Bible in Basic English
Do not let the family of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites;
But do this to them, so that life and not death may be theirs when they come near the most holy things; let Aaron and his sons go in and give to every one his work and that which he is to take up;
But they themselves are not to go in to see the holy place, even for a minute, for fear of death.
And the Lord said to Moses,
Let the sons of Gershon be numbered by families, in the order of their fathers' houses;
All those from thirty to fifty years old who are able to do the work of the Tent of meeting.
This is to be the work of the Gershonites, the things they are to do and take up.
They are to take up the curtains of the House, and the Tent of meeting with its cover and the leather cover over it, and the hangings for the door of the Tent of meeting;
And the hangings for the open space round the House and the altar, and the curtain for its doorway, with the cords and all the things used for them; whatever is necessary for these, they are to do.
From the mouth of Aaron and his sons the Gershonites will have word about all the things they are to do and take up; you are to give them their orders.
This is the work of the family of the Gershonites in the Tent of meeting, and they will be under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.
The sons of Merari are to be numbered by families, in the order of their fathers' houses;
Every one from thirty to fifty years old who is able to do the work of the Tent of meeting.
And this is their part in the work of the Tent of meeting: the transport of the boards and the rods of the Tent, with the pillars and their bases;
And the pillars of the open space outside it, with their bases and their nails and cords and all the instruments used, and everything which has to be done there; all the instruments for which they are responsible are to be numbered by name.
This is the work which the sons of Merari are to do in connection with the Tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.
So Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the people took in hand the numbering of the sons of the Kohathites, by families, in the order of their fathers' houses;
Numbering all those from thirty to fifty years old who were able to do the work in the Tent of meeting;
And the number of all these was two thousand, seven hundred and fifty.
This is the number of those of the Kohathites who did the work in the Tent of meeting, as they were numbered by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord.
And those of the sons of Gershon who were numbered by families,
All those from thirty to fifty years old who were able to do the work in the Tent of meeting,
Who were numbered by families in the order of their fathers' houses, were two thousand, six hundred and thirty.
This is the number of the sons of Gershon who did the work in the Tent of meeting, as they were numbered by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord.
And those of the sons of Merari who were numbered by families, in the order of their fathers' houses,
All those from thirty to fifty years old who did the work in the Tent of meeting,
Who were numbered by families, were three thousand, two hundred.
This is the number of the sons of Merari, numbered by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord.
And all the Levites who were numbered by Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the people, by families, in the order of their fathers' houses,
Those from thirty to fifty years old who were able to do the work of the Tent of meeting and of its transport,
Came to eight thousand, five hundred and eighty.
At the order of the Lord they were numbered by Moses, every one in relation to his work and to his part in the transport; so they were numbered by Moses at the order of the Lord.
— Numbers 4:18-1964, Bible in Basic English
“Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; but thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden; but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die. And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses, by their families; from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to wait upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting. This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens: they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatsoever shall be done with them: therein shall they serve. 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 ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burden. This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them by their families, by their fathers’ houses; from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth upon the service, to do the work of the tent of meeting. And this is 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 the sockets thereof, and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden. 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. And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting: and those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses. And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, their families, and by their fathers’ houses, from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, even those that were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah. And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, even those that were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand and two hundred. These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses. All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. According to the commandment of Jehovah they were numbered by Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as Jehovah commanded Moses. ”
“"Don't cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; 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; but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die." Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses, by their families; 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. "This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens: 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, 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. Therein shall they serve. 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. 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. "As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers' houses; 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. 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, 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. 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." Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers' houses, from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting. Those who were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred fifty. These are those who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses. Those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, their families, and by their fathers' houses, from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting, even those who were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers' houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty. These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh. Those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers' houses, from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting, even those who were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred. These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses. All those who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers' houses, 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, even those who were numbered of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty. According to the commandment of Yahweh they were numbered by Moses, everyone according to his service, and according to his burden. Thus were they numbered by him, as Yahweh commanded Moses.”
