Numbers 4:15–20

¹⁵“After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move,^o only then are the Kohathites^p to come and do the carrying.^q But they must not touch the holy things^r or they will die.^s The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting.

¹⁶“Eleazar^t son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light,^u the fragrant incense,^v the regular grain offering^w and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles.”

¹⁷The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ¹⁸“See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the Levites. ¹⁹So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things,^x do this for them: Aaron and his sons^y are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry.^{z 20}But the Kohathites must not go in to look^a at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.”