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, on the day that the Lord spoke with Moses on mount Sinai.

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: the firstborn Nadab, and Abihu, Elazar, 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 priests that were anointed, who were consecrated to minister as priests.

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 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 spoke to Moses, saying:

And the Lord spoke unto 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,

Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present the same before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.

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

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

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 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 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 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 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 spoke to Moses, saying:

And the Lord spoke unto 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.

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 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.”

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 spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:

And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

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

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 Moses numbered them, just as the Lord had instructed,

And Moses numbered them according to the order of the Lord, as he had been commanded.

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: Gershon, and Kehath, and Merari.

18 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.

And these are the names of the sons of Gershon after their families: Libni, and Shimi.

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

And the sons of Kehath after their families: 'Amram, and Yizhar, Chebron, and 'Uzziel.

20 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

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 were two families: the Libnites, and the Shimeites.

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

22 The people of these were numbered, of the male sex, from one month and above: 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 These shall encamp behind the tabernacle, toward the west,

The families of the Gershunites used to encamp behind the tabernacle, westward.

24 under the leader Eliasaph the son of Lael.

And the prince of the family division of the Gershunites was Elyassaph the son of Lael.

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

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 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 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 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,

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

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 and they shall encamp toward the south side.

The families of the sons of Kehath used to encamp on the side of the tabernacle, southward.

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

And the prince of the division of the families of the Kehathites was Elizaphan the son of 'Uzziel.

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 the vessels of the sanctuary which are used for the service, and the vail, and all belonging thereto.

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

Of Merari: the family of the Machlites, and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.

34 all those of the male gender, from one month and above: 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 Their leader is Suriel the son of Abihaiel. They shall make camp on the north side.

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 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,

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 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 sockets, 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.

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

And Moses numbered, as the Lord had commanded him, all the first-born among 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 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 spoke to Moses, saying:

And the Lord spoke unto 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 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 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] 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 you shall take five shekels for each head, by the measure of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

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

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

And Moses took the redemption-money of those that were over in number above those who were redeemed by 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.

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

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.