Numbers 04 The duties of the Levites

Numbers 04

The duties of the Levites

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi by their generations according to the house of their fathers;

3 From the age of thirty years and upward until the age of fifty, every one that entereth into this host shall be to do work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

4 This shall be the ministry of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, in the most holy things.

5 And when Aaron and his sons go forth from the camp, they shall come and take the veil out of the covering, and cover the ark of the testimony with it;

6 And a covering of badgers' skins shall be put on it, and on it shall they spread a cloth, all blue, and shall put the staves on it.

7 And on the table of the proposition shall they spread a blue cloth, and put the dishes thereon, and the censers thereof, and the bowls, and the shields thereof; even the continual bread shall be upon it.

8 And they shall spread upon them a cloth of crimson, and cover it with the covering of badgers' skins, and shall put their staves thereon.

9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the lampstand of the lamp, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its pillars, and all its vessels of oil, wherewith they minister unto it.

10 And they shall bring him and all his vessels into the covering of the badgers, and the basement upon the staves.

11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with the covering of badgers' skins, and shall put their staves on it.

12 And they shall take all the vessels of the ministry, which they serve in the sanctuary: and they shall put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and lay them on the poles.

13 And they shall take the ashes out of the altar, and spread a cloth of purple upon it.

14 And upon him shall he put all his instruments wherewith they minister unto him: his brazenfathers, and the forks, and the shovels, and the basins, and all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread over him a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put his staves on him.

15 And when Aaron and his sons went out from the camp, and had covered the sanctuary, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, then the sons of Kohath came to carry it. but they shall not touch the sanctuary that they die: this is the charge of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

16 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the olive oil of the lamp, and the sweet incense, and the continual meat offering, and the oil of the anointing, and the charge of the whole tabernacle, and all that in it there is in the sanctuary and in its vessels.

17 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

18 I will not let the tribe of the generations of the Kohathites from among the Levites be cut off.

19 But this you shall do to them, that they may live, and not die, when they come to the sanctity of holiness: Aaron and his sons shall come, and every man to his ministry and his office.

20 But they shall not see when they cover the sanctuary, lest they die.

21 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

22 And take the sum of the sons of Gershon according to the house of their fathers, according to their generations.

23 From the age of thirty years old and upward even unto the age of fifty, thou shalt number every one that go in and serve in his service, to do the service in the tabernacle of the congregation.

24 This shall be the service of the generations of the Gershonites, in service and burden:

25 And they shall take the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the covering thereof, and the covering of badgers' skins above it, and the veil of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

26 And the curtains of the court, and the veil of the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and its cords, and all the instruments of his ministration, and all that is prepared for them, to minister.

27 And all the service of the children of the Gershonites shall be according to the commandment of Aaron and his sons, and in all their service, and in all their service: and thou shalt command them all their charge.

28 This is the service of the generations of the children of the Gershonites in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

29 As for the sons of Merari according to their generations, and according to the house of their fathers, thou shalt number them;

30 From the age of thirty years old and upward even unto the age of fifty, thou shalt number every one that entereth into this service, to perform the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

31 And this shall be the charge of his charge, according to all his service, in the tabernacle of the congregation: the tables of the tabernacle, and the staves thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof;

32 As also the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their stakes, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their ministration; and you shall declare the vessels of the charge of your charge, name by name.

33 This is the ministry of the generations of the children of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

34 And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the children of the Kohathites after their generations, after the house of their fathers;

35 From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that entered into this service for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

36 And those that were numbered of them, according to their generations, were two thousand and seven hundred and fifty.

37 These are they that were numbered of the generations of the Kohathites, every one that ministered in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon according to their generations, and according to the house of their fathers,

39 From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that entered into this service for the service in the tabernacle of the congregation,

40 And those that were numbered of them according to their generations, according to the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.

41 These are those that were numbered of the generations of the children of Gershon, of every one that ministered in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD.

42 And those that were numbered of the generations of the children of Merari according to their generations, according to the house of their fathers;

43 From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that entered into this service for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation,

44 And they that were numbered of them according to their generations were three thousand and two hundred.

45 These are those that were numbered of the generations of the sons of Merari: and they numbered Moses and Aaron according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

46 All that were numbered of them, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, of the Levites according to their generations, according to the house of their fathers;

47 From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that went in to perform the service of the administration, and the burden of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation,

48 Those that were numbered of them were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.

49 According to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses, they were numbered according to their service, according to their office: and they were numbered of them, which the Lord commanded Moses.