Numbers 4:15–33

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.”

The Gershonites

²¹The Lord said to Moses, ²²“Take a census also of the Gershonites by their families and clans. ²³Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age^b who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

²⁴“This is the service of the Gershonite clans in their carrying and their other work: ²⁵They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle,^c that is, the tent of meeting,^d its covering^e and its outer covering of durable leather, the curtains for the entrance to the tent of meeting, ²⁶the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar,^f the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard,^g the ropes and all the equipment^h used in the service of the tent. The Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things. ²⁷All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons.ⁱ You shall assign to them as their responsibility^j all they are to carry. ²⁸This is the service of the Gershonite clans^k at the tent of meeting. Their duties are to be under the direction of Ithamar^l son of Aaron, the priest.

The Merarites

²⁹“Count^m the Merarites by their clans and families.^{n 30}Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting. ³¹As part of all their service at the tent, they are to carry the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases,^{o 32}as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes,^p all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry. ³³This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the tent of meeting under the direction of Ithamar^q son of Aaron, the priest.”