3. from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all who enter into the service, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

4. "This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting, the most holy things.

5. When the camp moves forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it,

6. and shall put a covering of sealskin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.

7. "On the table of show bread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and the cups with which to pour out; and the continual bread shall be on it.

8. They shall spread on them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

9. "They shall take a blue cloth, and cover the lamp stand of the light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuff dishes, and all its oil vessels, with which they minister to it.

10. They shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it on the frame.

11. "On the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

12. "They shall take all the vessels of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame.

13. "They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it.

14. They shall put on it all its vessels, with which they minister about it, the fire pans, the meat hooks, the shovels, and the basins; all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of sealskin, and put in its poles.

15. "When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting.

16. "The duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the continual meal offering, and the anointing oil, the requirements of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, the sanctuary, and its furnishings."

17. The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

18. "Don't cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the LEVITES;

19. but thus do to them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them everyone to his service and to his burden;

20. but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die."

21. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

22. "Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses, by their families;

23. you shall count them from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old; all who enter in to wait on the service, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

24. "This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens:

25. they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above on it, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,

26. and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatever shall be done with them. They shall serve in there.

27. At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden, and in all their service; and you shall appoint their duty to them in all their responsibilities.

28. This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the Tent of Meeting: and their duty shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

29. "As for the sons of Merari, you shall count them by their families, by their fathers' houses;

30. you shall count them from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who enters on the service, to do the work of the Tent of Meeting.

31. This is the duty of their burden, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the tabernacle's boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,

32. and the pillars of the court around it, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name you shall appoint the instruments of the duty of their burden.

33. This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."

34. Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation counted the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers' houses,

35. from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting.

36. Those who were counted of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred fifty.

37. These are those who were counted of the families of the Kohathites, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of the LORD by Moses.

38. Those who were counted of the sons of Gershon, their families, and by their fathers' houses,

39. from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

40. even those who were counted of them, by their families, by their fathers' houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty.

41. These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of The LORD.

42. Those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers' houses,

43. from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

44. even those who were counted of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred.

45. These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of the LORD by Moses.

46. All those who were counted of the LEVITES, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel counted, by their families, and by their fathers' houses,

47. from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the Tent of Meeting,

23. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

24. "This is that which belongs to the LEVITES: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting;

25. and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more,

26. but shall minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, and shall do no service. You shall do thus to the LEVITES concerning their duties."

3. The LEVITES were counted from thirty years old and upward; and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand.

4. David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of The LORD's house, six thousand were officers and judges,

5. four thousand were doorkeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made for giving praise."

6. David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7. Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

8. The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, Zetham, and Joel, three.

9. The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers' households of Ladan.

10. The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

11. Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah didn't have many sons; therefore they became a fathers' house in one reckoning.

12. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

13. The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, forever, to burn incense before The LORD, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, forever.

14. But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

15. The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16. The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief.

17. The sons of Eliezer were: Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.

18. The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief.

19. The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

20. The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second.

21. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

22. Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only: and their brothers the sons of Kish took them as wives.

23. The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

24. These were the sons of Levi after their fathers' houses, even the heads of the fathers' houses of those who were counted individually, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of The LORD's house, from twenty years old and upward.

25. For David said, "The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.

26. Also the LEVITES will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its vessels for its service."

27. For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were counted, from twenty years old and upward.

Now in the second year of their coming to God's house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the LEVITES, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the LEVITES, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of The LORD's house.