Numbers 3

1 These also were the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai.

This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

2 So these are the names of the sonnes of Aaron, Nadab the first borne, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3 These are the names of the sonnes of Aaron the anoynted Priests, whom Moses did consecrate to minister in the Priests office.

These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offred strange fire before the Lord in the wildernesse of Sinai, and had no children: but Eleazar and Ithamar serued in ye Priestes office in the sight of Aaron their father.

Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

5 Then the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

6 Bring the tribe of Leui, and set the before Aaron the Priest that they may serue him,

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

7 And take the charge with him, euen the charge of the whole Congregation before the Tabernacle of the Congregation to doe the seruice of the Tabernacle.

They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle.

8 They shall also keepe all the instruments of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and haue the charge of the children of Israel to doe the seruice of the Tabernacle.

They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.

9 And thou shalt giue the Leuites vnto Aaron and to his sonnes: for they are giuen him freely from among the children of Israel.

Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites.

10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sonnes to execute their Priestes office: and the stranger that commeth neere, shalbe slayne.

So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”

11 Also the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 Beholde, I haue euen taken the Leuites from among the childre of Israel: for al the first borne that openeth the matrice among the children of Israel, and the Leuites shalbe mine,

“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,

13 Because all the first borne are mine: for the same day, that I smote all the first borne in the land of Egypt, I sanctified vnto me all the first borne in Israel, both man and beast: mine they shalbe: I am the Lord.

for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.”

14 Moreouer, the Lord spake vnto Moses in the wildernesse of Sinai, saying,

Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15 Nomber the children of Leui after the houses of their fathers, in their families: euery male from a moneth olde and aboue shalt thou nomber.

“Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.”

16 Then Moses nombred them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded.

So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.

17 And these are the sonnes of Leui by their names, Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

18 Also these are the names of the sonnes of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.

19 The sonnes also of Kohath by their families: Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Vzziel.

The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 And the sonnes of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Leui, according to the houses of their fathers.

And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families.

21 Of Gershon came the familie of the Libnites, and the familie of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites.

From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans.

22 The summe whereof (after the nomber of all the males from a moneth olde and aboue) was counted seuen thousand and fiue hundreth.

The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500.

23 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the Tabernacle westward.

The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle,

24 The captaine and auncient of the house of the Gershonites shalbe Eliasaph the sonne of Lael.

and the leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.

25 And the charge of the sonnes of Gershon in the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall be the Tabernacle, and the pauilion, the couering thereof, and the vaile of the dore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation,

The duties of the Gershonites at the Tent of Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its covering, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

26 And the hanging of the court, and the vaile of the doore of the court, which is neere the Tabernacle, and neere ye Altar round about, and the cordes of it for all the seruice thereof.

the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, and the cords—all the service for these items.

27 And of Kohath came the familie of the Amramites, and the familie of the Izeharites, and the familie of the Hebronites, and the familie of the Vzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.

From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.

28 The nomber of all the males from a moneth olde and aboue was eight thousand and sixe hundreth, hauing the charge of the Sanctuarie.

The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. They were responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

29 The families of the sonnes of Kohath shall pitch on the Southside of the Tabernacle.

The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,

30 The captaine and auncient of the house, and families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the sonne of Vzziel:

and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

31 And their charge shalbe the Arke, and the Table, and the Candlesticke, and the altars, and the instruments of the Sanctuarie that they minister with, and the vaile, and all that serueth thereto.

Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.

32 And Eleazar the sonne of Aaron the Priest shalbe chiefe captaine of the Leuites, hauing the ouersight of them that haue the charge of the Sanctuarie.

The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

33 Of Merari came the familie of the Mahlites, and the familie of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.

From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.

34 And the summe of them, according to the nomber of all the males, from a moneth olde and aboue was sixe thousand and two hundreth.

The number of all the males a month old or more was 6,200.

35 The captaine and the ancient of the house of the families of Merari shalbe Zuriel the sonne of Abihail: they shall pitche on the Northside of the Tabernacle.

The leader of the families of the Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

36 And in ye charge and custodie of the sonnes of Merari shall be the boardes of the Tabernacle, and the barres thereof, and his pillars, and his sockets, and al the instruments therof, and al that serueth thereto,

The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items,

37 With the pillars of the court round about, with their sockets, and their pins and their coardes.

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

38 Also on the forefront of the Tabernacle toward the East, before the Tabernacle, I say, of the Congregation Eastwarde shall Moses and Aaron and his sonnes pitch, hauing the charge of the Sanctuarie, and the charge of the children of Israel: but the stranger that commeth neere, shall be slayne.

Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

39 The wholesumme of ye Leuites, which Moses and Aaron nombred at the commandement of the Lord throughout their families, euen al the males from a moneth olde and aboue, was two and twentie thousand.

The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s command, including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000.

40 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Nomber all the first borne that are Males among the children of Israel, from a moneth old and aboue, and take the nomber of their names.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites a month old or more, and list their names.

41 And thou shalt take ye Leuites to me for all the first borne of the children of Israel (I am the Lord) and the cattell of the Leuites for all the first borne of the cattell of the children of Israel.

You are to take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.”

42 And Moses nombred, as the Lord commanded him, all the first borne of the children of Israel.

So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him.

43 And all the first borne males rehearsed by name (from a moneth olde and aboue) according to their nomber were two and twentie thousand, two hundreth seuentie and three.

The total number of the firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.

44 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

45 Take the Leuites for all the first borne of the children of Israel, and the cattell of the Leuites for their cattel, and the Leuites shalbe mine, (I am the Lord)

“Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites belong to Me; I am the LORD.

46 And for the redeeming of the two hundreth seuentie and three, (which are moe then the Leuites) of the first borne of the children of of Israel,

To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites,

47 Thou shalt also take fiue shekels for euery person: after the weight of the Sanctuarie shalt thou take it: ye shekel conteineth twenty gerahs.

you are to collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs.

48 And thou shalt giue the money, wherwith the odde nomber of them is redeemed, vnto Aaron and to his sonnes.

Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the excess among the Israelites.”

49 Thus Moses tooke the redemption of the that were redeemed, being more then the Leuites:

So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites.

50 Of the first borne of the children of Israel tooke he the mony: eue a thousand three hundreth three score and fiue shekels after the shekel of the Sanctuarie.

He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

51 And Moses gaue the money of them that were redeemed, vnto Aaron and to his sonnes according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the word of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.