Numbers 4:4-20

Leeser^{(i) 4} This shall be the service of the sons of Kehath at the tabernacle of the congregation: The most holy things. ⁵ And Aaron shall come with his sons, when the camp setteth forward, and they shall take down the vail of the separation, and cover therewith the ark of the testimony; ⁶ And they shall put over it a covering of badgers’ skins, and they shall spread over all a cloth wholly of blue woollen yarn, and they shall put in its staves. ⁷ And over the table of the showbread shall they spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the tubes, and the staves of the covering; and the continual bread shall be thereon: ⁸ And they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins; and they shall put in its staves. ⁹ And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the lighting, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuff-dishes, and all the oil-vessels thereof, wherewith they minister by it: ¹⁰ And they shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of badgers’ skins, and they shall put it upon a barrow. ¹¹ And over the golden altar shall they spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins; and they shall put in its staves. ¹² And they shall take all the vessels of the service, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins; and they shall put them on a barrow. ¹³ And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread over it a cloth of purple; ¹⁴ And they shall put upon it all its vessels, wherewith they minister upon it, the fire-pans, the forks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread over it a covering of badgers’ skins, and put in its staves. ¹⁵ And when Aaron and his sons have thus made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set forward: then shall, after that, the sons of Kehath come to carry it; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die; these are the things which the sons of Kehath are to carry at the tabernacle of the congregation. ¹⁶ And under the supervision of Elazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the lighting, and the incense of spices, and the daily meat-offering, and the anointing-oil; the supervision of all the tabernacle, and of all that is therein, over the sanctuary, and over its vessels. ¹⁷ And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ¹⁸ Do ye not cause the tribe of the families of the Kehathites to be cut off from among the Levites; ¹⁹ 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; ²⁰ That they may not go in to see when the holy things are covered, and die.