Numbers 3

1 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day when the Lord spoke to Moses on mount Sinai.

And these [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day in which the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sina.

2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.

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

3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and whose hands were filled and consecrated in order to exercise the priesthood.

These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests whom they consecrated to the priesthood.

4 For Nadab and Abihu died without children, when they offered, in the sight of the Lord, a strange fire, in the desert of Sinai. And so, Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the sight of Aaron, their father.

And Nadab and Abiud died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sina; and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priests' office with Aaron their father.

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

6 “Bring forward the tribe of Levi, and cause them to stand in the sight of Aaron the priest, in order to minister to him. And let them keep watch outside,

Take the tribe of Levi, and you shall set them before Aaron the priest, and they shall minister to him,

7 and let them observe whatever pertains to the ritual for the multitude, in front of the tabernacle of the testimony,

and shall keep his charges, and the charges of the children of Israel, before the tabernacle of witness, to do the works of the tabernacle.

8 and let them take care of the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in its ministry.

And they shall keep all the furniture of the tabernacle of witness, and the charges of the children of Israel as to all the works of the tabernacle.

9 And you shall give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons; for they have been delivered to them by the sons of Israel.

And you shall give the Levites to Aaron, and to his sons the priests; they are given for a gift to me of the children of Israel.

10 But you shall appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of the priesthood. The outsider who approaches to minister shall be put to death.”

And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons over the tabernacle of witness; and they shall keep their charge of priesthood, and all things belonging to the altar, and within the veil; and the stranger that touches them shall die.

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “I have taken the Levites from the sons of Israel. For the Levites, and all the firstborn who open the womb among the sons of Israel, shall be mine.

Behold, I have taken the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, instead of every male that opens the womb from amongst the children of Israel: they shall be their ransom, and the Levites shall be mine.

13 For every firstborn is mine. From the time that I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I have sanctified for myself whatever is born first in Israel. From man, even to beast, they are mine. I am the Lord.”

For every firstborn [is] mine; in the day in which I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to myself every firstborn in Israel: both of man and beast, they shall be mine: I [am] the Lord.

14 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:

And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sina, saying,

15 “Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and above.”

Take the number of the sons of Levi, according to the houses of their families, according to their divisions; number you them every male from a month old and upwards.

16 Moses numbered them, just as the Lord had instructed,

And Moses and Aaron numbered them by the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded them.

17 and there were found the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gedson, Caath, and Merari.

18 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.

And these [are] the names of the sons of Gedson according to their families; Lobeni and Semei:

19 The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

and the sons of Caath according to their families; Amram and Issaar, Chebron and Oziel:

20 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

and the sons of Merari according to their families, Mooli and Musi; these are the families of the Levites according to the houses of their families.

21 From Gershon were two families: the Libnites, and the Shimeites.

To Gedson belongs the family of Lobeni, and the family of Semei: these are the families of Gedson.

22 The people of these were numbered, of the male sex, from one month and above: seven thousand five hundred.

The numbering of them according to the number of every male from a month old and upwards, their numbering [was] seven thousand and five hundred.

23 These shall encamp behind the tabernacle, toward the west,

And the sons of Gedson shall encamp westward behind the tabernacle.

24 under the leader Eliasaph the son of Lael.

And the ruler of the household of the family of Gedson [was] Elisaph the son of Dael.

25 And they shall keep watch over the tabernacle of the covenant:

And the charge of the sons of Gedson in the tabernacle of witness [was] the tent and the veil, and the covering of the door of the tabernacle of witness,

26 the tabernacle itself, and its covering; the tent that is drawn before the doors of the covering of the covenant; and the curtains of the atrium; likewise, the tent that is suspended at the entrance of the atrium of the tabernacle; and whatever pertains to the ritual of the altar; the cords of the tabernacle and all its implements.

and the curtains of the court, and the veil of the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and the remainder of all its works.

27 The kinship of Kohath includes the peoples of the Amramites and Izharites and Hebronites and Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites, having been counted by their names,

To Caath [belonged] one division, that of Amram, and another division, that of Issaar, and another division, that of Chebron, and another division, that of Oziel: these are the divisions of Caath, according to number.

