18. Ye shall not cut off the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites,
19. but this shall ye do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they draw near unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden;
20. but they shall not go in and see for a moment the holy things, lest they die.
21. And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
22. Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, according to their fathers' houses, after their families.
23. From thirty years old and upward to fifty years old shalt thou number them; every one that cometh to labour in the work, to perform the service in the tent of meeting.
24. This shall be the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving, and in carrying:
25. they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of badgers' skin that is above upon it, and the curtain of the entrance to the tent of meeting,
26. and the hangings of the court, and the curtain of the entrance, of the gate of the court, which surroundeth the tabernacle and the altar, and the cords thereof, and all the instruments of their service; and all that is to be done for these things shall they perform.
27. At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their carrying, and in all their service; and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their carrying.
28. This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting, and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29. The sons of Merari: after their families, according to their fathers' houses shalt thou number them;
30. from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the labour, to perform the service of the tent of meeting.
31. And this shall be the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and bases thereof,
32. and the pillars of the court round about, and their bases, and their pegs, and their cords, all their instruments, according to all their service; and by name ye shall number to them the materials which are their charge to carry.
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. And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the assembly numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and according to their fathers' houses,
35. from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, every one that entered into the labour, for service in the tent of meeting.
36. And those that were numbered of them according to their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.