Numbers 3

1 And these [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day in which the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sina.

Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.

2 And these [are] the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn; and Abiud, Eleazar and Ithamar.

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

3 These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests whom they consecrated to the priesthood.

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 And Nadab and Abiud died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sina; and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priests' office with Aaron their father.

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. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron their father.

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

6 Take the tribe of Levi, and you shall set them before Aaron the priest, and they shall minister to him,

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

7 and shall keep his charges, and the charges of the children of Israel, before the tabernacle of witness, to do the works of the tabernacle.

They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.

8 And they shall keep all the furniture of the tabernacle of witness, and the charges of the children of Israel as to all the works of the tabernacle.

They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron, and to his sons the priests; they are given for a gift to me of the children of Israel.

You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.

10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons over the tabernacle of witness; and they shall keep their charge of priesthood, and all things belonging to the altar, and within the veil; and the stranger that touches them shall die.

You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 Behold, I have taken the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, instead of every male that opens the womb from among the children of Israel: they shall be their ransom, and the Levites shall be mine.

“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine,

13 For every firstborn [is] mine; in the day in which I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to myself every firstborn in Israel: both of man and beast, they shall be mine: I [am] the Lord.

for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine. I am the LORD.”

14 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sina, saying,

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

15 Take the number of the sons of Levi, according to the houses of their families, according to their divisions; number you them every male from a month old and upwards.

“Count the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”

16 And Moses and Aaron numbered them by the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded them.

Moses counted them according to the LORD’s word, as he was commanded.

17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gedson, Caath, and Merari.

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

18 And these [are] the names of the sons of Gedson according to their families; Lobeni and Semei:

These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

19 and the sons of Caath according to their families; Amram and Issaar, Chebron and Oziel:

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

20 and the sons of Merari according to their families, Mooli and Musi; these are the families of the Levites according to the houses of their families.

The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.

21 To Gedson belongs the family of Lobeni, and the family of Semei: these are the families of Gedson.

Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites. These are the families of the Gershonites.

22 The numbering of them according to the number of every male from a month old and upwards, their numbering [was] seven thousand and five hundred.

Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, even those who were counted of them were seven thousand five hundred.

23 And the sons of Gedson shall encamp westward behind the tabernacle.

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

24 And the ruler of the household of the family of Gedson [was] Elisaph the son of Dael.

Eliasaph the son of Lael shall be the prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites.

25 And the charge of the sons of Gedson in the tabernacle of witness [was] the tent and the veil, and the covering of the door of the tabernacle of witness,

The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,

26 and the curtains of the court, and the veil of the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and the remainder of all its works.

the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.

27 To Caath [belonged] one division, that of Amram, and another division, that of Issaar, and another division, that of Chebron, and another division, that of Oziel: these are the divisions of Caath, according to number.

Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites.

28 Every male from a month old and upward, eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charges of the holy things.

According to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred keeping the requirements of the sanctuary.

29 The families of the sons of Caath, shall encamp beside the tabernacle toward the south.

The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle.

30 And the chief of the house of the families of the divisions of Caath, [was] Elisaphan the son of Oziel.

The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31 And their charge [was] the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and all the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they do holy service, and the veil, and all their works.

Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, the screen, and all its service.

32 And the chief over the chief of the Levites, [was] Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, appointed to keep the charges of the holy things.

Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.

33 To Merari [belonged] the family of Mooli, and the family of Musi: these are 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 mustering of them according to number, every male from a month old and upwards, [was] six thousand and fifty.

Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.

35 And the head of the house of the families of the division of Merari, was Suriel the son of Abichail: they shall encamp by the side of the tabernacle northwards.

The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle.

36 The oversight of the charge of the sons of Merari [included] the chapiters of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all their furniture, and their works,

The appointed duty of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service,

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

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

38 They that encamp before the tabernacle of witness on the east [shall be] Moses and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charges of the sanctuary according to the charges of the children of Israel; and the stranger that touches them, shall die.

Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses, with Aaron and his sons, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary for the duty of the children of Israel. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death.

39 All the numbering of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the word of the Lord, according to their families, every male from a month old and upwards, [were] two and twenty thousand.

All who were counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the commandment of the LORD, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

40 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Count every firstborn male of the children of Israel from a month old and upwards, and take the number by name.

The LORD said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

41 And you shall take the Levites for me—I [am] the Lord—instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the children of Israel.

You shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.”

42 And Moses counted, as the Lord commanded him, every firstborn among the children of Israel.

Moses counted, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

43 And all the male firstborn in number by name, from a month old and upwards, were according to their numbering twenty-two thousand and two hundred and seventy-three.

All the firstborn males according to the number of names from a month old and upward, of those who were counted of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine; I [am] the Lord.

“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I am the LORD.

46 And for the ransoms of the two hundred and seventy-three which exceed the Levites in number of the firstborn of the sons of Israel;

For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel who exceed the number of the Levites,

47 you shall even take five shekels a head; you shall take them according to the holy didrachm, twenty oboli to the shekel.

you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; according to the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs);

48 And you shall give the money to Aaron and to his sons, the ransom of those who exceed in number among them.

and you shall give the money, with which their remainder is redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons.”

49 And Moses took the silver, the ransom of those that exceeded in number the redemption of the Levites.

Moses took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the Levites;

50 He took the silver from the firstborn of the sons of Israel, a thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the holy shekel.

from the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary;

51 And Moses gave the ransom of them that were over to Aaron and his sons, by the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, according to the LORD’s word, as the LORD commanded Moses.