Numbers 3

1 Now, these, were the pedigrees of Aaron and Moses, —in the day when Yahweh spake 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 priests that were anointed, —who were installed to minister as priests.

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 But Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh when they brought near strange fire before Yahweh in the desert of Sinai, and sons, had they none, —so then Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests, in the presence of Aaron their father.

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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying—

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

6 Bring near the tribe of Levi, and thou shalt cause it to stand before Aaron the priest, —so shall they wait upon 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 so shall they keep his charge, and the charge of all the assembly, before the tent of meeting, —to do the laborious work of the habitation;

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

8 so shall they have charge of all the furniture of the tent of meeting, even the charge of the sons of Israel, —to do the laborious work of the habitation.

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

9 Thus shalt thou give the Levites unto Aaron and unto his sons, —given, given, they are unto him, from among 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 but unto Aaron, and unto his sons, shalt thou give oversight, so shall they keep charge of their priesthood, —and, the stranger who cometh near, shall be 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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying—

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

12 I, therefore, lo! I have taken the Levites out of the midst of the sons of Israel, instead of every firstborn that a mother beareth, from among the sons of Israel, —so shall the Levites be 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, mine, is every firstborn, in the day when I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto myself every firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast, —mine, did they become, and belong unto me, Yahweh.

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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, in the desert of Sinai, saying: —

And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:

15 Number thou the sons of Levi, by their ancestral houses, by their families, —every male, from one month old and upwards, shalt thou number them.

“Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and above.”

16 So then Moses numbered them according to the bidding of Yahweh, —as he was commanded.

Moses numbered them, just as the Lord had instructed,

17 And these were 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, 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 they—the families of the Levites by their ancestral houses.

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

21 To, Gershon, belonged the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites, —these, are they—the families of the Gershonites.

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

22 They who were numbered of them in the counting of every male, from one month old, and upwards, —they who were num-bered of them, were 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 Gershonites, to the rear of the habitation, were to encamp, westward.

These shall encamp behind the tabernacle, toward the west,

24 And, the prince of the ancestral house of the Gershonites, was Eliasaph son of Lael.

under the leader Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25 And, the charge, of the sons of Gershon, was over the tent of meeting, the habitation, and the tent, —the covering thereof, and the screen for the entrance 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 screen for the entrance of the court which was near the habitation and near the altar, round about, —and the cords thereof, as to all the laborious work thereof.

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 to Kohath, belonged 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 they—the families of the Kohathites.

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, the counting of every male, from one month old and upwards, there were eight thousand and six hundred, to keep the charge of the sanctuary.

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, were to encamp, —on the side of the habitation, south-ward.

and they shall encamp toward the south side.

30 And the prince of the ancestral house of the families of the Kohathites, was Elizaphan, son of Uzziel.

And their leader shall be Elisaphan the son of Uzziel.

31 And their charge, was—the ark and the table and the lampstand and the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary wherewith they were to minister, —and the screen, as to all the laborious work thereof.

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 the prince of the princes of the Levites, was Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, —to have the oversight of them that were to keep the charge of the sanctuary.

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 To Merari, belonged the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites, —these, are they—the families of Merari.

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

34 And they who were numbered of them in the counting of every male, from one month old and upwards, were 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 the ancestral house of the families of Merari, was Zuriel son of Abihail, —on the side of the habitation, were they to encamp northward.

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

36 And the oversight of the charge of the sons of Merari, was—the boards of the habitation, and the bars thereof and the pillars thereof and the sockets thereof, —and all the furniture thereof, as to all the laborious work thereof;

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 also the pillars of the court round about 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 But, they who were to encamp before the habitation eastwards before the tent of meeting, towards sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons. to keep the charge of the sanctuary, as the charge of the sons of Israel and, the stranger that came near, was to be 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 they who were numbered of the Levites whom Moses [and Aaron] numbered at the bidding of Yahweh by their families, —every male, from one month old and upwards, were two-and-twenty 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 Yahweh said unto Moses: Number thou every firstborn male belonging to the sons of Israel, from one month old and upwards, —and reckon 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 then shalt thou take the Levites for me, me Yahweh, instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, —also the cattle of the Levites, instead of every firstling among the cattle 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 So then Moses numbered, as Yahweh commanded him, —every 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 it was so—that all the firstborn of the males in the counting of names from one month old and upwards of such as were numbered of them, —were two-and-twenty 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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying: —

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

45 Take the Levites, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites, instead of their cattle, —so shall the Levites belong unto me, me Yahweh;

“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 as the ransom of the two hundred and seventy-three, —who are more than the Levites, of the firstborn of the sons of Israel,

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 thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll, —by the shekel of the sanctuary, shalt thou take it, twenty gerahs to the shekel;

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

48 and shalt give the silver to Aaron and to his sons, —as the ransom of them that are in excess over them.

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

49 So Moses took the redemption silver from them who were in excess over them who were redeemed by the Levites:

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

50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel, took he the silver, —a thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary,

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 gave the redemption silver to Aaron and to his sons at the bidding of Yahweh, —As Yahweh commanded Moses.

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