Numbers 3

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

These are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day when the Lord spoke to Moses on mount Sinai.

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

And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abihu, and 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 are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and whose hands were filled and consecrated in order to exercise the priesthood.

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.

For Nadab and Abihu died without children, when they offered, in the sight of the Lord, a strange fire, in the desert of Sinai. And so, Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the sight of Aaron, their father.

5 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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

“Bring forward the tribe of Levi, and cause them to stand in the sight of Aaron the priest, in order to minister to him. And let them keep watch outside,

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;

and let them observe whatever pertains to the ritual for the multitude, in front of the tabernacle of the testimony,

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;

and let them take care of the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in its ministry.

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.

And you shall give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons; for they have been delivered to them by the sons of Israel.

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

But you shall appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of the priesthood. The outsider who approaches to minister shall be put to death.”

11 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

And 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;

“I have taken the Levites from the sons of Israel. For the Levites, and all the firstborn who open the womb among the sons of Israel, shall be mine.

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 every firstborn is mine. From the time that I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I have sanctified for myself whatever is born first in Israel. From man, even to beast, they are mine. I am the Lord.”

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

And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert 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 sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and above.”

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

Moses numbered them, just as the Lord had instructed,

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

and there were found the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

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

The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.

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

The sons of Kohath: Amram, and 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.

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

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

From Gershon were two families: the Libnites, and the Shimeites.

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 people of these were numbered, of the male sex, from one month and above: seven thousand five hundred.

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

These shall encamp behind the tabernacle, toward the west,

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

under the leader Eliasaph the 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,

And they shall keep watch over the tabernacle of the covenant:

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 tabernacle itself, and its covering; the tent that is drawn before the doors of the covering of the covenant; and the curtains of the atrium; likewise, the tent that is suspended at the entrance of the atrium of the tabernacle; and whatever pertains to the ritual of the altar; the cords of the tabernacle and all its implements.

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.

The kinship of Kohath includes the peoples of the Amramites and Izharites and Hebronites and Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites, having been counted by their names,

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.

all those of the male gender, from one month and above: eight thousand six hundred. They shall keep watch over the Sanctuary,

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

and they shall encamp toward the south side.

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

And their leader shall be Elisaphan the 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.

And they shall take care of the ark, and the table and the lampstand, the altars and the vessels of the Sanctuary, by which they minister, and the veil, and all the articles of this kind.

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.

But the leader of the leaders of the Levites, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over those who watch over the care of the Sanctuary.

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

And truly, from Merari are the peoples of the Mahlites and Mushites, having been counted by their names,

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

all those of the male gender, from one month and above: six thousand two hundred.

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.

Their leader is Suriel the son of Abihaiel. They shall make camp on the north side.

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,

Under their care shall be the panels of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the columns with their bases, and all the things which pertain to service of this kind,

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

and the columns of the surrounding atrium with their bases, and the tent pegs with their cords.

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 and Aaron, with their sons, shall make camp before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is, on the east side, holding the custody of the Sanctuary in the midst of the sons of Israel. Whatever foreigner approaches it shall die.

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.

All the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by their families according to the precept of the Lord, of the male gender, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand.

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;

And the Lord said to Moses: “Number the firstborn of the male sex from the sons of Israel, from one month and above, and you shall take their total.

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.”

And you shall bring the Levites to me, in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and you shall bring their cattle to me, in place of all the firstborn of the cattle of the sons of Israel. I am the Lord.”

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

Moses took a census, just as the Lord had instructed, of the firstborn of the sons of Israel.

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.

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

44 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

And 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 the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites, in place of their cattle, and so the Levites shall be mine. 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,

But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, which exceed the number of the Levites compared to the number of firstborn of the sons of Israel,

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 shall take five shekels for each head, by the measure of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

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

And you shall give the money to Aaron and his sons as the price of those that are in excess.”

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

Therefore, Moses took the money for those that were in excess, and whom they had redeemed from 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;

in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel: one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according to the weight of the Sanctuary.

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 he gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word by which the Lord had instructed him.