Numbers 3
1 These are some of the things that happened to Aaron and Moses/me when Yahweh spoke to Moses/me on Sinai Mountain.
These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai.
2 Aaron’s four sons were Nadab the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
And these the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 They were appointed [MTY] (OR, Moses/I appointed them) to be priests.
These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the functions of priesthood.
4 But, while Yahweh was watching, Nadab and Abihu died in the Sinai Desert because they burned [incense] in a manner that was different from what Yahweh had commanded. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar were the [only] sons of Aaron who [were left to be] priests, along with their father Aaron.
Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father.
5 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6 “Bring [the men of] the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron, in order that they may assist him.
Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron the priest to minister to him, and let them watch,
7 They will serve Aaron and all the other Israeli people, while they do their work inside the Sacred Tent and outside it.
And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony,
8 They must serve all the Israeli people by taking care of all the things that are inside the Sacred Tent.
And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the ministry thereof.
9 Appoint them to [help] Aaron and his two sons. I have chosen them from all the Israeli people to do that.
And thou shalt give the Levites for a gift,
10 Appoint Aaron and his two sons to do the work that priests do. But anyone else who comes close to the Sacred Tent [to do that work] must be executed.”
To Aaron and to his sons, to whom they are delivered by the children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of priesthood. The stranger that approacheth to minister, shall be put to death.
11 Yahweh also told Moses/me,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
12 “Note that from all the Israelis, I have chosen the men of the tribe of Levi to take the places of all the firstborn sons of the Israeli people. The male descendants of Levi belong to me,
I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
13 because truly all the firstborn [males] belong to me. That is because on the day that I killed all the firstborn [sons] of the people of Egypt, I [spared] all the firstborn [sons] of the Israelis and set them apart for myself. I also set apart the firstborn [males] of your domestic animals. They belong to me, Yahweh.”
For every firstborn is mine: since I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt: I have sanctified to myself whatsoever is firstborn in Israel both of man and beast, they are mine: I am the Lord.
14 Yahweh spoke to Moses/me again in the Sinai Desert. He said,
And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:
15 “Count the male members of the tribe of Levi. Write down their names and the names of their clans and family groups. Count all the males who are at least one month old.”
Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and upward.
16 So Moses/I counted them, just as Yahweh commanded.
Moses numbered them as the Lord had commanded.
17 Levi had [three] sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
And there were found sons of Levi by their names, Gerson and Caath and Merari.
18 Gershon had [two] sons: Libni and Shimei. The clans that were descended from them had the same names as those [two] sons.
The sons of Gerson: Lebni and Semei.
19 Kohath had [four] sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The clans that were descended from them had the same names as those [four] sons.
The sons of Caath: Amram, and Jesaar, Hebron and Oziel:
20 Merari had [two] sons: Mahli and Mushi. The clans that were descended from them had the same names as those [two] sons. Those are the clans that were descended from Levi.
The sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi.
21 The two clans descended from Gershon are those that were descended from [his sons] Libni and Shimei.
Of Gerson were two families, the Lebnites, and the Semeites:
22 In those two clans there were 7,500 males who were at least one month old.
Of which were numbered, people of the male sex from one month and upward, seven thousand five hundred.
23 They were told to set up their tents on the west side of the Sacred Tent.
These shall pitch behind the tabernacle on the west,
24 The leader of those two clans was Eliasaph, the son of Lael.
Under their prince Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25 Their work was to take care of the Sacred Tent, including the coverings of the tent, the curtain at the entrance of the tent,
And their charge shall be in the tabernacle of the covenant:
26 the (curtains/large pieces of cloth) that formed the walls around the courtyard that is around the tent and around the altar, the curtains that were at the entrance of the courtyard, and the ropes [for fastening the tent]. They also did all the work of taking care of the things outside the Sacred Tent.
The tabernacle itself and the cover thereof, the hanging that is drawn before the doors of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the curtains of the court: the hanging also that is hanged in the entry of the court of the tabernacle, and whatsoever belongeth to the rite of the altar, the cords of the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof.
27 The clans that were descended from Kohath were those descended from his four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
Of the kindred of Caath come the families of the Amramites and Jesaarites and Hebronites and Ozielites. These are the families of the Caathites reckoned up by their names:
28 In those four clans there were 8,600 males who were at least one month old. The work of the men of the clans was to take care of [the things that are inside] the Sacred Tent.
