Numbers 3:5-38

5Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6“1Bring the tribe of Levi forward and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7They shall perform the duties for 2him and for the whole congregation in front of the tent of meeting, to do the 3service 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 4assign 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 5they may 6keep their priesthood, but 7the 8layman who comes near shall be put to death.”

11Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12“Now, behold, I 9have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every 10firstborn, the firstborn of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. 13For 11all 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 12in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15“1314Count 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 15word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded. 1716These, then, are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18And these are the names of the 17sons 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 18tabernacle westward, 24and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites: Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25Now 19the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting included the tabernacle and 20the tent, its covering, and 21the curtain for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26and 22the curtains of the courtyard, 23the curtain for the entrance of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its ropes, according to all the service 24concerning 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: 25Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31Now 26their duties included 27the ark, 28the table, 29the lampstand, 30the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, the 31curtain, and all the service 32concerning 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 33camp 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 34camp 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 35the 36layman coming near was to be put to death.