Numbers 3

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

And these [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day of YHWH’s speaking with Moses in Mount Sinai.

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

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

3 These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the functions of priesthood.

these [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whose hand he has consecrated for acting as priest.

4 Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father.

And Nadab dies—Abihu also—before YHWH, in their bringing strange fire near before YHWH, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they did not have sons; and Eleazar—Ithamar also—acts as priest in the presence of their father Aaron.

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

6 Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron the priest to minister to him, and let them watch,

“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and you have caused it to stand before Aaron the priest, and they have served him,

7 And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony,

and kept his charge, and the charge of all the congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the Dwelling Place;

8 And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the ministry thereof.

and they have kept all the vessels of the Tent of Meeting, and the charge of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the Dwelling Place;

9 And thou shalt give the Levites for a gift,

and you have given the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are surely given to him out of the sons of Israel.

10 To Aaron and to his sons, to whom they are delivered by the children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of priesthood. The stranger that approacheth to minister, shall be put to death.

And you appoint Aaron and his sons, and they have kept their priesthood, and the stranger who comes near is put to death.”

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

12 I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

“And I, behold, have taken the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn opening a womb among the sons of Israel, and the Levites have been Mine;

13 For every firstborn is mine: since I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt: I have sanctified to myself whatsoever is firstborn in Israel both of man and beast, they are mine: I am the Lord.

for every firstborn [is] Mine, in the day of My striking every firstborn in the land of Egypt I have sanctified to Myself every firstborn in Israel, from man to beast; they are Mine; I [am] YHWH.”

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

And YHWH speaks to 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 upward.

“Number the sons of Levi by the house of their fathers, by their families; every male from a son of a month and upward—you number them.”

16 Moses numbered them as the Lord had commanded.

And Moses numbers them according to the command of YHWH, as he has been commanded.

17 And there were found sons of Levi by their names, Gerson and Caath and Merari.

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

18 The sons of Gerson: Lebni and Semei.

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

19 The sons of Caath: Amram, and Jesaar, Hebron and Oziel:

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

20 The sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi.

And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi; these are the families of the Levites, by the house of their fathers.

21 Of Gerson were two families, the Lebnites, and the Semeites:

Of Gershon—the family of the Libnite and the family of the Shimite; these are the families of the Gershonite.

22 Of which were numbered, people of the male sex from one month and upward, seven thousand five hundred.

Their numbered ones, in number, every male from a son of a month and upward, their numbered ones [are] seven thousand and five hundred.

23 These shall pitch behind the tabernacle on the west,

The families of the Gershonite encamp westward behind the Dwelling Place.

24 Under their prince Eliasaph the son of Lael.

And the prince of a father’s house for the Gershonite [is] Eliasaph son of Lael.

25 And their charge shall be in the tabernacle of the covenant:

And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting [is] the Dwelling Place, and the tent, its covering, and the veil at the opening of the Tent of Meeting,

26 The tabernacle itself and the cover thereof, the hanging that is drawn before the doors of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the curtains of the court: the hanging also that is hanged in the entry of the court of the tabernacle, and whatsoever belongeth to the rite of the altar, the cords of the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof.

and the hangings of the court, and the veil at the opening of the court, which [is] by the Dwelling Place and by the altar all around, and its cords, to all its service.

27 Of the kindred of Caath come the families of the Amramites and Jesaarites and Hebronites and Ozielites. These are the families of the Caathites reckoned up by their names:

And of Kohath—the family of the Amramite, and the family of the Izharite, and the family of the Hebronite, and the family of the Uzzielite; these are families of the Kohathite.

28 All of the male sex from one month and upward, eight thousand six hundred: they shall have the guard of the sanctuary,

In number, all the males, from a son of a month and upward, [are] eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the holy place.

29 And shall camp on the south side.

The families of the sons of Kohath encamp southward by the side of the Dwelling Place.

30 And their prince shall be Elisaphan the son of Oziel:

And the prince of a father’s house for the families of the Kohathite [is] Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

31 And they shall keep the ark, and the table and the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary, wherewith they minister, and the veil, and all the furniture of this kind.

And their charge [is] the Ark, and the table, and the lampstand, and the altars, and the vessels of the holy place with which they serve, and the veil, and all its service.

32 And the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over them that watch for the guard of the sanctuary.

And Eleazar son of Aaron the priest [is] the prince of the princes of the Levites, [with] the oversight of the keepers of the charge of the holy place.

33 And of Merari are the families of the Moholites, and Musites, reckoned up by their names:

Of Merari—the family of the Mahlite and the family of the Mushite; these [are] the families of Merari.

34 All of the male kind from one month and upward, six thousand two hundred.

And their numbered ones, in number, all the males from a son of a month and upward, [are] six thousand and two hundred.

35 Their prince Suriel the son of Abihaiel: they shall camp on the north side.

And the prince of a father’s house for the families of Merari [is] Zuriel son of Abihail; they encamp northward by the side of the Dwelling Place.

36 Under their custody shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the pillars and their sockets, and all things that pertain to this kind of service:

And the oversight [and] charge of the sons of Merari [are] the boards of the Dwelling Place, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all its service,

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

and the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

38 Before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is to say on the east side, shall Moses and Aaron camp, with their sons, having the custody of the sanctuary, in the midst of the children of Israel. What stranger soever cometh unto it, shall be put to death.

And those encamping before the Dwelling Place eastward, before the Tent of Meeting, at the east, [are] Moses and Aaron, and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the sons of Israel, and the stranger who comes near is put to death.

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

All those numbered of the Levites whom Moses numbered—Aaron also—by the command of YHWH, by their families, every male from a son of a month and upward, [are] twenty-two thousand.

40 And the Lord said to Moses: Number the firstborn of the male sex of the children of Israel, from one month and upward, and thou shalt take the sum of them.

And YHWH says to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a son of a month and upward, and take up the number of their names;

41 And thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the firstborn of the children of Israel, I am the Lord: and their cattle for all the firstborn of the cattle of the children of Israel:

and you have taken the Levites for Me (I [am] YHWH), instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of every firstling among the livestock of the sons of Israel.”

42 Moses reckoned up, as the Lord had commanded, the firstborn of the children of Israel:

And Moses numbers, as YHWH has commanded him, all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.

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

And every firstborn male, by the number of names, from a son of a month and upward, of their numbered ones, are twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saving:

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

45 Take the Levites for the firstborn of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites for their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.

“Take the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock; and the Levites have been Mine; I [am] YHWH.

46 But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, of the firstborn of the children of Israel, that exceed the number of the Levites,

And [from] those ransomed of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, who are more than the Levites,

47 Thou shalt take five sides for every head, according to the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.

you have even taken five shekels apiece by the counted head—you take by the shekel of the holy place; the shekel [is] twenty gerahs;

48 And then shalt give the money to Aaron and his sons, the price of them that are above.

and you have given the money to Aaron and to his sons, whereby those over and above are ransomed.”

49 Moses therefore took the money of them that were above, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites,

And Moses takes the ransom money from those over and above those ransomed by the Levites;

50 For the firstborn of the children of Israel, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,

he has taken the money from the firstborn of the sons of Israel—one thousand and three hundred and sixty-five, by the shekel of the holy place;

51 And gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word that the Lord had commanded him.

and Moses gives the money of those ransomed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the command of YHWH, as YHWH has commanded Moses.