Numbers 3

1 This is the account concerning Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.

These also [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day [that] the LORD spoke with Moses in mount Sinai.

2 The names of the sons of Aaron were: Nadab (firstborn), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

And these [are] the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3 These were the names of Aaron's sons who were anointed and ordained to serve as priests.

These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.

4 Nadab and Abihu died in the Lord's presence when they offered forbidden fire before the Lord in the Sinai desert. Since they didn't have any sons, Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests while their father Aaron was alive.

And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.

5 The Lord told Moses,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

6 “Gather the tribe of Levi together and present them to Aaron the priest to help him with the ministry.

Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

7 They are to carry out duties on his behalf and for all the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting, looking after the service of the Tabernacle.

And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

8 They are responsible for caring for all the furniture of the Tent of Meeting, serving the Israelites through what they do in the Tabernacle.

And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

9 The Levites are to work exclusively for Aaron and his sons of because this is their assignment among the Israelites.

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

10 You are to appoint Aaron and his sons to have the responsibility of the priesthood. Anyone else who tries to act as a priest must be executed.”

And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

11 The Lord told Moses,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “I've taken the Levites from the Israelites in place of every one of their firstborn. The Levites belong to me

And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel, instead of all the first-born that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;

13 because all the firstborn are mine. When I killed every firstborn in Egypt I set apart as holy to me all the firstborn of Israel, human and animal. They are mine. I am the Lord.”

Because all the first-born [are] mine; [for] on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I hallowed to me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast: mine they shall be: I [am] the LORD.

14 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert. He told him,

And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15 “Register the Levites by their father's line and family. Count every male aged one month or older.”

Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.

16 So Moses registered them following the Lord's instructions, just as he had been told.

And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

17 These were the names of Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

And these were the sons of Levi, by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

18 These were the names of the Gershon's sons by family: Libni and Shimei.

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

19 Kohath's sons by family were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 Merari's sons by family were Mahli and Mushi. These were the families of the Levites, according to their father's line.

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

21 The family of Libni and the family of Shimei came from Gershon. These were the families of Gershon.

Of Gershon [was] the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these [are] the families of the Gershonites.

22 The total of all males aged one month or older was 7,500.

Those that were numbered of them, according to the number 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 camp of families of Gerson was to the west, behind the Tabernacle.

The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.

24 The leader of the Gershon families was Eliasaph, son of Lael.

And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites [shall be] Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25 Their assigned responsibility for the Tent of Meeting was to take care of the Tabernacle and tent, its covering, the curtain at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,

And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation [shall be] the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

26 the courtyard curtains, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the Tabernacle and altar, the ropes, and everything connected with their 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 the cords of it, for all the service of it.

27 The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel came from Kohath. These were the families of Kohath.

And of Kohath [was] 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.

28 The total of all males aged one month or older was 8,600. Their assigned responsibility was to take care of the sanctuary.

In the number of all the males from a month old and upward, [were] eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

29 The camp of families of Kohath was on the south side of the Tabernacle.

The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

30 The leader of the Kohath families was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites [shall be] Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31 Their assigned responsibility was to care for the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, the veil, and everything connected with these items.

And their charge [shall be] the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service of it.

32 The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest. He was in charge of those responsible for serving in the sanctuary.

And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest [shall be] chief over the chief of the Levites, [and have] the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

33 The family of Mahli and the family of Mushi came from Merari. These were the families of Merari.

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

34 The total of all males aged one month or older was 6,200.

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

35 The leader of the Merari families was Zuriel, son of Abihail. Their camp was on the north side of the Tabernacle.

And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari [was] Zuriel the son of Abihail: [these] shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.

36 Their assigned responsibility was to take care of the Tabernacle's frames, crossbars, posts, stands, all its equipment, and everything connected with their use,

And [under] the custody and charge of the sons of Merari [shall be] the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all that serveth to it.

37 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their stands, tent pegs, and ropes.

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

38 The camp of Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons was to the east of the Tabernacle, in the direction of the sunrise, in front of the Tent of Meeting. They were responsible for the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who tried to act as a priest was to be executed.

But those that encamp before the tabernacle towards the east, [even] before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward [shall be] Moses and Aaron, and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

39 The sum total of Levites registered by Moses and Aaron as the Lord ordered was 22,000. This included all males aged one month or older.

All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, [were] twenty and two thousand.

40 The Lord told Moses, “Conduct a census of all the firstborn Israelite males aged one month or older, and register their names.

And the LORD said to Moses, number all the first-born of the males of the children of Israel, from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

41 Assign the Levites to me. I am the Lord. They are in place of all of the Israelites' firstborn children. The livestock of the Levites are in place of all the Israelites' firstborn livestock.”

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 firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.

42 Moses conducted a census of all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord had instructed him.

And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the first-born among the children of Israel.

43 The sum total of the firstborn males a month old or more, registered by name, was 22,273.

And all the first-born males by the number of 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 The Lord spoke to Moses and told him,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

45 “You are to take the Levites in place of all the firstborn children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock, because the Levites belong to me. 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 In order to buy back the 273 firstborn Israelites who are more than the number of Levites,

And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and seventy and three, of the first-born of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites:

47 collect five shekels for each of them, (using the sanctuary shekel standard of twenty gerahs).

Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take [them]: the shekel [is] twenty gerahs.

48 He handed the money over to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the extra Israelites.”

And thou shalt give to Aaron and to his sons the money, with which the odd number of them is to be redeemed.

49 Moses collected the redemption money for those extra Israelites that were more than the number redeemed by the Levites.

And Moses took the redemption-money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:

50 He collected the money given on behalf of the Israelites' firstborn children. It came to 1,365 shekels, (using the sanctuary shekel standard).

Of the first-born of the children of Israel he took the money; a thousand three hundred and sixty and five [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary.

51 Moses gave this redemption money to Aaron and his sons as the Lord had told him to, following the Lord's instructions.

And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed to Aaron, and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.