Mínshùjì 4

1 Yēhéhuá xiǎoyù Móxī , Yàlún shuō ,

2 Nǐ cóng Lìwèi rén zhōng , jiāng Gēxiá zǐsūn de zǒng shǔ , zhào tāmende jia shì , zōngzú ,

3 Cóng sān shí suì zhídào wǔ shí suì , fán qián lái rén zhí , zaì huì mù lǐ bàn shì de , quándōu jìsuàn .

4 Gēxiá zǐsūn zaì huì mù bān yùn zhì shèng zhī wù , suǒ bàn de shì nǎi shì zhèyàng ,

5 Qǐ yíng de shíhou , Yàlún hé tā érzi yào jìn qù zhāi xià zhēyǎn jǔ de mànzǐ , yòng yǐ mĕng gaì fǎ jǔ ,

6 Yòu yòng hǎigǒu pí gaì zaì shàng tóu , zaì mĕng shàng chún lán sè de tǎn zǐ , bǎ gāng chuān shàng .

7 Yòu yòng lán sè tǎn zǐ pū zaì chénshèbǐng de zhuōzi shàng , jiàng pánzi , tiaógēng , diàn jiǔ de jué , hé bēi bǎi zaì shàng tóu . zhuōzi shàng yĕ bì yǒu cháng shè de bǐng .

8 Zaì qí shàng yòu yào mĕng zhūhóngsē de tǎn zǐ , zaì mĕng shànghǎi gǒu pí , bǎ gāng chuān shàng .

9 Yào ná lán sè tǎn zǐ , bǎ dēngtái hé dēngtái shàng suǒ yòng de dēng zhǎn , jiǎn zǐ , là huā pán , bìng yīqiè shèng yóu de qìmǐn , quándōu zhēgaì .

10 Yòu yào bǎ dēngtái hé dēngtái de yīqiè qìjù bāo zaì hǎigǒu pí lǐ , fàng zaì tái jià shàng .

11 Zaì jīn tán shàng yào pū lán sè tǎn zǐ , mĕng shànghǎi gǒu pí , bǎ gàng chuān shàng .

12 Yòu yào bǎ shèng suǒ yòng de yīqiè qìjù bāo zaì lán sè tǎn zǐ lǐ , yòng hǎigǒu pí mĕng shàng , fàng zaì tái jià shàng .

13 Yào shōu qù tán shàng de huī , bǎ zǐse tǎn zǐ pū zaì tán shàng .

14 Yòu yào bǎ suǒ yòng de yīqiè qìjù , jiù shì huǒ dǐng , ròu chā zǐ , chǎnzi , pánzi , yīqiè shǔ tán de qìjù dōu bǎi zaì tán shàng , yòu mĕng shànghǎi gǒu pí , bǎ gāng chuān shàng .

15 Jiāngyào qǐ yíng de shíhou , Yàlún hé tā érzi bǎ shèng suǒ hé shèng suǒ de yīqiè qìjù zhēgaì wán le , Gēxiá de zǐsūn jiù yào lái tái , zhǐshì bùkĕ mó shèngwù , miǎndé tāmen sǐwáng . huì mù lǐ zhèxie wùjiàn shì Gēxiá zǐsūn suǒ dàng tái de

16 Jìsī Yàlún de érzi YǐlìYàsā suǒ yào kānshǒu de shì diǎn dēng de yóu yǔ xiāngliào , bìng dàng xiàn de sù jì hé gāo yóu , yĕ yào kānshǒu quán zhàngmù yǔ qízhōng suǒyǒude , bìng shèng suǒ hé shèng suǒ de qìjù .

17 Yēhéhuá xiǎoyù Móxī , Yàlún shuō ,

18 Nǐmen bùkĕ jiàng Gēxiá rén de zhīpaì cóng Lìwèi rén zhōng jiǎnchú .

19 Tāmen āijìn zhì shèngwù de shíhou , Yàlún hé tā érzi yào jìn qù paì tāmen gèrén suǒ dàng bàn de , suǒ dàng tái de . zhèyàng dāi tāmen , hǎo shǐ tāmen huó zhe , bú zhì sǐwáng .

20 Zhǐshì tāmen lián piànshí bùkĕ jìn qù guānkàn shèng suǒ , miǎndé tāmen sǐwáng .

21 Yēhéhuá xiǎoyù Móxī shuō ,

22 Nǐ yào jiàng Géshùn zǐsūn de zǒng shǔ , zhào zhe zōngzú , jia shì ,

23 Cóng sān shí suì zhídào wǔ shí suì , fán qián lái rén zhí , zaì huì mù lǐ bàn shì de , quándōu shǔ diǎn .

24 Géshùn rén gè zú suǒ bàn de shì , suǒ tái de wù nǎi shì zhèyàng ,

25 Tāmen yào tái zhàngmù de mànzǐ hé huì mù , bìng huì mù de gaì yǔ qí shàng de hǎigǒu pí , hé huì mù de ménlián ,

26 Yuànzi de wéizi hé ménlián ( yuànzi shì wéi zhàngmù hé tán de ) , shéngzi , bìng suǒ yòng de qìjù , bú lún shì zuò shénme yòng de , tāmen dōu yào jīnglǐ .

27 Géshùn de zǐsūn zaì yīqiè tái wù bàn shì zhī shàng dōu yào píng Yàlún hé tā érzi de fēnfu . tāmen suǒ dàng tái de , yào paì tāmen kānshǒu .

28 Zhè shì Géshùn zǐsūn de gè zú zaì huì mù lǐ suǒ bàn de shì . tāmen suǒ kānshǒu de , bì zaì jìsī Yàlún érzi Yǐtāmǎ de shǒu xià .

