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N U MBERS 4
the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the people of Israel. The Levites belong
to me; I am the Lord. 46 There are 273 more firstborn sons of Israel than there are Levites. To
redeem these extra firstborn sons, 47 collect five
pieces of silver* for each of them (each piece
weighing the same as the sanctuary shekel,
which equals twenty gerahs). 48 Give the silver
to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price
for the extra firstborn sons.”
49 So Moses collected the silver for redeeming
the firstborn sons of Israel who exceeded the
number of Levites. 50 He collected 1,365 pieces of
silver* on behalf of these firstborn sons of Israel
(each piece weighing the same as the sanctuary shekel). 51 And Moses gave the silver for the
redemption to Aaron and his sons, just as the
Lord had commanded.
Duties of the Kohathite Clan
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
2 “Record the names of the members of the
clans and families of the Kohathite division of
the tribe of Levi. 3 List all the men between the
ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve
in the Tabernacle.*
4 “The duties of the Kohathites at the Tabernacle will relate to the most sacred objects.
5 When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons
must enter the Tabernacle first to take down the
inner curtain and cover the Ark of the Covenant*
with it. 6 Then they must cover the inner curtain
with fine goatskin leather and spread over that a
single piece of blue cloth. Finally, they must put
the carrying poles of the Ark in place.
7 “Next they must spread a blue cloth over
4
• Serving
NU MB E R S 4 :4 -1 5
How can I be of greater service to my
church? Sometimes we are so focused
on wanting to serve God in big ways that
we neglect doing the little things that
are important but not glamorous. The
physical care alone of the Tabernacle
must have been a huge job—the
cleaning, the packing for the next move,
the maintenance. In your church there are
just as many “little” jobs that we tend to
forget, but are important. Washing dishes,
straightening up a room, cleaning light
fixtures, handing out programs, typing
reports, providing refreshments—these
are jobs that serve others in behind-thescenes ways, but are no less significant
to God and are, in fact, an important part
of worship.
page 124
the table where the Bread of the Presence is
displayed, and on the cloth they will place the
bowls, ladles, jars, pitchers, and the special
bread. 8 They must spread a scarlet cloth over
all of this, and finally a covering of fine goatskin
leather on top of the scarlet cloth. Then they
must insert the carrying poles into the table.
9 “Next they must cover the lampstand with a
blue cloth, along with its lamps, lamp snuffers,
trays, and special jars of olive oil. 10 Then they
must cover the lampstand and its accessories
with fine goatskin leather and place the bundle
on a carrying frame.
11 “Next they must spread a blue cloth over
the gold incense altar and cover this cloth with
fine goatskin leather. Then they must attach
the carrying poles to the altar. 12 They must take
all the remaining furnishings of the sanctuary
and wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with
fine goatskin leather, and place them on the
carrying frame.
13 “They must remove the ashes from the altar
for sacrifices and cover the altar with a purple
cloth. 14 All the altar utensils—the firepans, meat
forks, shovels, basins, and all the containers—
must be placed on the cloth, and a covering of
fine goatskin leather must be spread over them.
Finally, they must put the carrying poles in place.
15 The camp will be ready to move when Aaron
and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the sacred articles. The Kohathites
will come and carry these things to the next destination. But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. So these are the things from
the Tabernacle that the Kohathites must carry.
16 “Eleazar son of Aaron the priest will be responsible for the oil of the lampstand, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the
anointing oil. In fact, Eleazar will be responsible for the entire Tabernacle and everything in
it, including the sanctuary and its furnishings.”
17 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
18 “Do not let the Kohathite clans be destroyed
from among the Levites! 19 This is what you must
do so they will live and not die when they approach the most sacred objects. Aaron and his
sons must always go in with them and assign a
specific duty or load to each person. 20 The Kohathites must never enter the sanctuary to look
at the sacred objects for even a moment, or they
will die.”
Duties of the Gershonite Clan
21 And the Lord said to Moses, 22 “Record the
names of the members of the clans and families
of the Gershonite division of the tribe of Levi.
23 List all the men between the ages of thirty and
fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle.
3:47 Hebrew 5 shekels [2 ounces or 57 grams]. 3:50 Hebrew
1,365 [shekels] of silver [34 pounds or 15.5 kilograms].
4:3 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting; also in 4:4, 15, 23, 25, 28, 30,
31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 47. 4:5 Or Ark of the Testimony.