4
1 And the Lord spake with Mosheh and with Aharon, saying: 2 Take the reckoning of the Beni Kehath from among the sons of Levi by the house of their fathers, 3 From thirty years and upward, unto fifty years; all that come to the host, to do the work of the tabernacle of ordinance. 4 And this (shall be) the service of the Beni Kehath in the tabernacle of ordinance, the Holy of Holies. 5 And Aharon and his sons shall enter in, what time the camp is to proceed; and they shall unloose the veil that is hung, and cover therewith the ark of the testimony, 6 And put over it a covering of hyacinthine skins, and overspread it with a wrapper, wholly purple, having inset its staves. 7 And upon the table of the presence bread they shall spread a wrapper of purple, and on it put the bowls and mortars, and the measures and cups for libations, and the bread that is ever on it; 8 And overspread it with a wrapper of scarlet, and cover it with a covering of hyacinth skins, having inset its staves. 9 And they shall take a purple wrapper, and cover the candelabrum of the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuff dishes, and all the vessels of the service by which they serve it; 10 And put it and all its vessels into a covering of hyacinthine skins, and set it upon a bar. 11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a purple wrapper, and cover it with a covering of hyacinth skins, and fix its staves. 12 And they shall take all the vessels of the ministry with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of purple, and cover them with a covering of hyacinth skins, and set them upon bars. 13 And they shall collect the cinders from the altar, and spread upon it a wrapper of crimson, 14 And put thereon all its vessels by which they minister upon it; censers, fleshhooks, shovels, and basins; all the vessels of the altar; and spread over it a covering of hyacinthine skins, and inset its staves. 15 And when Aharon and his sons have completed to cover up the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary in the moving of the camp, the sons of Kehath shall go in to carry (them), but they shall not touch the holy things (themselves), lest they die; but these are the burden of the sons of Kehath in the tabernacle of ordinance.
16 And that delivered unto Elazar bar Aharon the priest (shall be) the oil for the light, and the aromatic incense, and the continual mincha, and the anointing oil, (with) the charge of all the tabernacle, and whatever belongeth to the sanctuary and its vessels.
17 And the Lord spake with Mosheh and with Aharon, saying: 18 Cut not off the tribe of the family of Kehath from among the Levites; 19 But do this to them, that they may live and not die, in their approach to the Holy of Holies: Let Aharon and his sons go in, and appoint each man his service and his burden. 20 But they shall not go in to see, when the vessels of the sanctuary are covered, lest they die.
21 And the Lord spake with Mosheh, saying: 22 Take the account of the sons of Gershon also, after the house of their fathers, by their families; 23 From thirty years and upwards to fifty years shalt thou number them, of all who come by companies to perform service in the tabernacle of ordinance. 24 This is the service or the family of Gershon, to serve and to carry. 25 And they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of the tabernacle of ordinance, its covering, and the covering of hyacinth which is over it above, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of ordinance; 26 And the curtains of the court, and the hanging that is at the entrance of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service; and with all that is delivered to them they shall perform their service. 27 By the word of Aharon and his sons shall be all the service of the Beni-Gershon, with all their burdens, and all their employment; and you shall appoint them in charge with all their burdens. 28 This is the service of the family of the Beni-Gershon in the tabernacle of ordinance, and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar bar Aharon the priest.
29 The sons of Merari number thou after the families of their father’s house; 30 From a son of thirty years and upward unto fifty years, shalt thou number them, of all who come by companies to perform the service of the tabernacle of ordinance. 31 And this is the charge of their burthen of all the service in the tabernacle of ordinance; the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and their bases; 32 And the columns of the court round about, their bases, pins, and cords of all the instruments of all their service; and by their names you shall number the instruments of the charge of their burthen. 33 This is the ministry of the family of the Beni-Merari, after all their service in the tabernacle of ordinance under the hand of Ithamar bar Aharon the priest.
34 And Mosheh and Aharon and the chiefs of the congregation numbered the sons of Kehath, by their families, and by the house of their fathers; 35 From a son of thirty years and upward to fifty years; everyone who came with the band to the service in the tabernacle of ordinance. 36 And they who were numbered of them by their families, were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37 These are the numbered of the family of Kehath, everyone serving in the tabernacle of ordinance, whom Mosheh and Aharon numbered upon the Word of the Lord, by the hand of Mosheh.
38 And the numbered of the sons of Gershon after the families of their father’s house, 39 from thirty years and upwards to fifty years, everyone who cometh with the band to the service of the tabernacle of ordinance, 40 even those who were numbered of them by their families of their father’s house, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41 These are the numbered of the Beni-Gershon, everyone who did service in the tabernacle of ordinance, whom Mosheh and Aharon numbered by the mouth of the Word of the Lord.
42 And the numbered of the Beni-Merari, by the families of their father’s house, 43 from thirty years and upward to fifty years, all who come by bands to serve in the tabernacle of ordinance, 44 even they who were numbered by their families, were three thousand and two hundred. 45 These are they who were numbered in the families of the Beni-Merari, whom Mosheh and Aharon numbered by the mouth of the Word of the Lord, by the hand of Mosheh.
46 All the numbered ones of the Levites whom Mosheh and Aharon and the chiefs of Israel numbered, by their families, and by the house of their fathers, 47 From thirty years and upward to fifty years, all who came to minister the ministry of the service, and the work of carrying in the tabernacle of ordinance, 48 even the numbered of them were eight thousand five hundred and eighty. 49 Upon the Word of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Mosheh; every man according to his service and his burthen they were numbered, as the Lord commanded Mosheh.