Numbers 4 · Parashot Bamidbar–Naso

And the Lord spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying,

Take the sum of the sons of Qehat from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,

from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

This shall be the service of the sons of Qehat in the Tent of Meeting, namely, the most holy things:

and when the camp sets forward, Aharon shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of testimony with it:

and they shall put on it the covering of taĥash skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in its poles.

And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put on it the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and the jars for pouring out: and the continual bread shall be on it:

and they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of taĥash skins, and shall put in its poles.

And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its pans, and all its oil vessels, with which they minister to it:

and they shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of taĥash skins, and shall put it upon a bar.

And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of taĥash skins, and shall put in its poles.

And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of taĥash skins, and shall put them on a bar:

and they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it:

and they shall put upon it all its vessels with which they minister about it, the pans, the forks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of taĥash skins, and put in its poles.

And when Aharon and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Qehat shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Qehat in the Tent of Meeting.

And to the office of El῾azar the son of Aharon the priest pertains the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meal offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, as to the sanctuary, and as to its vessels.

And the Lord spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying,

Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Qehati from among the Levites:

but thus do to them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach the most holy things: Aharon and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden:

but they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

And the Lord spoke to Moshe, saying,

Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, by the houses of their fathers, by their families;

from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

This is the service of the families of the Gershoni, both for serving and for carrying:

and they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering, and the covering of the taĥash skins that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,

and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate 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 all that is made for them: so shall they serve.

By the order of Aharon and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershoni, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and you shall appoint to them in charge all their burden.

This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting: and their charge shall be under the hand of Itamar the son of Aharon the priest.

As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;

from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old shalt thou number them, everyone that enters into the service, to do the work of the Tent of Meeting.

And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting; the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets,

and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pegs, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name you shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.

This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Itamar the son of Aharon the priest.

And Moshe and Aharon and the chiefs of the congregation numbered the sons of the Qehati after their families, and after the house of their fathers,

from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone that enters into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting:

and those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

These were they that were numbered of the families of the Qehati, all that might do service in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moshe and Aharon did number according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moshe.

And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers,

from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone that enters into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

even those that were numbered of them, by their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand, six hundred and thirty.

These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moshe and Aharon did number according to the commandment of the Lord.

And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by the house of their fathers,

from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone that enters into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand, two hundred.

These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moshe and Aharon numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moshe.

All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moshe and Aharon and the chiefs of Yisra᾽el numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers,

from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of carrying in the Tent of Meeting.

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

According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moshe, everyone according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered, as the Lord commanded Moshe.