““Do not allow the tribe of the families of the Kohathites to be cut off from among the Levites; but in order that they will live and not die when they approach the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons will go in and appoint each man to his service and his responsibility. But the Kohathites are not to go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, or they will die.” The Service of the Gershonites Then the LORD spoke to Moses: “Also take a census of the Gershonites, by their clans and by their families. You must number them from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all who enter the company to do the work of the tent of meeting. This is the service of the families of Gershonites, as they serve and carry it. They must carry the curtains for the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering, the covering of fine leather that is over it, the curtains for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the hangings for the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance of the gate of the court, which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, along with all the furnishings for their service and everything that is made for them. So they are to serve. “All the service of the Gershonites, whether carrying loads or for any of their work, will be at the direction of Aaron and his sons. You will assign them all their tasks as their responsibility. This is the service of the families of the Gershonites concerning the tent of meeting. Their responsibilities will be under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. The Service of the Merarites“As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their families and by their clans. You must number them from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all who enter the company to do the work of the tent of meeting. This is what they are responsible to carry as their entire service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets, and the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their sockets, tent pegs, and ropes, along with all their furnishings and everything for their service. You are to assign by names the items that each man is responsible to carry. This is the service of the families of the Merarites, their entire service concerning the tent of meeting, under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.” Summary So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community numbered the Kohathites by their families and by clans, from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting; and those of them numbered by their families were 2,750. These were those numbered from the families of the Kohathites, everyone who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the authority of Moses. Those numbered from the Gershonites, by their families and by their clans, from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting– those of them numbered by their families, by their clans, were 2,630. These were those numbered from the families of the Gershonites, everyone who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD. Those numbered from the families of the Merarites, by their families, by their clans, from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting– those of them numbered by their families were 3,200. These are those numbered from the families of the Merarites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the authority of Moses. All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered by their families and by their clans, from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered to do the work of service and the work of carrying relating to the tent of meeting– those of them numbered were 8,580. According to the word of the LORD they were numbered, by the authority of Moses, each according to his service and according to what he was to carry. Thus were they numbered by him, as the LORD had commanded Moses.”
And after the holy place and all its vessels have been covered up by Aaron and his sons, when the tents of the people go forward, the sons of Kohath are to come and take it up; but the holy things may not be touched by them for fear of death.
And Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, is to be responsible for the oil for the light, and the sweet perfumes for burning, and the regular meal offering, and the holy oil; the House and the holy place and everything in it will be in his care.
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
Do not let the family of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites;
But do this to them, so that life and not death may be theirs when they come near the most holy things; let Aaron and his sons go in and give to every one his work and that which he is to take up;
But they themselves are not to go in to see the holy place, even for a minute, for fear of death.
And the Lord said to Moses,
Let the sons of Gershon be numbered by families, in the order of their fathers' houses;
All those from thirty to fifty years old who are able to do the work of the Tent of meeting.
This is to be the work of the Gershonites, the things they are to do and take up.
They are to take up the curtains of the House, and the Tent of meeting with its cover and the leather cover over it, and the hangings for the door of the Tent of meeting;
And the hangings for the open space round the House and the altar, and the curtain for its doorway, with the cords and all the things used for them; whatever is necessary for these, they are to do.
From the mouth of Aaron and his sons the Gershonites will have word about all the things they are to do and take up; you are to give them their orders.
This is the work of the family of the Gershonites in the Tent of meeting, and they will be under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.
The sons of Merari are to be numbered by families, in the order of their fathers' houses;
Every one from thirty to fifty years old who is able to do the work of the Tent of meeting.
And this is their part in the work of the Tent of meeting: the transport of the boards and the rods of the Tent, with the pillars and their bases;
And the pillars of the open space outside it, with their bases and their nails and cords and all the instruments used, and everything which has to be done there; all the instruments for which they are responsible are to be numbered by name.
This is the work which the sons of Merari are to do in connection with the Tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.
So Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the people took in hand the numbering of the sons of the Kohathites, by families, in the order of their fathers' houses;
Numbering all those from thirty to fifty years old who were able to do the work in the Tent of meeting;
And the number of all these was two thousand, seven hundred and fifty.
This is the number of those of the Kohathites who did the work in the Tent of meeting, as they were numbered by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord.
And those of the sons of Gershon who were numbered by families,
All those from thirty to fifty years old who were able to do the work in the Tent of meeting,
Who were numbered by families in the order of their fathers' houses, were two thousand, six hundred and thirty.
This is the number of the sons of Gershon who did the work in the Tent of meeting, as they were numbered by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord.
And those of the sons of Merari who were numbered by families, in the order of their fathers' houses,
All those from thirty to fifty years old who did the work in the Tent of meeting,
Who were numbered by families, were three thousand, two hundred.
This is the number of the sons of Merari, numbered by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord.
And all the Levites who were numbered by Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the people, by families, in the order of their fathers' houses,
Those from thirty to fifty years old who were able to do the work of the Tent of meeting and of its transport,
Came to eight thousand, five hundred and eighty.
At the order of the Lord they were numbered by Moses, every one in relation to his work and to his part in the transport; so they were numbered by Moses at the order of the Lord.