5. The Lord said to Moses,
6. “Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest.
7. They shall do the work required for the Tent of my presence and perform duties for the priests and for the whole community.
8. They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites.
9. The only responsibility the Levites have is to serve Aaron and his sons.
10. You shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; anyone else who tries to do so shall be put to death.”
11. The Lord said to Moses,
14. In the Sinai Desert the Lord commanded Moses
15. to register the Levites by clans and families, enrolling every male a month old or older,
16. and Moses did so.
21. The clan of Gershon was composed of the families of Libni and Shimei.
22. The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 7,500.
23. This clan was to camp on the west behind the Tent,
24. with Eliasaph son of Lael as chief of the clan.
25. They were responsible for the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the curtain for the entrance,
26. the curtains for the court which is round the Tent and the altar, and the curtain for the entrance of the court. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.
27. The clan of Kohath was composed of the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
28. The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 8,600.
29. This clan was to camp on the south side of the Tent,