Numbers 3

1 Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day when the word of the Lord came to Moses on Mount Sinai.

These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses in mount Sinai.

2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the oldest, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests, on whom the holy oil was put, who were marked out as priests.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.

4 And Nadab and Abihu were put to death before the Lord when they made an offering of strange fire before the Lord, in the waste land of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar did the work of priests before Aaron their father.

And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.

5 And the Lord said to Moses,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

6 Make the tribe of Levi come near, and put them before Aaron the priest, to be his helpers,

Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

7 In order that they may be responsible to him and to all Israel for the care of the Tent of meeting, and to do the work of the House;

And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

8 And they will have the care of all the vessels of the Tent of meeting, and will do for the children of Israel all the necessary work of the House.

And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; so that they may be his without question from among the children of Israel.

And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel.

10 And give orders that Aaron and his sons are to keep their place as priests; any strange person who comes near is to be put to death.

And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that comes near shall be put to death.

11 And the Lord said to Moses,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 See, I have taken the Levites out of the children of Israel to be mine in place of the first sons of the children of Israel;

And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that opens the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;

13 For all the first sons are mine; on the day when I put to death all the first sons in the land of Egypt, I took for myself every first male birth of man and beast. They are mine; I am the Lord.

Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: my shall they be: I am the LORD.

14 And the Lord said to Moses in the waste land of Sinai,

And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15 Let all the children of Levi be numbered by their families and their fathers' houses; let every male of a month old and over be numbered.

Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shall you number them.

16 So Moses did as the Lord said, numbering them as he had been ordered.

And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

17 These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon, by their families: Libni and Shimei.

And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.

19 And the sons of Kohath, by their families: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel.

And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites in the order of their fathers' houses.

And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.

21 From Gershon come the Libnites and the Shimeites; these are the families of the Gershonites.

Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.

22 Those who were numbered of them, the males from one month old and over, were seven thousand, five hundred.

Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.

23 The tents of the Gershonites are to be placed at the back of the House, to the west.

The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.

24 The chief of the Gershonites is Eliasaph, the son of Lael.

And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25 In the Tent of meeting, the Gershonites are to have the care of the House, and the Tent with its cover, and the veil for the door of the Tent of meeting,

And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

26 And the hangings for the open space round the House and the altar, and the curtain for its doorway, and all the cords needed for its use.

And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

27 From Kohath come the Amramites and the Izharites and the Hebronites and the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites.

And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.

28 Those who were numbered of them, the males from one month old and over, were eight thousand, six hundred, who were responsible for the care of the holy place.

In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

29 The tents of the Kohathites are to be placed on the south side of the House.

The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

30 Their chief is Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.

And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31 In their care are the ark, and the table, and the lights, and the altars, and all the vessels used in the holy place, and the veil, and all they are used for.

And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

32 Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, will be head over all the Levites and overseer of those responsible for the care of the holy place.

And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

33 From Merari come the Mahlites and the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.

Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.

34 Those who were numbered of them, the males of a month old and over, were six thousand, two hundred.

And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.

35 The chief of the families of Merari was Zuriel, the son of Abihail: their tents are to be placed on the north side of the House.

And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.

36 And in their care are to be all the boards of the Tent, with their rods and pillars and bases, and all the instruments, and all they are used for,

And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serves thereto,

37 And the pillars of the open space round it, with their bases and nails and cords.

And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

38 And those whose tents are to be placed on the east side of the House in front of the Tent of meeting, looking to the dawn, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, who will do the work of the holy place for the children of Israel; and any strange person who comes near will be put to death.

But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that comes near shall be put to death.

39 All the Levites numbered by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord, all the males of one month old and over numbered in the order of their families, were twenty-two thousand.

All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.

40 And the Lord said to Moses, Let all the first male children be numbered, and take the number of their names.

And the LORD said to Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

41 And give to me the Levites (I am the Lord) in place of the first sons of the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites in place of the first births among the cattle of the children of Israel.

And you shall take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the children of Israel.

42 So Moses had all the first sons among the children of Israel numbered, as the Lord said to him.

And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

43 Every first son from a month old and over was numbered by name, and the number came to twenty-two thousand, two hundred and seventy-three.

And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and three score and thirteen.

44 And the Lord said to Moses,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

45 Take the Levites in place of all the first sons of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites in place of their cattle; the Levites are to be mine; I am the Lord.

Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.

46 And the price you have to give for the two hundred and seventy-three first sons of the children of Israel which are in addition to the number of the Levites,

And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and three score and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;

47 Will be five shekels for every one, by the scale of the holy place (the shekel is twenty gerahs);

You shall even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shall you take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs: )

48 And this money, the price of those over the number of the Levites, is to be given to Aaron and his sons.

And you shall give the money, with which the odd number of them is to be redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons.

49 So Moses took the money, the price of those whose place had not been taken by the Levites;

And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:

50 From the first sons of Israel he took it, a thousand, three hundred and sixty-five shekels, by the scale of the holy place;

Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and three score and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

51 And he gave the money to Aaron and his sons, as the Lord had said.

And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.