Numbers
Chapter 3
1 These are also the family records of Aaron and Moses when God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 These are Aaron’s sons’ names: Nadab the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 Here are the names of Aaron’s sons, the priests who were appointed and set apart to serve as priests.
4 Nadab and Abihu died in front of God when they offered the wrong kind of fire before God in the Sinai wilderness, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with their father Aaron watching.
5 God spoke to Moses and said,
6 Bring the Levi tribe close, and place them before Aaron the priest, so they can serve him.
7 They must take care of their duties and the duties of the whole community at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of the Tent.
8 They must take care of all the tools of the meeting tent and be responsible for serving the people of Israel in the tent.
9 You will give the Levites to Aaron and his sons: they are completely given to him from the Israelites.
10 You will choose Aaron and his sons to be priests, and they will serve in this role. If anyone else comes close, they must be put to death.
11 God spoke to Moses, saying,
12 I have chosen the Levites from the Israelites to take the place of all the firstborn of Israel. So the Levites belong to me.
13 Every firstborn is mine; when I struck down the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart every firstborn in Israel, from people to animals, as mine: they belong to me: I am God.
14 God spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert, saying,
15 Count the Levi tribe members by their fathers’ households and families, including every boy one month old and older.
16 Moses counted them as God had instructed him to do.
17 These were the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 Here are the names of Gershon’s sons by their families: Libni and Shimei.
19 Kohath’s sons in their families were Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 The descendants of Merari by their family groups were Mahli and Mushi. These are the Levite family groups by their ancestors’ houses.
21 Gershon had two families: the Libnites and the Shimites. These are the Gershonite families.
22 The count of them, every male one month old and above, was seven thousand five hundred.
23 The Gershonite families must camp behind the sanctuary, towards the west.
24 The head of the Gershonite family group will be Eliasaph, Lael’s son.
25 The Gershonites are responsible in the meeting tent for the tent itself, its cover, and the curtain at the entrance.
26 The curtains for the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard near the tent and altar, and the ropes for all its uses.
27 From Kohath came the Amramite family, the Izeharite family, the Hebronite family, and the Uzzielite family: these are the Kohathite families.
28 Among the boys one month old and older, there were 8,600 who took care of the holy place.
29 The families of Kohath’s sons will camp on the south side of the tent of worship.
30 The head of the leading family from Kohath’s descendants will be Elizaphan, Uzziel’s son.
31 Their job is to take care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the holy objects they use in service, along with the curtains and everything related to their use.
32 Eleazar, Aaron the priest’s son, will be the leader of the Levite leaders and will supervise those who take care of the sanctuary.
33 Merari had two families: the Mahlites and the Mushites. These are the Merari families.
34 The count of the males one month old and older was 6,200.
35 The leader of the Merari family group was Zuriel, Abihail’s son. They will set up their tents north of the tent of meeting.
36 The sons of Merari will take care of the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, pillars, bases, and all its equipment and everything related to it.
37 And the posts around the courtyard, their bases, their pegs, and their ropes.
38 Those who camp in front of the tent on the east side, in front of the meeting tent, will be Moses, Aaron, and his sons. They will take care of the sanctuary on behalf of the people of Israel. Anyone else who comes close will be put to death.
39 Everyone counted from the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted by God’s command according to their families, all the males one month old and older, totaled 22,000.
40 God told Moses, “Count all the first-born boys of the Israelites who are one month old or older, and make a list of their names.”
41 You must choose the Levites for me (I am God) in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites; and the Levites’ animals in place of all the firstborn animals of the Israelite people.
42 Moses counted all the firstborn sons of Israel, just as God had told him to.
43 All the firstborn boys, one month old and older, listed by name, totaled 22,273.
44 God spoke to Moses, saying,
45 Choose the Levites instead of the firstborn of the Israelites, and take the Levites’ animals instead of their animals; the Levites will belong to me: I am God.
46 And for the 273 firstborn Israelite children who are more than the Levites and must be redeemed.
47 You should take five shekels for each person, using the sanctuary shekel (which is twenty gerahs).
48 You must give the money needed to redeem the extra people to Aaron and his sons.
49 Moses took the extra redemption money from those who were more than the number redeemed by the Levites.
50 He took money for the firstborn of the Israelites; one thousand three hundred sixty-five sanctuary shekels.
51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as God had directed, following God’s instructions to Moses.