Numbers 3

Levite Priesthood Established

11Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 22These then 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 3anointed priests, whom he 4ordained to serve as priests. 45But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the Lord when they offered 6strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests 7in the lifetime of their father Aaron.

5Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6“8Bring the tribe of Levi forward and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7They shall perform the duties for 9him and for the whole congregation in front of the tent of meeting, to do the 10service of the tabernacle. 8They shall also take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9So you shall 11assign the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are exclusively assigned to him from the sons of Israel. 10So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that 12they may 13keep their priesthood, but 14the 15layman who comes near shall be put to death.”

11Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12“Now, behold, I 16have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every 17firstborn, the firstborn of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. 13For 18all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I fatally struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from the human firstborn to animals. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.”

14Then the Lord spoke to Moses 19in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15“2021Count the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall count.” 16So Moses counted them according to the 22word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded. 1723These, then, are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18And these are the names of the 24sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei; 19and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel; 20and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households.

21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22Their numbered men, in the counting of every male from a month old and upward, their numbered men were 7,500. 23The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the 25tabernacle westward, 24and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites: Eliasaph the son of Lael.

Duties of the Levites

25Now 26the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting included the tabernacle and 27the tent, its covering, and 28the curtain for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26and 29the curtains of the courtyard, 30the curtain for the entrance of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its ropes, according to all the service 31concerning them.

27Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. 28In the counting of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary. 29The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, 30and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Kohathite families: 32Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31Now 33their duties included 34the ark, 35the table, 36the lampstand, 37the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, the 38curtain, and all the service 39concerning them; 32and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the head of the leaders of Levi, and he had the supervision of those who performed the duties of the sanctuary.

33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34Their numbered men in the counting of every male from a month old and upward: 6,200. 35And the leader of the fathers’ households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to 40camp on the northward side of the tabernacle. 36Now the appointment of duties of the sons of Merari included the framework of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its bases, all its equipment, and all the service concerning them, 37and the pillars around the courtyard with their bases, their pegs, and their ropes.

38Now those who were to 41camp in front of the tabernacle eastward, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but 42the 43layman coming near was to be put to death. 39All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the 44command of the Lord by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 45twenty-two thousand.

Firstborn Redeemed

40Then the Lord said to Moses, “46Count every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and 47make a list of their names. 41And you 48shall take the Levites for Me--I am the Lord--instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.” 42So Moses counted all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded him; 43and all the firstborn males, by the number of names from a month old and upward for their numbered men, were 4922,273.

44Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45“50Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites in place of their cattle. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the Lord. 4651And as 52a redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess of the number of the Levites, 47you shall take 53five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in 54terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (55the shekel is twenty 56gerahs), 48and you shall give the money, the redemption price of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” 49So Moses took the redemption money from those who were in excess of the number of those redeemed by the Levites; 50from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. 51Then Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, at the 57command of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.