Numbers 3

1 These also [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day [that] the LORD spoke 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; Nadab the first-born, 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 priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.

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

4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.

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 the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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

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

7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

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 shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

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 thou shalt give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons: they [are] wholly given to him out of the children of Israel.

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

10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be 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 the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel, instead of all the first-born that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be 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 Because all the first-born [are] mine; [for] on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I hallowed to me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast: mine they shall be: I [am] the LORD.

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 the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

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

15 Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.

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

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

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

17 And these were 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 Izehar, 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, according to 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 [was] the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these [are] the families of the Gershonites.

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

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

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

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

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

24 And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites [shall be] Eliasaph the 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 tabernacle of the congregation [shall be] the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

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 curtain for the door of the court, which [is] by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it, for all the service of it.

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

28 In the number of all the males from a month old and upward, [were] eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

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 shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

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

30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites [shall be] Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

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

31 And their charge [shall be] the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service of it.

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 the son of Aaron the priest [shall be] chief over the chief of the Levites, [and have] the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

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 [was] the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these [are] the families of Merari.

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

34 And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, [were] six thousand and two hundred.

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

35 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari [was] Zuriel the son of Abihail: [these] shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.

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 [under] the custody and charge of the sons of Merari [shall be] the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all that serveth to it.

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 round about, 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 But those that encamp before the tabernacle towards the east, [even] before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward [shall be] Moses and Aaron, and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be 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 that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, [were] twenty and 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 the LORD said to Moses, number all the first-born of the males of the children of Israel, from a month old and upward, and take 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 thou shalt take the Levites for me (I [am] the LORD) instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites, instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children 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 numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the first-born among the children of Israel.

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

43 And all the first-born males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and seventy and three.

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

44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

45 Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I [am] the LORD.

“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 for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and seventy and three, of the first-born of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites:

To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites,

47 Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take [them]: the shekel [is] twenty gerahs.

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

48 And thou shalt give to Aaron and to his sons the money, with which the odd number of them is to be redeemed.

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

49 And Moses took the redemption-money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:

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

50 Of the first-born of the children of Israel he took the money; a thousand three hundred and sixty and five [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary.

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

51 And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed to Aaron, and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD 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.