1 N ow this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Yahweh spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.

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

2 T hese 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 priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.

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

4 N adab and Abihu died before Yahweh, when they offered strange fire before Yahweh, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office 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 Y ahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses,

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

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

7 T hey shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation 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 T hey shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations 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 Y ou shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf 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 Y ou shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood. The stranger who comes 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 Y ahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses,

12 “ Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who 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 all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine. I am Yahweh.”

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 Y ahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

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

15 “ Count the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”

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

16 M oses numbered them according to Yahweh’s word, as he was commanded.

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

17 T hese were 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 T hese are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

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

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

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

20 T he sons of Merari by 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 was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: 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 who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those who 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 shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.

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

24 T he prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.

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

25 T he duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the door of 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 screen for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and around the altar, and its cords for all of 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 O f 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.

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, keeping the requirements 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 shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle.

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

30 T he prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

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

31 T heir duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all 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 E leazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements 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 T hose who 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 T he prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle.

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 T he appointed duty of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all 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 t he pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords.

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

38 T hose who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary for the duty of the children of Israel. The stranger who comes 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 who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Yahweh, by 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 Y ahweh said to Moses, “Number all the firstborn 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 Y ou shall take the Levites for me (I am Yahweh) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock 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 M oses numbered, as Yahweh 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 ll the firstborn males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

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

44 Y ahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses,

45 “ Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I am Yahweh.

“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 F or the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who exceed the number of 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 y ou shall take five shekels apiece for each one; after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs ):

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

48 a nd you shall give the money, with which their remainder is redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons.”

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

49 M oses took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the Levites;

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

50 f rom the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, after 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 redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, according to Yahweh’s word, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

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