Numbers 4

1 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaron saying:

The LORD spoke to Moses and to 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 census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ houses,

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 old and upward even until fifty years old, all who enter into the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

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 in the Tent of Meeting, regarding the most holy things.

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;

When the camp moves forward, Aaron shall go in with his sons; and they shall take down the veil of the screen, cover the ark of the Testimony with 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.

put a covering of sealskin on it, spread a blue cloth over it, and put in its poles.

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;

“On the table of show bread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and the cups with which to pour out; and the continual bread shall be 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.

They shall spread on them a scarlet cloth, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

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 a blue cloth and cover the lamp stand of the light, its lamps, its snuffers, its snuff dishes, and all its oil vessels, with which they minister to it.

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

They shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it on the frame.

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,

“On the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

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.

“They shall take all the vessels of ministry with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame.

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

“They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it.

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.

They shall put on it all its vessels with which they minister about it, the fire pans, the meat hooks, the shovels, and the basins—all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of sealskin, and put in its poles.

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.

“When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it; but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. The sons of Kohath shall carry these things belonging to the Tent of Meeting.

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.

“The duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the continual meal offering, and the anointing oil, the requirements of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, the sanctuary, and its furnishings.”

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

The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

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

“Don’t cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among 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 to them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint everyone to his service and to his burden;

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

but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die.”

21 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:

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;

“Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses, by their families;

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.

you shall count them from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old: all who enter in to wait on the service, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

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

“This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens:

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;

they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the Tent of Meeting, its covering, the covering of sealskin that is on it, the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,

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 hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the gate of the court which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatever shall be done with them. They shall serve in there.

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.

At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden and in all their service; and you shall appoint their duty to them in all their responsibilities.

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 families of the sons of the Gershonites in the Tent of Meeting. Their duty 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;

“As for the sons of Merari, you shall count them by their families, by their fathers’ houses;

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,

you shall count them from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old—everyone who enters on the service, to do the work of the Tent of Meeting.

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:

This is the duty of their burden, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,

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.

the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service. You shall appoint the instruments of the duty of their burden to them by name.

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 service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting, 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;

Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation counted the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,

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 old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service for work in the Tent of Meeting.

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

Those who were counted of them by their families were 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.

These are those who were counted of the families of the Kohathites, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of the LORD by Moses.

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

Those who were counted of the sons of Gershon, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,

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 old and upward even to fifty years old—everyone who entered into the service for work in the Tent of Meeting,

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.

even those who were counted of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were 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.

These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of the LORD.

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

Those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers’ houses,

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 old and upward even to fifty years old—everyone who entered into the service for work in the Tent of Meeting,

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

even those who were counted of them by their families, were 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.

These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of the LORD by 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 those who were counted of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel counted, by their families and by their fathers’ houses,

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 old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered in to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the Tent of Meeting,

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

even those who were counted of them, were 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.

According to the commandment of the LORD they were counted by Moses, everyone according to his service and according to his burden. Thus they were counted by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.