Numbers 4:15–20

¹⁵When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the Kohathites shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, or they will die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the Kohathites are to carry.^*

¹⁶“Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle and all that is in it, in the sanctuary and in its utensils.”^*

¹⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ¹⁸“You must not let the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites. ¹⁹This is how you shall deal with them in order that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each to a particular task or burden.^{* 20}But the Kohathites^h must not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, or they will die.”