1And YHWH spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
2Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from the midst of the sons of Levi, by their families, by the house of their fathers,
3from a son of thirty years and upward even to a son of fifty years, everyone who enters the host to do work in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed).
4This is the service (avodah) of the sons of Kohath in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed): the holy of holies.
5And Aaron and his sons shall come in, when the camp sets out, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover with it the ark of the testimony (edut);
6and they shall put on it a covering of tachash skin, and shall spread a cloth wholly of blue above, and shall set its poles.
7And on the table of the presence they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put on it the dishes, and the pans, and the bowls, and the jars of the drink offering; and the continual bread shall be on it.
8And they shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover it with a covering of tachash skin, and shall set its poles.
9And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the lampstand of the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuff dishes, and all the vessels of its oil with which they minister to it.
10And they shall put it and all its vessels into a covering of tachash skin, and shall put it on the bar.
11And on the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of tachash skin, and shall set its poles.
12And they shall take all the vessels of ministry with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them into a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of tachash skin, and put them on the bar.
13And they shall remove the ashes from the altar, and spread on it a cloth of purple;
14and they shall put on it all its vessels with which they minister on it: the fire-pans, the flesh-hooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of tachash skin, and set its poles.
15And Aaron and his sons shall finish covering the holy thing and all the vessels of the holy place, when the camp sets out; and after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch the holy thing, lest they die. These are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed).
16And the oversight of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest: the oil of the light, and the incense of the spices, and the continual grain offering, and the anointing oil — the oversight of all the tabernacle (mishkan) and all that is in it, of the holy place and its vessels.
17And YHWH spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
18Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathite from the midst of the Levites;
19but this do for them, that they may live and not die, when they draw near to the holy of holies: Aaron and his sons shall come in and appoint them each man (ish), each man (ish), to his service (avodah) and to his burden;
20but they shall not come in to see the holy thing being swallowed up, lest they die.
21And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
22Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by the house of their fathers, by their families;
23from a son of thirty years and upward to a son of fifty years you shall number them, everyone who enters to wage the warfare of the host, to serve (avad) the service (avodah) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed).
24This is the service (avodah) of the families of the Gershonite, to serve (avad) and to bear burden:
25and they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle (mishkan), and the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed), its covering, and the covering of the tachash that is over it above, and the screen of the door of the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed),
26and the hangings of the court, and the screen of the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle (mishkan) and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the vessels of their service (avodah), and all that is done for them; and they shall serve (avad).
27According to the mouth of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service (avodah) of the sons of the Gershonite, for all their burden and for all their service (avodah); and you shall appoint to them in charge (mishmeret) all their burden.
28This is the service (avodah) of the families of the sons of the Gershonite in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed); and their charge (mishmeret) shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29The sons of Merari, by their families, by the house of their fathers you shall number them;
30from a son of thirty years and upward to a son of fifty years you shall number them, everyone who enters the host, to serve (avad) the service (avodah) of the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed).
31And this is the charge (mishmeret) of their burden, for all their service (avodah) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed): the boards of the tabernacle (mishkan), and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets,
32and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, for all their vessels and for all their service (avodah); and by names you shall appoint the vessels of the charge (mishmeret) of their burden.
33This is the service (avodah) of the families of the sons of Merari, for all their service (avodah) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed), under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
34And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathite by their families and by the house of their fathers,
35from a son of thirty years and upward to a son of fifty years, everyone who enters the host, for service (avodah) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed).
36And those numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
37These are those numbered of the families of the Kohathite, everyone serving (avad) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed), whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the mouth of YHWH by the hand of Moses.
38And those numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families and by the house of their fathers,
39from a son of thirty years and upward to a son of fifty years, everyone who enters the host, for service (avodah) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed),
40and those numbered of them, by their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.
41These are those numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone serving (avad) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed), whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the mouth of YHWH.
42And those numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by the house of their fathers,
43from a son of thirty years and upward to a son of fifty years, everyone who enters the host, for service (avodah) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed),
44and those numbered of them by their families were three thousand and two hundred.
45These are those numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the mouth of YHWH by the hand of Moses.
46All those numbered, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, the Levites, by their families and by the house of their fathers,
47from a son of thirty years and upward to a son of fifty years, everyone who enters to serve (avad) the service (avodah) of service (avodah) and the service (avodah) of burden in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed),
48and those numbered of them were eight thousand and five hundred and eighty.
49According to the mouth of YHWH he numbered them by the hand of Moses, each man (ish) to his service (avodah) and to his burden; and they were his numbered ones, as YHWH commanded (tzivvah) Moses.