Numbers 3

¹These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai .

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

³These are the names of the sons of Aaron , the anointed priests , whom he ordained to serve as priests .

⁴But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai , and they had no children . So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father .

⁵And the Lord spoke to Moses , saying ,

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

⁷They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting , as they minister at the tabernacle .

⁸They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting , and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle .

⁹And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons ; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel .

¹⁰And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons , and they shall guard their priesthood . But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death .

¹¹And the Lord spoke to Moses , saying ,

¹²Behold , I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel . The Levites shall be mine,

¹³for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt , I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel , both of man and of beast . They shall be mine: I am the Lord.

¹⁴And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai , saying ,

¹⁵List the sons of Levi , by fathers ’ houses and by clans ; every male from a month old and upward you shall list .

¹⁶So Moses listed them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded .

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

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

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

²⁰And the sons of Merari by their clans : Mahli and Mushi . These are the clans of the Levites , by their fathers ’ houses .

²¹To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites ; these were the clans of the Gershonites .

²²Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 7,500 .

²³The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west ,

²⁴with Eliasaph , the son of Lael as chief of the fathers ’ house of the Gershonites .

²⁵And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle , the tent with its covering , the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting ,

²⁶the hangings of the court , the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar , and its cords — all the service connected with these.

²⁷To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites ; these are the clans of the Kohathites .

²⁸According to the number of all the males , from a month old and upward , there were 8,600 , keeping guard over the sanctuary .

²⁹The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle ,

³⁰with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers ’ house of the clans of the Kohathites .

³¹And their guard duty involved the ark , the table , the lampstand , the altars , the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister , and the screen ; all the service connected with these.

³²And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites , and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary .

³³To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites : these are the clans of Merari .

³⁴Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200 .

³⁵And the chief of the fathers ’ house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail . They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle .

³⁶And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle , the bars , the pillars , the bases , and all their accessories ; all the service connected with these;

³⁷also the pillars around the court , with their bases and pegs and cords .

³⁸Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east , before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise , were Moses and Aaron and his sons , guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel . And any outsider who came near was to be put to death .

³⁹All those listed among the Levites , whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the Lord, by clans , all the males from a month old and upward , were 22,000 .

⁴⁰And the Lord said to Moses , List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel , from a month old and upward , taking the number of their names .

⁴¹And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord — instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel , and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel .

⁴²So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel , as the Lord commanded him.

⁴³And all the firstborn males , according to the number of names , from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273 .

⁴⁴And the Lord spoke to Moses , saying ,

⁴⁵Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel , and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle . The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.

⁴⁶And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel , over and above the number of the male Levites ,

⁴⁷you shall take five shekels per head ; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs ),

⁴⁸and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over .

⁴⁹So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites .

⁵⁰From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money , 1,365 shekels , by the shekel of the sanctuary .

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