All of the male sex from one month and upward, eight thousand six hundred: they shall have the guard of the sanctuary,
29 They set up their tents on the south side of the Sacred Tent.
And shall camp on the south side.
30 The leader of those four clans was Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.
And their prince shall be Elisaphan the son of Oziel:
31 The work of the men of those clans was to take care of the sacred chest, the table [on which the priest put the sacred bread], the lampstand, the altars, all the items that the priest used in the Sacred Tent, and the curtain that is inside the tent. Their work was also to take care of the things inside the tent.
And they shall keep the ark, and the table and the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary, wherewith they minister, and the veil, and all the furniture of this kind.
32 Aaron’s son Eleazar was the leader of all the male descendants of Levi. He supervised all the work that was done at the Sacred Tent.
And the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over them that watch for the guard of the sanctuary.
33 The clans that were descended from Merari were those descended from [his sons] Mahli and Mushi.
And of Merari are the families of the Moholites, and Musites, reckoned up by their names:
34 In those two clans there were 6,200 males who were at least one month old.
All of the male kind from one month and upward, six thousand two hundred.
35 They were told to set up their tents on the north side of the Sacred Tent. The leader of those two clans was Zuriel, the son of Abihail.
Their prince Suriel the son of Abihaiel: they shall camp on the north side.
36 The work of the men of those two clans was to take care of the frames that held up the tent, the crossbars, the pillars, and the bases. They also did all the work that was connected with those items.
Under their custody shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the pillars and their sockets, and all things that pertain to this kind of service:
37 Their work was also to take care of the posts [that held up the curtains that formed the walls of] the courtyard, and all the bases, tent pegs, and ropes [that fastened those curtains].
And the pillars of the court round about with their sockets, and the pins with their cords.
38 Aaron and Moses/I and Aaron’s sons were told to set up their/our tents in the area in front of the Sacred Tent, on the east side. Their/Our work was to supervise the work that would be done in and around the Sacred Tent, for the benefit of the Israeli people. Only the priests were permitted to do that. [Yahweh declared that] we should execute anyone else who went near the tent [to do the work that the priests do].
Before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is to say on the east side, shall Moses and Aaron camp, with their sons, having the custody of the sanctuary, in the midst of the children of Israel. What stranger soever cometh unto it, shall be put to death.
39 When Aaron and Moses/I counted all the males who were at least one month old, who belonged to the clans descended from Levi, the total was 22,000.
All the Levites, that Moses and Aaron numbered according to the precept of the Lord, by their families, of the male kind from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
40 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Now count all the [other] firstborn males in Israel who are at least one month old, and write down their names.
And the Lord said to Moses: Number the firstborn of the male sex of the children of Israel, from one month and upward, and thou shalt take the sum of them.
41 Also, set apart for me the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn males of the other Israelis. And set apart for me the livestock of the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the other Israeli people.”
And thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the firstborn of the children of Israel, I am the Lord: and their cattle for all the firstborn of the cattle of the children of Israel:
42 So Moses/I did that. He/I counted the firstborn males of all the Israeli people, as Yahweh had commanded.
Moses reckoned up, as the Lord had commanded, the firstborn of the children of Israel:
43 The total of those who were at least one month old was 22,273.
And the males by their names, from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
44 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saving:
45 “Set apart the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for [the firstborn males of] the other Israeli people. The descendants of Levi belong to me, Yahweh.
Take the Levites for the firstborn of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites for their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.
46 There are 273 more firstborn males of the other Israeli people than of the descendants of Levi.
But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, of the firstborn of the children of Israel, that exceed the number of the Levites,
47 To pay for these 273 males, collect five pieces of silver for each of them. Each of those pieces of silver must weigh the same as each of the silver coins that are stored in the Sacred Tent. Give this silver to Aaron and his sons.”
Thou shalt take five sides for every head, according to the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.
And then shalt give the money to Aaron and his sons, the price of them that are above.
49 So Moses/I did that. He/I collected the silver from those 273 males.
Moses therefore took the money of them that were above, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites,
50 The total was 1,365 pieces of silver. Each silver coin weighed the same as each of the silver coins stored in the Sacred Tent.
For the firstborn of the children of Israel, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,
51 Moses/I gave these silver coins to Aaron and his sons, as Yahweh had commanded.
And gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word that the Lord had commanded him.
