20 The major families from Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Those were the major families of the Levites.
21 The families of Libni and Shimei belonged to the family of Gershon.
22 All of the males who were a month old or more were counted. There were 7,500 of them.
23 The families of Gershon had to camp on the west side. They had to camp behind the holy tent.
24 The leader of the families of Gershon was Eliasaph, the son of Lael.
25 Here are the duties of the families of Gershon at the Tent of Meeting. They were held accountable for taking care of the holy tent and its coverings. They took care of the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
26 They took care of the curtains of the courtyard. They took care of the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. The courtyard was all around the holy tent and altar. They also took care of the ropes. In fact, they had to take care of everything that was connected with the use of all of those things.