1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 "Count the heads of the descendants of Kohath within the descendants of Levi, by their clans and by the house of their fathers,
3 from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old, everyone who enters the service to do work in the tent of meeting.
4 The work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting concerns the most holy things.
5 When the camp is about to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the screening curtain, and cover the ark of the testimony with it.
6 Over that they are to lay a covering of goatskins, spread on top a cloth entirely of blue, and insert its poles.
7 On the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and set on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for the drink offering; the continual bread is to remain on it.
8 They are to spread a scarlet cloth over these, cover that with a covering of goatskins, and insert its poles.
9 They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light together with its lamps, its tongs, its firepans, and all the oil vessels used in tending it.
10 They are to wrap it and all its utensils in a covering of goatskins and set it on the carrying frame.
11 Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth, cover it with a covering of goatskins, and insert its poles.
12 They are to take all the utensils used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of goatskins, and set them on the carrying frame.
13 They are to clear the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.
14 On it they are to place all the utensils used in ministering at it—the firepans, the forks, the shovels, and the bowls, all the utensils of the altar—then spread a covering of goatskins over it and insert its poles.
15 Once Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy things and all the utensils of the sanctuary, when the camp is about to move, then the descendants of Kohath are to come and carry them. But they must not touch the holy things, or they will die. These are what the descendants of Kohath carry from the tent of meeting.
16 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is to be responsible for the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the continual grain offering, and the anointing oil, and responsible for the whole tabernacle and everything in it, the sanctuary and its utensils."
17 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
18 "Do not let the tribe of the Kohathite clans be cut off from among the Levites.
19 Do this for them, so that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things: Aaron and his sons are to go in and assign each of them to his task and his load.
20 But they themselves must not go in to look at the holy things even for an instant, or they will die."
21 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
22 "Count the heads of the descendants of Gershon as well, by the house of their fathers and by their clans.
23 Register them from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old, everyone who enters to perform service, to do work in the tent of meeting.
24 This is the work of the Gershonite clans, both serving and carrying:
25 they are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting, its covering, the goatskin covering on top of it, and the screen at the entrance of the tent of meeting,
26 the hangings of the courtyard, the screen at the entrance of the gate of the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, their ropes, and all the utensils for their work; whatever has to be done with these, they shall do.
27 All the work of the Gershonites, all their carrying and all their service, is to be done at the direction of Aaron and his sons; you are to assign to them as their duty everything they carry.
28 This is the work of the Gershonite clans in the tent of meeting, and their duty is under the supervision of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
29 "The descendants of Merari you are to register by their clans and by the house of their fathers.
30 Register them from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tent of meeting.
31 What they are charged with carrying, as all their work in the tent of meeting, is this: the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its bases,
32 the pillars around the courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes, with all their utensils and all the work connected with them. You are to assign by name the items they are charged to carry.
33 This is the work of the Merarite clans, all their work in the tent of meeting, under the supervision of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest."
34 Moses, Aaron, and the chiefs of the congregation registered the Kohathites by their clans and by the house of their fathers,
35 from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting.
36 Their registered men by clans came to two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
37 These were the registered men of the Kohathite clans, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron registered at the word of the LORD through Moses.
38 The registered men of the descendants of Gershon by their clans and by the house of their fathers,
39 from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting—
40 their registered men by their clans and by the house of their fathers came to two thousand six hundred and thirty.
41 These were the registered men of the clans of the descendants of Gershon, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron registered at the word of the LORD.
42 The registered men of the clans of the descendants of Merari by their clans and by the house of their fathers,
43 from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting—
44 their registered men by their clans came to three thousand two hundred.
45 These were the registered men of the clans of the descendants of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron registered at the word of the LORD through Moses.
46 All the registered Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the chiefs of Israel registered by their clans and by the house of their fathers,
47 from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old, everyone who entered to do the work of serving and the work of carrying in the tent of meeting—
48 their registered men came to eight thousand five hundred and eighty.
49 At the word of the LORD through Moses each one was registered for his task and his load; so they were registered by him, as the LORD had commanded Moses.