Numbers 3

1 And these [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day of YHWH’s speaking 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 And these [are] the names of the sons of Aaron: the firstborn Nadab, 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 sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whose hand he has consecrated for acting as priest.

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

4 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.

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 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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

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

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

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 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;

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

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

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

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 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “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;

“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 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.”

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 And YHWH speaks to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

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

15 “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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20 And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi; these are the families of the Levites, by the house 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—the family of the Libnite and the family of the Shimite; these are the families of the Gershonite.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

25 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,

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 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.

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—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.

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

28 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.

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

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

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

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

31 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

35 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.

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 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,

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

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

38 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.

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 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.

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 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;

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

41 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.”

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

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

43 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.

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

44 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

45 “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.

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

To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites,

47 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;

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

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

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

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

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

50 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;

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

51 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.

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.