Instead, put the Levites in charge of the holy tent. That is where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. The Levites will be in charge of everything that belongs to the holy tent. They must carry the tent and everything that belongs to it. They must take care of it. They must set up camp around it.

只要派利未人管法柜的帐幕和其中的器具，并属乎帐幕的；他们要抬帐幕和其中的器具，并要办理帐幕的事，在帐幕的四围安营。

你要派利未人管理法柜的帐幕和其中一切的器具，以及属帐幕的一切。他们要抬帐幕和其中一切的器具，并要办理帐幕的事务，在帐幕的四围安营。

你要派利未人管理法柜的帐幕和其中一切的器具，以及属帐幕的一切。他们要抬帐幕和其中一切的器具，并要办理帐幕的事务，在帐幕的四围安营。

你要派利未人负责搬运和照料放约柜的圣幕及其所有器具，他们要在圣幕四围扎营。

只要派利未人管理法柜的帐幕，和其中的一切器具，以及一切属于帐幕的事物；他们要抬帐幕和其中的一切器具；他们要办理帐幕的事，在帐幕四周安营。

只要派利未人管法櫃的帳幕和其中的器具，並屬乎帳幕的；他們要擡帳幕和其中的器具，並要辦理帳幕的事，在帳幕的四圍安營。

你要派利未人管理法櫃的帳幕和其中一切的器具，以及屬帳幕的一切。他們要抬帳幕和其中一切的器具，並要辦理帳幕的事務，在帳幕的四圍安營。

你要派利未人管理法櫃的帳幕和其中一切的器具，以及屬帳幕的一切。他們要抬帳幕和其中一切的器具，並要辦理帳幕的事務，在帳幕的四圍安營。

你要派利未人負責搬運和照料放約櫃的聖幕及其所有器具，他們要在聖幕四圍紮營。

只要派利未人管理法櫃的帳幕，和其中的一切器具，以及一切屬於帳幕的事物；他們要抬帳幕和其中的一切器具；他們要辦理帳幕的事，在帳幕四周安營。

只要派利未人管顧法櫃的帳幕、和其中的一切器具、以及一切屬於帳幕的；他們要抬帳幕、和其中的一切器具；他們要伺候帳幕，在帳幕四圍紮營。

必立之以理法幕、及其器皿、與其所有、彼必舁幕暨器、供役其中、四周建營、

必使之負載法幕、及其器皿、供役其中、四周列營。

當命利未人司理法幕、與其諸器、及凡屬法幕者、使之運法幕、及其諸器、供役於幕中、於幕之四圍列營、

Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant law— over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it.

But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle.

Put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with all its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and all its furnishings as you travel, and they must take care of it and camp around it.

Appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They are to transport the tabernacle and all its articles, take care of it, and camp around it.

And you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over everything that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the tabernacle.

but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall attend to it and camp around the tabernacle.

but appoint thou the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all the furniture thereof, and over all that belongeth to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.

Appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They are to transport the tabernacle and all its articles, take care of it, and camp around it.

But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that[ belong] to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.

But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, over all its furnishings and over everything in it. They must carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; and they must attend to it and camp around it.

but appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; and they shall take care of it, and shall encamp around it.

Here are the amounts of the metals used for the holy tent, where the tablets of the covenant law were kept. Moses commanded the Levites to record the amounts. The Levites did the work under the direction of Ithamar. Ithamar was the son of Aaron the priest.

“ Aaron and his sons must cover all the holy things that belong to the holy tent. Only then are the men of Kohath to come and carry everything. They must do so only when the camp is ready to move. But they must not touch the holy things. If they do, they will die. The men of Kohath must carry everything in the tent of meeting.

The Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law. They were made out of stone. The words on them were written by the finger of God.

