Numbers 4:1-20

Expanded Bible

The Jobs of the Kohath Family

4 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “·Count [Take a census of; ^LLift the head of] the Kohathites ·among [or separate from] the Levites by ·family groups [clans] and families. ³ ·Count [Take a census of; ^LLift the head of] the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who come to serve in the Meeting Tent.

⁴ “The Kohathites are responsible for the most holy things in the Meeting Tent. ⁵ When the ·Israelites are [^Lcamp is] ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], take down the curtain, and cover the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; ^LTestimony; Ex. 25:10] with it. ⁶ Over this they must put a covering made from ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14], then spread the solid blue cloth over that [Ex. 26:1–6], and put the poles in place.

⁷ “Then they must spread a blue cloth over the table for the ·bread that shows a person is in God’s presence [Bread of Presence; Ex. 25:30]. They must put the plates, pans, bowls, and the jars for drink offerings on the table; they must leave the bread that is always there on the table. ⁸ Then they must put a ·red [crimson] cloth over all of these things, cover everything with ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14], and put the poles in place.

⁹ “With a blue cloth they must cover the ·lampstand [^LMenorah; Ex. 25:31–40], its lamps, its wick trimmers, its trays, and all the jars for the oil used in the lamps. ¹⁰ Then they must wrap everything in ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14] and put all these things on a frame for carrying them.

¹¹ “They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar [^Cthe altar of incense; Ex. 30:1–6], cover it with ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14], and put the poles in place.

¹² “They must gather all the things used for serving in the Holy Place and wrap them in a blue cloth. Then they must cover that with ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14] and put these things on a frame for carrying them.

¹³ “They must clean the ashes off the bronze altar [Ex. 27:1–8] and spread a purple cloth over it. ¹⁴ They must gather all the things used for serving at the altar—the ·pans for carrying the fire [firepans], the meat forks, the shovels, and the ·bowls [basins]—and put them on the bronze altar. Then they must spread a covering of ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; Ex. 26:14] over it and put the poles in place.

¹⁵ “When the ·Israelites are [^Lcamp is] ready to move, and when Aaron and his sons have covered the ·holy furniture [or Holy Place] and all the holy things, the Kohathites may go in and carry them away. In this way they won’t touch the holy things and die. It is the Kohathites’ job to carry the things that are in the Meeting Tent.

¹⁶ “Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, will be responsible for the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and for everything in it, for all the holy things it has: the oil for the lamp [Ex. 27:20–21], the sweet-smelling incense, the continual ·grain [^Lgift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1], and the oil used to appoint priests [Ex. 30:22–38] and things to the Lord’s service.”

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ¹⁸ “Don’t let the ·Kohathites [^Lthe tribe of the clans of Kohath] be cut off from the Levites. ¹⁹ Do this for the Kohathites so that they may go near the Most Holy Place and live and not die: Aaron and his sons must go in and show each Kohathite what to do and what to carry. ²⁰ The Kohathites must not enter and look at the holy things, even for a second, or they will die.”