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.

And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses, on the day that the Lord spoke with Moses on 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: the firstborn Nadab, and Abihu, Elazar, 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 that were anointed, who were consecrated to minister as priests.

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 a strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Elazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the life-time of Aaron their father.

5 And the Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto 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 the same before Aaron the priest, that they may serve 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 tent 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 vessels of the tent 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 thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: as associates are they given unto 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 Aaron and his sons shalt thou instruct, that they shall guard well their priest's office; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

11 And the Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto 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 the midst of the children of Israel instead of every first-born that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and 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 mine is every first-born; on the day when I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me every first-born in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be; I am the Lord.

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

And the Lord spoke unto 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 their divisions, by their families; every male of them from a month old and upward shalt thou number.

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

And Moses numbered them according to the order of the Lord, as he had been 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 Kehath, 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 after their families: Libni, and Shimi.

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

And the sons of Kehath after their families: 'Amram, and Yizhar, Chebron, 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 after their families: Machli, and Mushi; these are the families of the Levites according to their family divisions.

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

Of Gershon: the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites; these are the families of the Gershunites.

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, by the numbering 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 Gershunites used to encamp behind the tabernacle, westward.

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

And the prince of the family division of the Gershunites was Elyassaph 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 was the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, 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 its cords 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 Kehath: the family of the 'Amramites, and the family of the Yizharites, and the family of the Chebronites, and the family of the 'Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kehathites.

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.

By the numbering of all the males, from a month old and upward, they 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 Kehath used to encamp on the side of the tabernacle, southward.

30 Their chief is Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.

And the prince of the division of the families of the Kehathites was 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 was the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary which are used for the service, and the vail, and all belonging thereto.

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 the chief over the princes of the Levites was Elazar the son of Aaron the priest, having the oversight of those that kept the charge of the sanctuary.

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

Of Merari: the family of the Machlites, 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, by the numbering 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 division of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abichayil: they used to encamp 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 were the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all that belongeth 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 encamped before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation toward the rising of the sun, were Moses, and Aaron, and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that came nigh was to 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, whom Moses numbered with Aaron, at the order of the Lord, according to 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 unto Moses, Number all the first-born 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 thou shalt take the Levites for me, I am the Lord, instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the first-born 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 had commanded him, all the first-born 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 first-born males, by the numbering of the names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and seventy and three.

44 And the Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto 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 first-born 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, the two hundred and seventy and three of the first-born of the children of Israel, who 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);

Thou shalt take five shekels apiece for the poll; after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take, twenty gerahs to the shekel;

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

And thou shalt give unto Aaron and to his sons the money, [for] those who are to be redeemed of those that are over the number of them.

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 those that were over in number above those who 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 first-born of the children of Israel did he take the money; a thousand three hundred and sixty 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 those who were redeemed unto Aaron and unto his sons, by the order of the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses.