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

¶ These also are the generations of Aaron and of Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.

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

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

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

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, anointed priests, whose hands he filled to administer the priesthood.

4 B ut 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

But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the sight of Aaron, their father.

5 T hen the Lord said to Moses,

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

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

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

7 T hey 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,

And they shall keep his commandment and the commandment of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the testimony, to minister in the service of the tabernacle.

8 a nd 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.

And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the testimony and the charge of the sons of Israel, to minister in the service of the tabernacle.

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

And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are completely given unto him out of the sons of Israel.

10 S et 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.”

And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons that they shall guard their priesthood; and the stranger that comes near shall be put to death.

11 T he Lord said to Moses,

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

12 “ 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.

Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of all the firstborn that open the womb among the sons of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be mine;

13 F or 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

because all the firstborn are mine; from the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both of men and of animals; they shall be mine: I am the LORD.

14 T hen the Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,

¶ The LORD also spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

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

Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers, by their families; thou shalt number every male from a month old and upward.

16 S o Moses numbered them just as he had been told by the word of the Lord.

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

17 T he names of the sons of Levi are Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

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

18 T he names of the sons of Gershon by their families are Libni and Shimei.

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

19 T he sons of Kohath by their families are Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 T he sons of Merari by their families are Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses.

And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the houses of their fathers.

21 O f Gershon were the families of the Libnites and the Shimeites. These were the families of the Gershonites.

Of Gershon was the family of Libni and the family of Shimei; these are the families of Gershon.

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

Those 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.

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

The families of Gershon shall pitch behind the tabernacle to the west;

24 T he leader of the fathers’ houses of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

and the prince of the house of the father of the Gershonites, Eliasaph, son of Lael.

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

And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the testimony shall be the tabernacle and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the testimony,

26 A nd 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.

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 thereof.

27 O f Kohath were the families of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites. These were the families of the Kohathites.

And of Kohath was the family of Amram and the family of Izehar and the family of Hebron and the family of Uzziel; these are the families of the Kohathites.

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

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

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

The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle towards the Negev;

30 T he leader of the fathers’ houses of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

and the prince of the house of the father of the families of Kohath, Elizaphan, son of Uzziel.

31 T hey 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.

And their charge shall be the ark and the table and the lampstand and the altars and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the veil, with all its service.

32 E leazar, 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.

And Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be principal over the princes of the Levites and have the oversight of those that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

33 O f Merari were the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites. These were the families of Merari.

Of Merari was the family of Mahli and the family of Mushi; these are the families of Merari.

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

And 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;

35 T he 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.

and the prince of the house of the father of the families of Merari, Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle to the Aquilon.

36 T he 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,

And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle and the bars thereof and the pillars thereof and the sockets thereof and all the instruments thereof, with all its service,

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

and the pillars of the court round about and their sockets and their stakes and their cords.

38 M oses 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.

And those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, before the tabernacle of the testimony towards the sunrise, shall be Moses and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the sons of Israel; and the stranger that comes near shall be put to death.

39 T he 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

All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron, according to the word of the LORD, numbered by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

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

¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward and take the number of their names.

41 T ake 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.”

And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the animals of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the animals of the sons of Israel.

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

And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.

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

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

44 T hen the Lord said to Moses,

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

45 “ 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.

Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the animals of the Levites instead of their animals, and the Levites shall be mine; I am the LORD.

46 T here 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.

And for the ransoms of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, who are more than the Levites,

47 T ake five pieces of silver for each, by the weight of silver agreed upon for the meeting tent.

thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them (the shekel is of twenty gerahs).

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

And thou shalt give the money, of the ransoms of the odd number of them, unto Aaron and to his sons.

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

And Moses took the ransom money of those that were over and above the ones that were redeemed by the Levites

50 H e 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.

and received of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, in money, a thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

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

And Moses gave the money of the ransoms unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.