Numbers, Chapter 4:

Number Verses, Chapter 4 of the Bible's Book of Numbers.

The Kohathites

• 1. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, saying:
• 2. Take the number of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, according to their families, according to the houses of their fathers,
• 3. from the age of thirty years and upward until fifty years of age, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting.
• 4. This is the work of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, the most holy service.
• 5. When the army departs, Aaron and his sons will go in, and take away the covering veil, and with it they will cover the ark of the testimony;
• 6. and they will put a covering of badger skins on it, and they will spread a blue cloth over it, and they will put their poles.
• 7. And they shall spread a blue cloth upon the shew-table, and shall put upon it the dishes, and the spoons, and the goblets, and the libation cups; and the continual loaves shall be upon it.
• 8. And they shall spread a crimson cloth over them, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and set up their poles.
• 9. And they shall take a blue cloth, and cover the candlestick of the ministry, and its lamps, and its lamps, and its extinguishers, and all its vessels of oil, with which they serve it;
• 10. and hold it with all its utensils within a covering of badger skins, and hold it on a staff.
• 11. And they shall spread a blue cloth over the golden altar, and cover it with a covering of badger skins, and lay their poles;
• 12. and they will take all the utensils of the ministry, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and they will put them in a blue cloth, and they will cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and they will put them on a staff.
• 13. And they shall remove the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it;
• 14. and they shall place upon it all their utensils, with which they serve there, their spoons, their forks, their shovels, their vessels, and all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a covering of badger skins over it, and set their poles.
• 15. And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the articles of the sanctuary, when the camp departs, then the sons of Kohath will come to take it away; but they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the burdens of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
• 16. And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the oil of the lampstand, and the sweet incense, and the continual offering, and the anointing oil, the charge of the whole tabernacle, and of all that is therein, of the sanctuary and all its utensils.
• 17. And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
• 18. Do not uproot the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites;
• 19. but this is what you will do to them, that they may live and not die, when they come to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons will come, and they will assign each one to his ministry and to his burden;
• 20. but they will not enter to see the holy things, not even for a moment, lest they die.

The Gershonites

• 21. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
• 22. Also count the sons of Gershom, according to their paternal houses, according to their families;
• 23. from the age of thirty years and upward until fifty years of age, you shall count all those who enter to do service in the tent of meeting.
• 24. This is the work of the families of the Gershonites in service and in their burden.
• 25. They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of the congregation, its covering, and the badger covering that is above it, and the curtain of the door of the tent of the congregation,
• 26. and the curtains of the courtyard, and the curtain of the gate of the courtyard, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and its cords, and all the instruments of its service; and whatsoever is done unto them, so shall they serve.
• 27. By the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of all the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden and in all their service; and you shall assign to them by their names all their burdens.
• 28. This is the work of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting; and he will be under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron, the priest.

The Merarites

• 29. You shall also number the sons of Merari, according to their families, according to the houses of their fathers,
• 30. from the age of thirty years and upward until fifty years of age, you shall count all those who enter to do service in the tent of meeting.
• 31. This is the burden of his burden, according to all his service, in the tent of the congregation: the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its bases,
• 32. and the pillars of the court round about, and their bases, and their stakes, and their cords, with all the instruments of their service, and all that is made unto them; and by name you will designate the instruments of their burden.
• 33. This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, in all its burden, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron, the priest.

Levite divisions are counted

• 34. And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the children of the Kohathites, according to their families, according to the houses of their fathers,
• 35. from the age of thirty years and upward until fifty years of age, all who entered to do service and work in the tent of meeting;
• 36. and there were numbered of them, according to their families, two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
• 37. These are the number of the children of the Kohathites, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, according to the commandment of the LORD, by the hand of Moses.
• 38. The sons of Gershom were also numbered, according to their families, according to the houses of their fathers,
• 39. from the age of thirty years and upward until fifty years of age, all who entered to do service and work in the tent of meeting;
• 40. and there were numbered of them, according to their families, according to the houses of their fathers, two thousand six hundred and thirty.
• 41. These are the number of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, according to the commandment of the LORD.
• 42. The sons of Merari were also numbered, according to their families, according to the houses of their fathers,
• 43. from the age of thirty years and upward until fifty years of age, all who entered to do service and work in the tent of meeting;
• 44. and there were numbered of them, according to their families, three thousand and two hundred.
• 45. These are the number of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, according to the commandment of the LORD, by the hand of Moses.
• 46. All the numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered by their families and by their paternal houses,
• 47. from the age of thirty years and upward until fifty years of age, all who entered to do service and work in the tent of meeting,
• 48. there were eight thousand, five hundred and eighty.
• 49. According to the order of the LORD, by the hand of Moses, the Levites were numbered, each according to his service and his burden; and they were numbered as the LORD commanded Moses.

Bíblia Online