17. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
18. The major families from Gershon were Libni and Shimei.
19. The major families from Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
20. The major families from Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Those were the major families of the Levites.
21. The families of Libni and Shimei belonged to the family of Gershon.
22. All of the males who were a month old or more were counted. There were 7,500 of them.
23. The families of Gershon had to camp on the west side. They had to camp behind the holy tent.
24. The leader of the families of Gershon was Eliasaph, the son of Lael.
25. Here are the duties of the families of Gershon at the Tent of Meeting. They were held accountable for taking care of the holy tent and its coverings. They took care of the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
26. They took care of the curtains of the courtyard. They took care of the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. The courtyard was all around the holy tent and altar. They also took care of the ropes. In fact, they had to take care of everything that was connected with the use of all of those things.
27. The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel belonged to the family of Kohath.
28. All of the males who were a month old or more were counted. There were 8,600 of them. The families of Kohath were held accountable for taking care of the sacred tent.
29. They had to camp on the south side of the holy tent.
30. The leader of the families of Kohath was Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.
31. They were held accountable for taking care of the ark of the covenant. They took care of the table for the holy bread. They took care of the lampstand and the two altars. They took care of the articles that were used for serving in the sacred tent. They also took care of the inner curtain. In fact, they had to take care of everything that was connected with the use of all of those things.
32. The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar. He was the son of the priest Aaron. Eleazar was appointed over those who were held accountable for taking care of the sacred tent.