Duties of the Kohathites

(Numbers 3:27-32; Numbers 4:34-37; 1 Chronicles 23:12-20)

1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying, 2'Take up 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 till a son of fifty years, every one going in to the host, to do work in the tent of meeting. 4This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, the holy of holies:

5that Aaron and his sons have come in, in the journeying of the camp, and have taken down the vail of the hanging, and have covered with it the ark of the testimony; 6and have put on it a covering of badger skin, and have spread a garment completely of blue above, and have placed its staves. 7'And on the table of the presence they spread a garment of blue, and have put on it the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and the cups of the libation, and the bread of continuity is on it, 8and they have spread over them a garment of scarlet, and have covered it with a covering of badger skin, and have placed its staves, 9and have taken a garment of blue, and have covered the candlestick of the lamp, and its lights, and its snuffers, and its snuff-dishes, and all its oil vessels wherewith they minister to it; 10and they have put it and all its vessels unto a covering of badger skin, and have put it on the bar. 11'And on the golden altar they spread a garment of blue, and have covered it with a covering of badger skin, and have placed its staves; 12and have taken all the vessels of ministry wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and have put them unto a garment of blue, and have covered them with a covering of badger skin, and have put them on the bar, 13and have removed the ashes of the altar, and have spread over it a garment of purple; 14and have put on it all its vessels wherewith they minister about it, the censers, the hooks, and the shovels, and the bowls, all the vessels of the altar, and have spread on it a covering of badger skin, and have placed its staves: 15And Aaron hath finished -- his sons also -- covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, in the journeying of the camp, and afterwards do the sons of Kohath come in to bear it, and they do not come unto the holy thing, that they have died; these things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.

16And the oversight of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, is the oil of the lamp, and the spice-perfume, and the present of continuity, and the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, in the sanctuary, and in its vessels.'

17And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 18'Ye do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathite from the midst of the Levites; 19but this do to them, and they have lived, and do not die in their drawing nigh the holy of holies: -- Aaron and his sons go in, and have set them, each man to his service, and unto his burden, 20and they go not in to see when the holy thing is swallowed, that they have died.'

Duties of the Gershonites

(Numbers 3:21-26; Numbers 4:38-41; 1 Chronicles 23:7-11)

21And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 22'Take up 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, till a son of fifty years thou dost number them, every one who is going in to serve the host, to do the service in the tent of meeting. 24This is the service of the families of the Gershonite, to serve -- and for burden, 25and they have borne the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of the badger skin which is on it above, and the vail at the opening of the tent of meeting, 26and the hangings of the court, and the vail at the opening of the gate of the court which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the vessels of their service, and all that is made for them -- and they have served. 27'By the command of Aaron and his sons is all the service of the sons of the Gershonite in all their burden, and in all their service; and ye have laid a charge on them concerning the charge of all their burden. 28This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonite in the tent of meeting; and their charge is under the hand of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Merarites

(Numbers 3:33-37; Numbers 4:42-49; 1 Chronicles 23:21-23)

29'The sons of Merari, by their families, by the house of their fathers, thou dost number them; 30from a son of thirty years and upward even unto a son of fifty years thou dost number them, every one who is going in to the host, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 31And this is the charge of their burden, of all their service in the tent of meeting; the boards of the tabernacle, 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, of all their vessels, and of all their service; and by name ye do number the vessels of the charge of their burden. 33This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, for all their service, in the tent of meeting, by the hand of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.'

The Number of the Kohathites

(Numbers 3:27-32; Numbers 4:1-20; 1 Chronicles 23:12-20)

34And Moses numbereth -- Aaron also, and the princes of the company -- the sons of the Kohathite, by their families, and by the house of their fathers, 35from a son of thirty years and upward even unto a son of fifty years, every one who is going in to the host, for service in the tent of meeting, 36and their numbered ones, by their families, are two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37These are those numbered of the families of the Kohathite, every one who is serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, by the command of Jehovah, by the hand of Moses.

The Number of the Gershonites

(Numbers 3:21-26; Numbers 4:21-28; 1 Chronicles 23:7-11)

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 even unto a son of fifty years, every one who is going in to the host, for service in the tent of meeting, 40even their numbered ones, by their families, by the house of their fathers, are two thousand and six hundred and thirty. 41These are those numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, every one who is serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the command of Jehovah.

The Number of the Merarites

(Numbers 3:33-37; Numbers 4:29-33; 1 Chronicles 23:21-23)

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 even unto a son of fifty years, every one who is going in to the host, for service in the tent of meeting, 44even their numbered ones, by their families, are three thousand and two hundred. 45These are those numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, by the command of Jehovah, by the hand of Moses.

46All those numbered, whom Moses numbered -- Aaron also, and the princes of Israel -- of the Levites, by their families, and by the house of their fathers, 47from a son of thirty years and upward even unto a son of fifty years, every one who is going in to do the work of the service, even the service of burden in the tent of meeting, 48even their numbered ones are eight thousand and five hundred and eighty; 49by the command of Jehovah hath one numbered them, by the hand of Moses, each man by his service, and by his burden, with his numbered ones, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.