29 Zhìyú Mǐlālì de zǐsūn , nǐ yào zhào zhe jia shì , zōngzú bǎ tāmen shǔ diǎn .

30 Cóng sān shí suì zhídào wǔ shí suì , fán qián lái rén zhí , zaì huì mù lǐ bàn shì de , nǐ dōu yào shǔ diǎn .

31 Tāmen bànlǐ huì mù de shì , jiù shì tái zhàngmù de bǎn , shuān , zhùzi , hé daì mǎo de zuò ,

32 Yuànzi sìwéi de zhùzi hé qí shàng daì mǎo de zuò , juézi , shéngzi , bìng yīqiè shǐyòng de qìjù . tāmen suǒ tái de qìjù , nǐmen yào àn míng zhǐ déng .

33 Zhè shì Mǐlālì zǐsūn gè zú zaì huì mù lǐ suǒ bàn de shì , dōu zaì jìsī Yàlún érzi Yǐtāmǎ de shǒu xià .

34 Móxī , Yàlún yǔ huì zhòng de zhū shǒulǐng jiàng Gēxiá de zǐsūn , zhào zhe jia shì , zōngzú ,

35 Cóng sān shí suì zhídào wǔ shí suì , fán qián lái rén zhí , zaì huì mù lǐ bàn shì de , dōu shǔ diǎn le .

36 Beì shǔ de gōng yǒu èr qiā qī bǎi wǔ shí míng .

37 Zhè shì Gēxiá gè zú zhōng beì shǔ de , shì zaì huì mù lǐ bàn shì de , jiù shì Móxī , Yàlún zhào Yēhéhuá jiè Móxī suǒ fēnfu shǔ diǎn de .

38 Géshùn zǐsūn beì shǔ de , zhào zhe jia shì , zōngzú ,

39 Cóng sān shí suì zhídào wǔ shí suì , fán qián lái rén zhí , zaì huì mù lǐ bàn shì de , gōng yǒu èr qiā liù bǎi sān shí míng .

40 #

41 Zhè shì Géshùn zǐsūn gè zú zhōng beì shǔ de , shì zaì huì mù lǐ bàn shì de , jiù shì Móxī , Yàlún zhào Yēhéhuá jiè Móxī suǒ fēnfu shǔ diǎn de .

42 Mǐlālì zǐsūn zhōng gè zú beì shǔ de , zhào zhe jia shì , zōngzú ,

43 Cóng sān shí suì zhídào wǔ shí suì , fán qián lái rén zhí , zaì huì mù lǐ bàn shì de , gōng yǒu sān qiā èr bǎi míng .

44 #

45 Zhè shì Mǐlālì zǐsūn gè zú zhōng beì shǔ de , jiù shì Móxī , Yàlún zhào Yēhéhuá jiè Móxī suǒ fēnfu shǔ diǎn de .

46 Fán beì shǔ de Lìwèi rén , jiù shì Móxī , Yàlún bìng Yǐsèliè zhòng shǒulǐng , zhào zhe jia shì , zōngzú suǒ shǔ diǎn de ,

47 Cóng sān shí suì zhídào wǔ shí suì , fán qián lái rèn zhí , zaì huì mù lǐ zuò tái wù zhī gōng de , gōng yǒu bá qiā wǔ bǎi bá shí míng .

48 #

49 Móxī àn tāmen suǒ bàn de shì , suǒ tái de wù , píng Yēhéhuá de fēnfu shǔ diǎn tāmen . tāmen zhèyàng beì Móxī shǔ diǎn , zhēng rú Yēhéhuá suǒ fēnfu tāde .

Mínshùjì 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

The Levites' service. (1-3) The duties of the Kohathites. (4-20) The duties of the Gershonites and Merarites. (21-33) The numbers of the serviceable Levites. (34-49)

Verses 1-3 The middle-aged men of the tribe of Levi, all from thirty years old to fifty, were to be employed in the service of the tabernacle. The service of God requires the best of our strength, and the prime portion of our time, which cannot be better spent than to the honour of Him who is the First and Best. And the service of God should be done when we are most lively and active. Those do not consider this who put off repentance to old age, and so leave the best work to be done in the worst time.

Verses 4-20 The Kohathites were to carry the holy things of the tabernacle. All the holy things were to be covered; not only for security and respect, but to keep them from being seen. This not only marked the reverence due to holy things, but the mystery of the things signified by those types, and the darkness of the dispensation. But now, through Christ, the case is altered, and we are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace.

Verses 21-33 We have here the charge of the other two families of the Levites, which, though not so honourable as the first, yet was necessary, and to be done regularly. All the things were delivered them by name. It intimates the care God takes of his church and every member of it. The death of the saints is ( 2 Corinthians. 5:1 ) ( 2 Peter. 1:14 ) great day, when these vile bodies shall be made like the glorious body of Jesus Christ, and so shall be for ever with the Lord.

Verses 34-49 God so ordered it, that though the Merarites were the fewest in number, yet they should have most able men among them; for whatever service God calls men to, he will furnish them for it, give strength in proportion to the work, and grace sufficient. The least of the tribes had many more able men than the Levites: those who engage in the service of this world, are many more than those devoted to the service of God. May our souls be wholly devoted to his service.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 4

This chapter relates an order to number the Levites fit for business, and gives an account of the time and age when they should enter into service, and how long they should continue therein, Nu 4:1-3; what their particular service should be; and first of the Kohathites, Nu 4:4-20; next of the Gershonites, Nu 4:21-28; and then of the Merarites, Nu 4:29-33; after which Moses and Aaron, with the chief of the congregation, numbered each of them, even as many as were at the age fit for service, as the Kohathites, Nu 4:34-37; the Gershonites, Nu 4:38-41; the Merarites, Nu 4:42-45; the sum total of which is given, Nu 4:46-49.