1 A nd these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Jehovah spoke with Moses on mount Sinai.

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

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

The names of the sons of Aaron are Nadab the first-born, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

3 T hese are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, who were consecrated to exercise the priesthood.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the chosen religious leaders. Aaron set them apart to work as religious leaders.

4 A nd Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah when they offered strange fire before Jehovah in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the presence of Aaron their father.

But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they made a fire that was not holy to the Lord in the Desert of Sinai. And they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar worked as religious leaders during the life-time of their father Aaron. The Levites Serve in the Meeting Tent

5 A nd Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses,

6 B ring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him;

“Bring the family of Levi near. Set them in front of Aaron the religious leader so they may serve him.

7 a nd they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole assembly, before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.

They will do the duties for him and for all the people in front of the meeting tent. They will do the work around the meeting tent,

8 A nd they shall keep all the utensils of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

and will keep all the things that belong to the meeting tent. They will take care of the duties for the people of Israel as they work around the meeting tent.

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

You will give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are all given to him from among the people of Israel.

10 A nd Aaron and his sons shalt thou appoint that they may attend to their priest's office; and the stranger that cometh near shall be put to death.

Set apart Aaron and his sons to do the work of religious leaders. But if anyone comes near who is not a religious leader, he must be put to death.”

11 A nd Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses,

12 A nd I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn that breaketh open the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine;

“See, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every first-born among the people of Israel. The Levites will be Mine.

13 f or every firstborn is mine. On the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and beast; mine shall they be: I am Jehovah.

For all the first-born are Mine. On the day that I killed all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I set apart for My own all the first-born in Israel, both man and animal. They will be Mine. I am the Lord.” The Levites Are Numbered

14 A nd Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,

15 N umber the sons of Levi according to their fathers' houses, after their families; every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.

“Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses and by their families. Number every male a month old and older.”

16 A nd Moses numbered them, according to the commandment of Jehovah,—as he had been commanded.

So Moses numbered them just as he had been told by the word of the Lord.

17 A nd these are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

The names of the sons of Levi are Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

18 A nd these are the names of the sons of Gershon according to their families: Libni and Shimei.

The names of the sons of Gershon by their families are Libni and Shimei.

19 A nd the sons of Kohath according to their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

The sons of Kohath by their families are Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

20 A nd the sons of Merari according to their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.

The sons of Merari by their families are Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses.

21 O f Gershon, the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.

Of Gershon were the families of the Libnites and the Shimeites. These were the families of the Gershonites.

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

The number of their men, every male a month old and older, was 7, 500.

23 T he families of the Gershonites encamped behind the tabernacle westward.

The families of the Gershonites were to set up their tents behind the meeting tent on the west side.

24 A nd the prince of the father's house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

The leader of the fathers’ houses of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25 A nd the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting was: the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the curtain of the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The sons of Gershon were to take care of the meeting tent, its covering, and the curtain for the door of the meeting tent.

26 A nd the hangings of the court, and the curtain of the entrance to the court, which surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the cords thereof for all its service.

And they were to take care of the curtains for the door of the open space, and all curtains around the meeting tent and the altar and their ropes. They did all the work having to do with them.

27 A nd of Kohath, 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.

Of Kohath were the families of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites. These were the families of the Kohathites.

28 A ccording to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, who kept the charge of the sanctuary.

The number of every male a month old and older was 8, 600. They did the duties of the holy place.

29 T he families of the sons of Kohath encamped on the side of the tabernacle southward.

The families of the sons of Kohath were to set up their tents on the south side of the meeting tent.

30 A nd the prince of the father's house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

The leader of the fathers’ houses of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31 A nd their charge was the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, and the curtain, and all that belongs to its service.

They took care of the special box with the Law, and the table, the lamp-stand, the altars, the things used in the holy place, and the curtain. They did all the work having to do with them.

32 A nd the prince of princes of the Levites was Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest: he had the oversight of them that kept the charge of the sanctuary.

Eleazar, the son of Aaron the religious leader, was the head of the leaders of Levi. He watched over those who did the duties of the holy place.

33 O f Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.

Of Merari were the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites. These were the families of Merari.

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

The number of their men, every male a month old and older, was 6, 200.

35 A nd the prince of the father's house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They encamped on the side of the tabernacle northward.

The leader of the fathers’ houses of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to set up their tents on the north side of the meeting tent.

36 A nd the charge of the sons of Merari consisted in the oversight of the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its bases, and all its furniture, and all that belongs to its service,

The duties given to the sons of Merari were to take care of the parts made of wood of the meeting tent, its cross pieces, its pillars, its bases, and all the pieces that had to do with them. They took care of all these things,

37 a nd the pillars of the court round about, and their bases, and their pegs, and their cords.

and of the pillars around the open space and their bases and their nails and their ropes.

38 A nd those who encamped before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron and his sons, who kept the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh near shall be put to death.

Moses and Aaron and his sons were to set up their tents on the east side in front of the meeting tent, toward the sunrise. They did the duties of the meeting tent, whatever had to be done for the people of Israel. But the one who came near who was not a religious leader was to be put to death.

39 A ll that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Jehovah, according to their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

The number of all the Levite men a month old and older, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by their families as the Lord told them, was 22, 000. Levites Take the Place of First-Born Sons

40 A nd Jehovah said to Moses, Number all the first-born males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

The Lord said to Moses, “Number every first-born male of the sons of Israel a month old and older. Write down their names.

41 A nd thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am Jehovah) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites, instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.

Take the Levites for Me, instead of all the first-born among the sons of Israel. I am the Lord. And take the cattle of the Levites instead of all the first-born among the cattle of the people of Israel.”

42 A nd Moses numbered, as Jehovah had commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

So Moses numbered all the first-born among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had told him.

43 A nd all the firstborn males, by the number of the names, from a month old and upward, according to their numbering, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

The number of names of all the first-born males a month old and older was 22, 273.

44 A nd Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses,

45 T ake the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am Jehovah.

“Take the Levites instead of all the first-born sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites. The number of the Levites will be Mine. I am the Lord.

46 A nd for those that are to be ransomed, the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are in excess over the Levites,

There are 273 first-born of the sons of Israel, who are more in number than the Levites. You must pay the price for each of them.

47 t hou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll, according to the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them,—twenty gerahs the shekel;

Take five pieces of silver for each, by the weight of silver agreed upon for the meeting tent.

48 a nd thou shalt give the money unto Aaron and unto his sons for those in excess among them who are to be ransomed.

Give the money, the price of those who are more in number than the Levites, to Aaron and his sons.”

49 A nd Moses took the ransom-money from them that were over and above those who were ransomed by the Levites;

So Moses took the money to pay for those who were more in number than the Levites.

50 o f the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, a thousand three hundred and sixty-five, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

He took the money from the first-born sons of Israel, by the weight agreed upon for the meeting tent. He took 1, 365 pieces of silver.

51 A nd Moses gave the money of them that were ransomed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the commandment of Jehovah,—as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

Then Moses gave the money to Aaron and his sons, just as the Lord had told Moses by His Word.