Numbers 4:15–33

¹⁵And when Aaron 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, ^mthe sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: ⁿbut they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. ¹⁶And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth ^othe oil for the light, and the ^psweet incense, and ^qthe daily meat offering, and the ^ranointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof. ¹⁷And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ¹⁸Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: ¹⁹but thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto ^sthe most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: ^20tbut they shall not go in to see when ^uthe holy things are covered, lest they die.

²¹And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ²²Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families; ²³from 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 tabernacle of the congregation. ²⁴This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens: ²⁵and ^xthey shall bear ^ythe curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, ^zhis covering, and the ^zcovering of the badgers’ skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, ²⁶and the hangings of the court, and the hanging 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. ²⁷At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. ²⁸This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

²⁹As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers; ³⁰from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. ³¹And ^athis is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof, ³²and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall ^breckon the instruments of the charge of their burden. ³³This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, ^cunder the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.