28 all those of the male gender, from one month and above: eight thousand six hundred. They shall keep watch over the Sanctuary,

Every male from a month old and upward, eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charges of the holy things.

29 and they shall encamp toward the south side.

The families of the sons of Caath, shall encamp beside the tabernacle towards the south.

30 And their leader shall be Elisaphan the son of Uzziel.

And the chief of the house of the families of the divisions of Caath, [was] Elisaphan the son of Oziel.

31 And they shall take care of the ark, and the table and the lampstand, the altars and the vessels of the Sanctuary, by which they minister, and the veil, and all the articles of this kind.

And their charge [was] the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and all the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they do holy service, and the veil, and all their works.

32 But the leader of the leaders of the Levites, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over those who watch over the care of the Sanctuary.

And the chief over the chief of the Levites, [was] Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, appointed to keep the charges of the holy things.

33 And truly, from Merari are the peoples of the Mahlites and Mushites, having been counted by their names,

To Merari [belonged] the family of Mooli, and the family of Musi: these are the families of Merari.

34 all those of the male gender, from one month and above: six thousand two hundred.

The mustering of them according to number, every male from a month old and upwards, [was] six thousand and fifty.

35 Their leader is Suriel the son of Abihaiel. They shall make camp on the north side.

And the head of the house of the families of the division of Merari, was Suriel the son of Abichail: they shall encamp by the side of the tabernacle northwards.

36 Under their care shall be the panels of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the columns with their bases, and all the things which pertain to service of this kind,

The oversight of the charge of the sons of Merari [included] the chapiters of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all their furniture, and their works,

37 and the columns of the surrounding atrium with their bases, and the tent pegs with their cords.

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

38 Moses and Aaron, with their sons, shall make camp before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is, on the east side, holding the custody of the Sanctuary in the midst of the sons of Israel. Whatever foreigner approaches it shall die.

They that encamp before the tabernacle of witness on the east [shall be] Moses and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charges of the sanctuary according to the charges of the children of Israel; and the stranger that touches them, shall die.

39 All the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by their families according to the precept of the Lord, of the male gender, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand.

All the numbering of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the word of the Lord, according to their families, every male from a month old and upwards, [were] two and twenty thousand.

40 And the Lord said to Moses: “Number the firstborn of the male sex from the sons of Israel, from one month and above, and you shall take their total.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Count every firstborn male of the children of Israel from a month old and upwards, and take the number by name.

41 And you shall bring the Levites to me, in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and you shall bring their cattle to me, in place of all the firstborn of the cattle of the sons of Israel. I am the Lord.”

And you shall take the Levites for me—I [am] the Lord—instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn amongst the cattle of the children of Israel.

42 Moses took a census, just as the Lord had instructed, of the firstborn of the sons of Israel.

And Moses counted, as the Lord commanded him, every firstborn amongst the children of Israel.

43 And the males by their names, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

And all the male firstborn in number by name, from a month old and upwards, were according to their numbering twenty-two thousand and two hundred and seventy-three.

44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

45 “Take the Levites, in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites, in place of their cattle, and so the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.

Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine; I [am] the Lord.

46 But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, which exceed the number of the Levites compared to the number of firstborn of the sons of Israel,

And for the ransoms of the two hundred and seventy-three which exceed the Levites in number of the firstborn of the sons of Israel;

47 you shall take five shekels for each head, by the measure of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

you shall even take five shekels a head; you shall take them according to the holy didrachm, twenty oboli to the shekel.

48 And you shall give the money to Aaron and his sons as the price of those that are in excess.”

And you shall give the money to Aaron and to his sons, the ransom of those who exceed in number amongst them.

49 Therefore, Moses took the money for those that were in excess, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites

And Moses took the silver, the ransom of those that exceeded in number the redemption of the Levites.

50 in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel: one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according to the weight of the Sanctuary.

He took the silver from the firstborn of the sons of Israel, a thousand and three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the holy shekel.

51 And he gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word by which the Lord had instructed him.

And Moses gave the ransom of them that were over to Aaron and his sons, by the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.