2"Count the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' houses,"
3"from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old, all who come to serve, to do the work in the tent of meeting."
4"This is the work of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, about the most holy things."
5"When the camp moves on, Aaron and his sons shall come. They shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of the testimony with it."
6"They shall put on it a covering of badgers' skins, and spread over that a cloth all of blue, and put in its poles."
7"On the table of the showbread they shall spread a blue cloth. On it they shall put the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and the jars for pouring. The bread that is always there shall stay on it."
8"They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover that with a covering of badgers' skins, and put in its poles."
9"They shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that gives light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the oil jars they use to care for it."
10"They shall wrap it and all its vessels in a covering of badgers' skins, and put it on a carrying frame."
11"Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and put in its poles."
12"They shall take all the tools used for the service in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and put them on a carrying frame."
13"They shall take the ashes away from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it."
14"On it they shall put all the vessels they use at the altar: the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar. They shall spread over it a covering of badgers' skins, and put in its poles."
15"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy place and all the vessels of the holy place, as the camp is about to move on, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it. But they must not touch any holy thing, or they will die. These are the things the sons of Kohath must carry in the tent of meeting."
16"Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest has charge of the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily food offering, and the anointing oil. He has the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of everything in it, in the holy place and among its vessels."
18"Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites."
19"Do this for them, so that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and give each man his work and his load."
20"But they must not go in to look at the holy things while they are being covered, or they will die."
21The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,
22"Count the sons of Gershon too, by their fathers' houses, by their families."
23"You shall count them from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old, all who come to serve, to do the work in the tent of meeting."
24"This is the work of the families of the Gershonites, what they shall do and what they shall carry."
25"They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of badgers' skins that is over it, and 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 around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords, and all the tools for their work, and everything made for these things. This is how they shall serve."
27"All the work of the sons of the Gershonites shall be done as Aaron and his sons direct, in all they carry and in all they do. You shall give them charge of everything they carry."
28"This is the work of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting. Their duties shall be under Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."
29"As for the sons of Merari, you shall count them by their families, by their fathers' houses."
30"You shall count them from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old, everyone who comes to serve, to do the work of the tent of meeting."
31"This is what they are to carry, and all their work in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, and its bases,"
32"and the pillars around the court, with their bases, their pegs, and their cords, with all their tools and all their service. You shall list by name the things each man is to carry."
33"This is the work of the families of the sons of Merari, all their service in the tent of meeting, under Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."
34So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the people counted the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers' houses,
35from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old, everyone who came to serve, for the work in the tent of meeting.
36Those counted from them, by their families, were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
37These were the ones counted from the families of the Kohathites, all who could serve in the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
38Those counted from the sons of Gershon, by their families and by their fathers' houses,
39from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old, everyone who came to serve, for the work in the tent of meeting,
40those counted from them, by their families, by their fathers' houses, were two thousand six hundred and thirty.
41These were the ones counted from the families of the sons of Gershon, all who could serve in the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them as the LORD had commanded.
42Those counted from the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers' houses,
43from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old, everyone who came to serve, for the work in the tent of meeting,
44those counted from them, by their families, were three thousand two hundred.
45These were the ones counted from the families of the sons of Merari. Moses and Aaron counted them as the LORD had said through Moses.
46All those counted from the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted, by their families and by their fathers' houses,
47from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old, everyone who came to do the work of serving and the work of carrying loads in the tent of meeting,
48those counted from them were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.
49They were counted at the commandment of the LORD through Moses, each man according to his work and according to what he had to carry. So they were counted by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.