The families of Gershon had to camp on the west side. They had to camp behind the holy tent.The leader of the families of Gershon was Eliasaph, the son of Lael.Here are the duties of the families of Gershon at the tent of meeting. They were responsible for taking care of the holy tent and its coverings. They took care of the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting.They took care of the curtains of the courtyard. And they took care of the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. The courtyard was all around the holy tent and altar. The families of Gershon also took care of the ropes. In fact, they had to take care of everything connected with the use of all those things.The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel belonged to the family of Kohath.All the males a month old or more were counted. There were 8,600 of them. The families of Kohath were responsible for taking care of the sacred tent.They had to camp on the south side of the holy tent.The leader of the families of Kohath was Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.They were responsible for taking care of the ark of the covenant law. 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 things used for serving in the sacred tent. They also took care of the inner curtain. In fact, they had to take care of everything connected with the use of all those things.The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar. He was the son of Aaron the priest. Eleazar was appointed over those responsible for taking care of the sacred tent.The families of Mahli and Mushi belonged to the family of Merari.All the males a month old or more were counted. There were 6,200 of them.The leader of the families of Merari was Zuriel, the son of Abihail. The families of Merari had to camp on the north side of the holy tent.They were responsible for taking care of the frames of the tent. They took care of its crossbars, posts and bases. They took care of all its supplies. In fact, they had to take care of everything connected with the use of all those things.They also took care of the posts of the courtyard around the holy tent. And they took care of the bases, tent stakes and ropes.Moses, Aaron and Aaron’s sons had to camp to the east of the holy tent. They had to camp toward the sunrise in front of the tent of meeting. They were responsible for taking care of the sacred tent. They had to do it for the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the tent would be put to death.

They must carry the curtains of the holy tent of meeting. They must carry its covering and the outside covering of strong leather. They must carry the curtains that cover the entrance to the tent of meeting.They must carry the curtains of the courtyard. The courtyard is all around the holy tent and altar. They must carry the curtain for the entrance. They must carry the ropes. They must also carry all the supplies used for any purpose in the tent. The families of Gershon must do everything that needs to be done with those things.All their work must be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. That includes carrying and everything else they do. Aaron and his sons must tell them what to carry. And that will be their work.It is what the families of Gershon must do at the tent of meeting. They must work under the direction of Ithamar the priest. He is the son of Aaron.“ Count the families of Merari. Count them family by family.Count all the men 30 to 50 years old. Those are the men who must come and serve at the tent of meeting.Here is the work they must do at the tent of meeting. They must carry the frames of the holy tent. They must carry its crossbars, posts and bases.They must also carry the posts of the courtyard. The courtyard is all around the holy tent. And they must carry the bases for the posts as well as their tent stakes and ropes. They must also carry all the supplies and everything connected with their use. Tell each man exactly what to carry.That is the work the families of Merari must do at the tent of meeting. They must work under the direction of Ithamar the priest. He is the son of Aaron.”

I also learned that the shares the Levites were supposed to receive hadn’t been given to them. So all the Levites and musicians had to leave their regular temple duties. They had to go back and farm their own fields.I gave a warning to the officials. I asked them,“ Why aren’t you taking care of God’s house?” Then I brought the Levites and musicians together. I stationed them in their proper places. I put them back to work.All the people of Judah brought a tenth of the grain, olive oil and fresh wine. They took it to the storerooms.I put some men in charge of the storerooms. They were Shelemiah, Zadok and Pedaiah. Shelemiah was a priest. Zadok was a teacher of the law. And Pedaiah was a Levite. I made Hanan their assistant. He was the son of Zakkur. Zakkur was the son of Mattaniah. I knew that these men could be trusted. They were put in charge of handing out the supplies to the other Levites.

I commanded the Levites to make themselves pure. Then I told them to go and guard the gates. I wanted the Sabbath day to be kept holy. You are my God. Remember me because of the good things I’ve done. Be kind to me according to your great love.

Moses stood at the entrance to the camp. He said,“ Anyone on the Lord’ s side, come to me.” All the Levites joined him.Then he spoke to them. He said,“ The Lord, the God of Israel, says,‘ Each man must put on his sword. Then he must go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other. Each man must kill his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ”The Levites did as Moses commanded. About 3,000 of the people died that day.Then Moses said to the Levites,“ You have been set apart for the Lord today. You fought against your own sons and brothers. And he has blessed you this day.”

