, is holy, else should they die, these, shall be the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.

And when Aaron and his sons have wrapped the Sanctuary and its vessels at the dismantling of the camp, then the sons of Kohath shall enter, so as to carry what has been wrapped. And they shall not touch the vessels of the Sanctuary, lest they die. These are the burdens of the sons of Kohath concerning the tabernacle of the covenant.

16 But the care of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, [shall be] —the light-giving oil, and the fragrant incense, and the perpetual meal-offering, and the anointing oil, the care of all the habitation, and all that is therein, both as to the sanctuary, and as to the furniture thereof.

Over them shall be Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to whom belongs the care of the oil to prepare the lamps, and the incense compound, and the sacrifice, which is offered continually, and the oil of unction, and whatever pertains to the service of the tabernacle, and all the vessels that are in the Sanctuary.”

17 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying:

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

18 Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off out of the midst of the Levites.

“Do not be willing to lose the people of Kohath from the midst of the Levites.

19 This, therefore, do ye for them, so shall they live and not die when they approach the most holy place, —Aaron and his sons shall enter and set them man by man over his labour, and unto his burden;

But do this for them, so that they may live, and so that they may not die by touching the Holies of holies. Aaron and his sons shall enter, and they shall assign the work of each one, and they shall determine what each one ought to carry.

20 but they shall not enter to see, for a moment, that which is holy, else should they die.

Let no others, out of curiosity, see the things that are in the Sanctuary before they are wrapped, otherwise they shall die.”

21 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

22 reckon up the sum of the sons of Gershon even of them also, —by their ancestral house by their families;

“Now also take a total of the sons of Gershon, by their houses and families and kinships,

23 from thirty years old and upwards even to fifty years, shalt thou number them, —All that may enter to take rank in the host, to do laborious work in the tent of meeting.

from thirty years and above, even to fifty years. Number all those who enter and minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

24 This, shall be the labour of the families of the Gershonites, —in labouring and in bearing:

This is the duty of the family of the Gershonites:

25 they shall bear the curtains of the habitation and the tent of meeting, the covering thereof and the covering of badgers’ skin which is over above it, —and the screen, at the entrance of the tent of meeting;

to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the roof of the covenant, the other covering, and the veil over everything, and the violet tent, which hangs at the entrance of the tabernacle of the covenant,

26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court which is near the habitation and near the altar round about, and their cords, and all their articles of service, and all that is to be done to them when they shall do their labour,

the curtains of the atrium, and the veil at the entrance, which is before tabernacle. Everything that pertains to the altar, the cords, and the vessels of the ministry

27 At the bidding of Aaron and his sons, shall be all the labour of the sons of the Gershonites, to the extent of their every burden, and to the extent of all their labour, —so shall ye appoint unto them in charge their every burden.

the sons of Gershon shall carry, under the orders of Aaron and his sons. And so shall each one know to which burden he ought to surrender.

28 This, shall be the labour of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, —and, the charge of them, shall be in the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.

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

29 As for the sons of Merari, —by their families by their ancestral house, shall ye number them;

Likewise, you shall take a census of the sons of Merari, by the families and houses of their fathers,

30 from thirty years old and upwards even to fifty years, shall ye number them, —all that enter into the host, to do laborious work in the tent of meeting,

from thirty years and above, even to fifty years, of all who enter to the office of their ministry and to the service of the covenant of the testimony.

31 And, this, shall be their charge of the burdens, to the extent of all their labour in the tent of meeting, the boards of the habitation, and the bars thereof and he pillars thereof and the sockets thereof:

These are their burdens: They shall carry the panels of the tabernacle and its bars, the columns and their bases,

32 and the pillars of the court round about and their sockets and their pins and their cords, to the extent of all their articles, to the extent of all their labour, and by names, shall ye put under their care the articles of their charge of burdens.

also the columns surrounding the atrium, with their bases and tent pegs and cords. They shall accept by number all the vessels and articles, and so shall they carry them.

33 This, shall be the labour of the families of the sons of Merari, to the extent of all their labour in the tent of meeting, —in the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron, the priest.

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

34 Then did Moses and Aaron, and the princes of the assembly, number the sons of the Kohathites, by their families, and by their ancestral house;

Therefore, Moses and Aaron, and the leaders of the assembly, took a census of the sons of Kohath, by the kinships and houses of their fathers,

35 from thirty years old and upwards, even unto fifty years old, all that might enter the host, to labour in the tent of meeting;

from thirty years and above, even to the fiftieth year, of all who enter to the ministry of the tabernacle of the covenant.

36 and they who were numbered of them, by their families, were found to be two thousand, seven hundred and fifty.

And there were found two thousand seven hundred fifty.

37 These, were they who were num-bered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might labour in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron did number, at the bidding of Yahweh by the mediation of Moses.

This is the number of the people of Kohath, who enter the tabernacle of the covenant. These Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

38 And they who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, —by their families, and by their ancestral house;

The sons of Gershon also were numbered by the kinships and houses of their fathers,

39 from thirty years old and upwards, even to fifty years old, all that might enter the host, to labour in the tent of meeting:

from thirty years and above, even to the fiftieth year, all who enter so as to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

40 yea they who were numbered of them, by their families, by their ancestral house, —were found to be—two thousand, and six hundred, and thirty.

And there were found two thousand six hundred thirty.

41 These, are they who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who might labour in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron did number, at the bidding of Yahweh.

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

42 And they who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families by their ancestral house;

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

43 from thirty years old and upwards, even unto fifty years old, —all that might enter the host to labour in the tent of meeting;

from thirty years and above, even to the fiftieth year, all who enter to fulfill the rituals of the tabernacle of the covenant.

44 yea they who were numbered of them, by their families, were found to be—three thousand and two hundred.

And there were found three thousand two hundred.

45 These, are they who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, —whom Moses and Aaron did number, at the bidding of Yahweh, by the mediation of Moses.

This is the number of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

46 All they who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel did number, even the Levites, by their families and by their ancestral house;

All who were counted from the Levites, and whom, by name, Moses and Aaron, and the leaders of Israel, counted by the kinships and houses of their fathers,

47 from thirty years old and upwards, even unto fifty years old, all that might enter, to toil in the work of labouring and in the work of bearing burdens, in the tent of meeting,

from thirty years and above, until the fiftieth year, entering for the ministry of the tabernacle and carrying the burdens,

48 yea, they who were numbered of them were found to be—eight thousand, and five hundred, and eighty.

were together eight thousand five hundred eighty.

49 At the bidding of Yahweh, were they put in charge by the mediation of Moses, man by man, over his labour and over his burden, —yea, they who were put in charge by him, were they, whom Yahweh commanded Moses.

Moses took a census of them, according to the word of the Lord, each one according to their office and their burdens, just as the Lord had instructed him.