18. "Make sure that the Kohath families are not cut off from the Levites.
19. I want them to live and not die when they come near the very holy things. So here is what you must do for them. Aaron and his sons must go into the sacred tent and tell each man what to do. They must tell each man what to carry.
20. But the men of Kohath must not go in and look at the holy things. They must not look at them even for a moment. If they do, they will die."
21. The Lord said to Moses,
22. "Count the Gershon families. Make a list of them family by family.
23. Count all of the men who are from 30 to 50 years old. Those are the men who must come and serve at the Tent of Meeting.
24. "Here is how the Gershon families must serve. They must carry things.
25. They must carry the curtains of the holy Tent of Meeting. They must carry its covering and the outside covering of the hides of sea cows. They must carry the curtains that cover the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
26. 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 of the supplies that are used for any purpose in the tent. The men of Gershon must do everything that needs to be done with those things.
27. "All of 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.
28. It is what the Gershon families must do at the Tent of Meeting. They must work under the direction of the priest Ithamar. He is the son of Aaron.
29. "Count the Merari families. Count them family by family.
30. Count all of the men who are from 30 to 50 years old. Those are the men who must come and serve at the Tent of Meeting.
31. "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.