1And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2“Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 3Between the ages of thirty and fifty years, of all that come to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. 4This shall be their service for the tabernacle of meeting, of the most holy things: 5And when the camp sets forward, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 6And shall put upon it the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread a cloth wholly of blue over it, and shall put in its carrying staves. 7And on the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put on it the dishes, spoons, bowls, covers with which to cover them: and the continual bread shall be on it: 8And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and then cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in its staves. 9And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the lampstand of the light, its lamps, tongs, its snuff dishes, and all its oil vessels, by which they minister unto it: 10And they shall put it and all its utensils within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it upon a bar. 11And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in its staves: 12And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, by which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and put them on a bar: 13And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it: 14And they shall put upon it all its utensils, with which they minister about it - the censers, fleshhooks, shovels, basins, all the vessels of the altar - and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put in its staves. 15And after Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary items, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these items: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things of the tabernacle of meeting are the burden to be carried by the sons of Kohath. 16And to the office of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, pertains the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meal offering, and the anointing oil, and oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in the sanctuary, and in its vessels.”

17And the LORD also told Moses and Aaron, 18“Do not eliminate the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites from among the Levites: 19But do this for them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and assign each of them his service and his burden: 20But they shall not enter to look at the holy objects before they are covered, lest they die.”

21And the LORD said to Moses, 22“Take also a census of the sons of Gershon, by their houses and families; 23Between the ages of thirty and fifty years old; all that perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. 24This is shall be the service of the families of the Gershonites, and their burdens: 25And they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle of meeting - its covering, the covering of the badgers' skins that is on it, the hanging for the entrance of the tabernacle of meeting, 26The hangings of the court, and for the entrance of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar around it, their cords, all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: that will be their service. 27At the direction of Aaron and his sons shall the Gershonites serve - all their burdens, and all their service: and you shall give them responsibility for all they carry. 28This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting; and they shall be under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.

29“As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them after their families, by the house of their fathers; 30From thirty years old and older to fifty years old shall you number them, every one that enters into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 31And part their service in the tabernacle of meeting: the burden of the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets, 32And the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and you shall list for each of them the specific instruments that they shall carry. 33This is the service of the tabernacle of meeting that the families of the sons of Merari shall perform, under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.”

34And Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their clans, and the families of their fathers, 35From thirty years old up to fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of meeting: 36And those who were numbered of them by their families were two thousand, seven hundred fifty. 37These were they who were numbered of the clans of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of meeting, as numbered by Moses and Aaron in accordance with to the commandment of the LORD.

38And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, 39From thirty years old and up to fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of meeting, 40Those numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand, six hundred thirty. 41These are they who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD.

42And those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, 43From thirty years old up to fifty years old, every one that enters into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of meeting:, 44Those who were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand, two hundred. 45These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

46All those who were numbered of all the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 47From thirty years old up to fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of meeting, 48Were numbered at eight thousand, five hundred eighty. 49According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, each according to his service, and by his burden. Thus they were numbered by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.