So now in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all the people of Israel brought their gifts. They gave the musicians and the men who guarded the gates what they were supposed to give them every day. They also set apart the shares for the other Levites. And the Levites set apart the shares for the priests in the family line of Aaron.

I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and other things. They had been given for the house of our God. The king, his advisers and officials, and all the Israelites who were there had given them.I weighed out 24 tons of silver and gave it to those men. I weighed out almost four tons of silver things. I weighed out almost four tons of gold.I weighed out 20 gold bowls. They weighed 19 pounds. I also weighed out two fine objects. The bronze they were made out of was highly polished. They were as priceless as gold.I said to those men,“ You are set apart to the Lord. So are these things. The silver and gold were offered to the Lord by those who chose to give them. He is the God of your people.Guard all these things carefully until you weigh them out. Weigh them in the special rooms of the Lord’ s temple in Jerusalem. Do this in front of the leading priests and the Levites. Make sure the family leaders of Israel are watching.”Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred objects. All of them had been weighed out. They were going to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

The names of the family leaders of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua were written down. So were the names of the family leaders of the priests. That happened while Darius ruled over Persia.

Here is the story of the family line of Aaron and Moses. It belongs to the time when the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.Aaron’s oldest son was Nadab. Aaron’s other sons were Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.Those were the names of Aaron’s sons. They were the anointed priests. They were given authority to serve the Lord as priests.But Nadab and Abihu made an offering to the Lord by using fire that wasn’t allowed. So they died in front of him. That happened in the Desert of Sinai. They didn’t have any sons. Only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests while their father Aaron was living.The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,“ Bring the men of the tribe of Levi to Aaron the priest. They will help him.They must work at the tent of meeting for Aaron and for the whole community. They must do what needs to be done at the holy tent.They must take care of everything connected with the tent of meeting. When they do, they are acting for all the Israelites.Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are the men of Israel who must be given completely to him.Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who approaches the sacred tent must be put to death.”

The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah and Judah. There were also Mattaniah and those who helped him. They were in charge of the songs for giving thanks.

David had become very old. So he made his son Solomon king over Israel.He gathered together all the leaders of Israel. He also gathered the priests and the Levites together.The Levites who were 30 years old or more were counted. The total number of men was 38,000.David said,“ From them, 24,000 will be in charge of the work of the Lord’ s temple. And 6,000 will be officials and judges.Another 4,000 will guard the gates. And 4,000 will praise the Lord with the instruments of music I’ve provided for that purpose.”David separated the Levites into groups. He did it according to the sons of Levi. The sons were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.Ladan and Shimei belonged to the family of Gershon.The sons of Ladan were Jehiel, Zetham and Joel. Jehiel was the oldest son. The total number of sons was three.The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran. The total number of sons was three. They were the leaders of the families of Ladan.The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Ziza, Jeush and Beriah. The total number of the sons of Shimei was four.Jahath was the first son. Ziza was the second son. But Jeush and Beriah didn’t have many sons. So they were counted as one family. They had only one task.The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. The total number of sons was four.The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his family line were set apart forever as the Lord’ s priests. They had the duty of setting the most holy things apart to the Lord. They offered sacrifices to the Lord. They served him. They gave blessings in his name forever.The sons of Moses, the man of God, were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.Shubael was the oldest son in the family line of Gershom.Rehabiah was the oldest son in the family line of Eliezer. Eliezer didn’t have any other sons. But Rehabiah had a great many sons.Shelomith was the oldest son of Izhar.Jeriah was the first son of Hebron. Amariah was his second son. Jahaziel was the third. Jekameam was the fourth.Micah was the first son of Uzziel. Ishiah was his second son.The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.Eleazar died without having any sons. All he had was daughters. They married their cousins. The cousins were the sons of Kish.The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. The total number of sons was three.Those were the family lines of Levi. They were recorded under the names of the family leaders. Each worker who was 20 years old or more was counted. They served in the Lord’ s temple.David had said,“ The Lord is the God of Israel. He has given peace and rest to his people. He has come to Jerusalem to live there forever.So the Levites don’t need to carry the holy tent anymore. They don’t need to carry any of its objects anymore. Those were the things that were used to serve there.”The Levites who were 20 years old or more were counted. That was in keeping with David’s final directions.The Levites had the duty of helping the members of Aaron’s family line. They helped them serve in the Lord’ s temple. They were in charge of the courtyards and the side rooms. They made all the sacred things pure and“ clean.” They also had other duties at the house of God.They were in charge of setting the holy bread out on the table. They prepared the special flour for the grain offerings. They made the thin loaves without using any yeast. They did the baking and the mixing. They measured the amount and size of everything.They stood every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They did the same thing every evening.They also did it every time burnt offerings were brought to the Lord. Those offerings were brought every Sabbath day. They were also brought at every New Moon feast and during the appointed yearly feasts. The Levites served in front of the Lord at regular times. The proper number of Levites was always used when they served. They served in the way the law required.So the Levites carried out their duties for the tent of meeting and for the Holy Room. They worked under their relatives who were in the family line of Aaron. They helped them serve at the Lord’ s temple.

