Numbers 3

1 Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that YHWH spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.

Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day when the word of the Lord came to Moses on Mount Sinai.

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

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

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

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests, on whom the holy oil was put, who were marked out as priests.

4 Nadab and Abihu died before YHWH, when they offered strange fire before YHWH, 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.

And Nadab and Abihu were put to death before the Lord when they made an offering of strange fire before the Lord, in the waste land of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar did the work of priests before Aaron their father.

5 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses,

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

Make the tribe of Levi come near, and put them before Aaron the priest, to be his helpers,

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

In order that they may be responsible to him and to all Israel for the care of the Tent of meeting, and to do the work of the House;

8 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.

And they will have the care of all the vessels of the Tent of meeting, and will do for the children of Israel all the necessary work of the House.

9 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.

Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; so that they may be his without question from among the children of Israel.

10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the unauthorized person who comes near shall be put to death."

And give orders that Aaron and his sons are to keep their place as priests; any strange person who comes near is to be put to death.

11 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses,

12 "Look, 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:

See, I have taken the Levites out of the children of Israel to be mine in place of the first sons of the children of Israel;

13 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 YHWH."

For all the first sons are mine; on the day when I put to death all the first sons in the land of Egypt, I took for myself every first male birth of man and beast. They are mine; I am the Lord.

14 YHWH spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses in the waste land of Sinai,

15 "Count the descendants of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward."

Let all the children of Levi be numbered by their families and their fathers' houses; let every male of a month old and over be numbered.

16 Moses numbered them according to the word of YHWH, as he was commanded.

So Moses did as the Lord said, numbering them as he had been ordered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites in the order of their fathers' houses.

21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites.

From Gershon come the Libnites and the Shimeites; these are the families of the Gershonites.

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

Those who were numbered of them, the males from one month old and over, were seven thousand, five hundred.

23 The families of the Gershonites shall camp behind the tabernacle westward.

The tents of the Gershonites are to be placed at the back of the House, to the west.

24 The prince of the fathers' house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.

The chief of the Gershonites is Eliasaph, the son of Lael.

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

In the Tent of meeting, the Gershonites are to have the care of the House, and the Tent with its cover, and the veil for the door of the Tent of meeting,

26 and the curtaining of the court, and 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.

And the hangings for the open space round the House and the altar, and the curtain for its doorway, and all the cords needed for its use.

27 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.

From Kohath come the Amramites and the Izharites and the Hebronites and the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites.

28 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.

Those who were numbered of them, the males from one month old and over, were eight thousand, six hundred, who were responsible for the care of the holy place.

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

The tents of the Kohathites are to be placed on the south side of the House.

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

Their chief is Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.

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

In their care are the ark, and the table, and the lights, and the altars, and all the vessels used in the holy place, and the veil, and all they are used for.

32 Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief of the leaders of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.

Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, will be head over all the Levites and overseer of those responsible for the care of the holy place.

33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari.

From Merari come the Mahlites and the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.

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

Those who were numbered of them, the males of a month old and over, were six thousand, two hundred.

35 The prince of the fathers' house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They shall camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

The chief of the families of Merari was Zuriel, the son of Abihail: their tents are to be placed on the north side of the House.

36 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,

And in their care are to be all the boards of the Tent, with their rods and pillars and bases, and all the instruments, and all they are used for,

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

And the pillars of the open space round it, with their bases and nails and cords.

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

And those whose tents are to be placed on the east side of the House in front of the Tent of meeting, looking to the dawn, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, who will do the work of the holy place for the children of Israel; and any strange person who comes near will be put to death.

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

All the Levites numbered by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord, all the males of one month old and over numbered in the order of their families, were twenty-two thousand.

40 YHWH said to Moses, "Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

And the Lord said to Moses, Let all the first male children be numbered, and take the number of their names.

41 You shall take the Levites for me (I am YHWH) 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."

And give to me the Levites (I am the Lord) in place of the first sons of the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites in place of the first births among the cattle of the children of Israel.

42 Moses numbered, as YHWH commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

So Moses had all the first sons among the children of Israel numbered, as the Lord said to him.

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

Every first son from a month old and over was numbered by name, and the number came to twenty-two thousand, two hundred and seventy-three.

44 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses,

45 "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 YHWH.

Take the Levites in place of all the first sons of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites in place of their cattle; the Levites are to be mine; I am the Lord.

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

And the price you have to give for the two hundred and seventy-three first sons of the children of Israel which are in addition to the number of the Levites,

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

Will be five shekels for every one, by the scale of the holy place (the shekel is twenty gerahs);

48 and you shall give the money, with which the remainder of them is redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons."

And this money, the price of those over the number of the Levites, is to be given to Aaron and his sons.

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

So Moses took the money, the price of those whose place had not been taken by the Levites;

50 from the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

From the first sons of Israel he took it, a thousand, three hundred and sixty-five shekels, by the scale of the holy place;

51 and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of YHWH, as YHWH commanded Moses.

And he gave the money to Aaron and his sons, as the Lord had said.