Numbers 3

1 And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Jehovah spoke with Moses on mount Sinai.

Now this is the history of the descendants of Aaron and Moses when Yahweh spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

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

The names of Aaron's sons were Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, who were consecrated to exercise the priesthood.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and who were ordained to serve as priests.

4 And Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah when they offered strange fire before Jehovah in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the presence of Aaron their father.

But Nadab and Abihu fell dead before Yahweh when they offered to him unacceptable fire in the wilderness of Sinai. Nadab and Abihu had no children, so just Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with Aaron their father.

5 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him;

“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest for them to help him.

7 and they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole assembly, before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.

They must perform the duties on behalf of Aaron and the whole community before the tent of meeting. They must serve in the tabernacle.

8 And they shall keep all the utensils of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

They must care for all the furnishings in the tent of meeting, and they must help the tribes of Israel to carry out the tabernacle service.

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

You must give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are wholly given to help him serve the people of Israel.

10 And Aaron and his sons shalt thou appoint that they may attend to their priest's office; and the stranger that cometh near shall be put to death.

You must appoint Aaron and his sons as priests, but any foreigner who comes near must be put to death.”

11 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn that breaketh open the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine;

“Look, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel. I have done this instead of taking each firstborn male who is born among the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me.

13 for every firstborn is mine. On the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and beast; mine shall they be: I am Jehovah.

All the firstborn belong to me. On the day that I attacked all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both people and animals. They belong to me. I am Yahweh.”

14 And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. He said,

15 Number the sons of Levi according to their fathers' houses, after their families; every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.

“Count the descendants of Levi in each family, in their clans. Count every male who is one month old and older.”

16 And Moses numbered them, according to the commandment of Jehovah, — as he had been commanded.

Moses counted them, following the word of Yahweh, just as he was commanded to do.

17 And these are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

The names of Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

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

The clans coming from Gershon's sons were Libni and Shimei.

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

The clans coming from Kohath's sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 And the sons of Merari according to their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.

The clans coming from Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, listed clan by clan.

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

The clans of the Libnites and the Shimeites come from Gershon. These are the clans of the Gershonites.

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

All the males from a month old and older were counted, totaling 7,500.

23 The families of the Gershonites encamped behind the tabernacle westward.

The clans of the Gershonites must camp on the west side of the tabernacle.

24 And the prince of the father's house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

Eliasaph son of Lael must lead the clans of the descendants of the Gershonites.

25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting was: the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the curtain of the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The family of Gershon must care for the tent of meeting including the tabernacle. They must care for the tent, its covering, and the curtain used as the entrance to the tent of meeting.

26 And the hangings of the court, and the curtain of the entrance to the court, which surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the cords thereof for all its service.

They must care for the courtyard hangings, the curtain at the courtyard entrance—the courtyard that surrounds the sanctuary and the altar. They must care for the ropes of the tent of meeting and for everything in it.

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

These clans come from Kohath: the clan of the Amramites, the clan of the Izharites, the clan of the Hebronites, and the clan of the Uzzielites. These clans belong to the Kohathites.

28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, who kept the charge of the sanctuary.

8,600 males have been counted aged one month old and older to take care of the things that belong to Yahweh.

29 The families of the sons of Kohath encamped on the side of the tabernacle southward.

The Kohath clans must camp on the south side of the tabernacle.

30 And the prince of the father's house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

Elizaphan son of Uzziel must lead the clans of the Kohathites.

31 And their charge was the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, and the curtain, and all that belongs to its service.

They must care for the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the holy things that are used in their service, the curtain, and all the work around it.

32 And the prince of princes of the Levites was Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest: he had the oversight of them that kept the charge of the sanctuary.

Eleazar son of Aaron the priest must lead the men who lead the Levites. He must supervise the men who care for the holy place.

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

Two clans have come from Merari: the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites. These clans have come from Merari.

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

6,200 males have been counted aged one month old and older.

35 And the prince of the father's house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They encamped on the side of the tabernacle northward.

Zuriel son of Abihail must lead the clans of Merari. They must camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

36 And the charge of the sons of Merari consisted in the oversight of the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its bases, and all its furniture, and all that belongs to its service,

The descendants of Merari must care for the framing of the tabernacle, the crossbars, posts, bases, all the hardware, and everything related to them, including

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

the pillars and posts of the courtyard that surround the tabernacle, with their sockets, pegs, and ropes.

38 And those who encamped before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron and his sons, who kept the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh near shall be put to death.

Moses and Aaron and his sons must camp on the east side of the tabernacle, in front of the tent of meeting, toward the sunrise. They are responsible for the fulfillment of the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the people of Israel. Any foreigner who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.

39 All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Jehovah, according to their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

Moses and Aaron counted all the males in the clans of Levi who were aged one month old and older, just as Yahweh commanded. They counted twenty-two thousand men.

40 And Jehovah said to 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.

Yahweh said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn males of the people of Israel who are aged one month old and older. List their names.

41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am Jehovah) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites, instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.

You must take the Levites for me—I am Yahweh—instead of all the firstborn of the people of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of the firstborn of the livestock of the descendants of Israel.”

42 And Moses numbered, as Jehovah had commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

Moses counted all the firstborn people of Israel as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

43 And all the firstborn males, by the number of the names, from a month old and upward, according to their numbering, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

He counted all the firstborn males by name, aged one month old and older. He counted 22,273 men.

44 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

45 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 Jehovah.

“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and take the Levites' livestock instead of the people's livestock. The Levites belong to me—I am Yahweh.

46 And for those that are to be ransomed, the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are in excess over the Levites,

You must collect five shekels for the redemption of each of the 273 firstborn people of Israel who exceed the number of the Levites.

47 thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll, according to the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them, — twenty gerahs the shekel;

You must use the shekel of the sanctuary as your standard weight. The shekel equals twenty gerahs.

48 and thou shalt give the money unto Aaron and unto his sons for those in excess among them who are to be ransomed.

You must give the price of redemption that you paid to Aaron and his sons.”

49 And Moses took the ransom-money from them that were over and above those who were ransomed by the Levites;

So Moses collected the payment of redemption from those who exceeded the number of those redeemed by the Levites.

50 of the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, a thousand three hundred and sixty-five [shekels], according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

Moses collected the money from the firstborn of the people of Israel. He collected 1,365 shekels, weighing with the shekel of the sanctuary.

51 And Moses gave the money of them that were ransomed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the commandment of Jehovah, — as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons. Moses did everything he was told to do by Yahweh's word, as Yahweh had commanded him.