The tribes of the Lord go there to praise his name. They do it in keeping with the law he gave to Israel.

But the Levites must set up their tents around the holy tent. That’s where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. Then I will not be angry with the community of Israel. The Levites will be responsible for taking care of the tent.”

The men of Kohath started out. They carried the holy things. The holy tent had to be set up before they arrived.

Then Moses raised his arm. He hit the rock twice with his walking stick. Water poured out. And the people and their livestock drank it.

Then the camp of the Levites will start out. The tent of meeting will go with them. They will march in the middle of the other camps. They will start out in the same order as they do when they set up camp. Each one will be in their own place under their flag.

On the fourth day we weighed out the silver and gold. We also weighed out the sacred objects. We weighed everything in the house of our God. We handed all of it over to Meremoth the priest. He was the son of Uriah. Eleazar, Jozabad and Noadiah were with him. Eleazar was the son of Phinehas. Jozabad was the son of Jeshua. Noadiah was the son of Binnui. Jozabad and Noadiah were Levites.Everything was listed by number and weight. And the total weight was recorded at that time.

He had also provided a large room for Tobiah. It had been used to store the grain offerings. The incense and the objects for the temple had been put there. And a tenth of the grain, olive oil and fresh wine had been kept there. That’s what the Law required for the Levites. That’s also what it required for the musicians and the men who guarded the temple gates. The gifts for the priests had been kept there too.

David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun. They set them apart to serve the Lord by prophesying while harps, lyres and cymbals were being played. Here is the list of the men who served in that way.From the sons of Asaph came Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph. He prophesied under the king’s direction.From the sons of Jeduthun came Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah. The total number was six. They were under the direction of their father Jeduthun. He prophesied while playing the harp. He used it to thank and praise the Lord.From the sons of Heman came Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti- Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth.All of them were sons of the king’s prophet Heman. They were given to Heman to bring him honor. That’s what God had promised. God gave him 14 sons and three daughters.All of them were under the direction of their father. They played music for the Lord’ s temple. They served at the house of God by playing cymbals, lyres and harps. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the king’s direction.All of them were trained and skilled in playing music for the Lord. Their total number was 288. That included their relatives.Young and old alike cast lots for their duties. That was true for students as well as teachers.The 1st lot chosen was for Asaph. It was for Joseph and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12. The 2nd lot was for Gedaliah and his relatives and sons. The total number was 12.The 3rd was for Zakkur and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 4th was for Izri and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 5th was for Nethaniah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 6th was for Bukkiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 7th was for Jesarelah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 8th was for Jeshaiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 9th was for Mattaniah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 10th was for Shimei and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 11th was for Azarel and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 12th was for Hashabiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 13th was for Shubael and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 14th was for Mattithiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 15th was for Jerimoth and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 16th was for Hananiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 17th was for Joshbekashah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 18th was for Hanani and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.The 19th was for Mallothi and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.