Numbers 3:14-43

14The Lord spoke again to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. He said,

15“Record the names of the members of the tribe of Levi by their families and clans. List every male who is one month old or older.”

16So Moses listed them, just as the Lord had commanded.

17Levi had three sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

18The clans descended from Gershon were named after two of his descendants, Libni and Shimei.

19The clans descended from Kohath were named after four of his descendants, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20The clans descended from Merari were named after two of his descendants, Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, listed according to their family groups.

21The descendants of Gershon were composed of the clans descended from Libni and Shimei.

22There were 7,500 males one month old or older among these Gershonite clans.

23They were assigned the area to the west of the Tabernacle for their camp.

24The leader of the Gershonite clans was Eliasaph son of Lael.

25These two clans were responsible to care for the Tabernacle, including the sacred tent with its layers of coverings, the curtain at its entrance,

26the curtains of the courtyard that surrounded the Tabernacle and altar, the curtain at the courtyard entrance, the ropes, and all the equipment related to their use.

27The descendants of Kohath were composed of the clans descended from Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

28There were 8,600 males one month old or older among these Kohathite clans. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary,

29and they were assigned the area south of the Tabernacle for their camp.

30The leader of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

31These four clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various articles used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use.

32Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, was the chief administrator over all the Levites, with special responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary.

33The descendants of Merari were composed of the clans descended from Mahli and Mushi.

34There were 6,200 males one month old or older among these Merarite clans.

35They were assigned the area north of the Tabernacle for their camp. The leader of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail.

36These two clans were responsible for the care of the frames supporting the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars, the bases, and all the equipment related to their use.

37They were also responsible for the posts of the courtyard and all their bases, pegs, and ropes.

38The area in front of the Tabernacle, in the east toward the sunrise, was reserved for the tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final responsibility for the sanctuary on behalf of the people of Israel. Anyone other than a priest or Levite who went too near the sanctuary was to be put to death.

39When Moses and Aaron counted the Levite clans at the Lord’s command, the total number was 22,000 males one month old or older.

40Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now count all the firstborn sons in Israel who are one month old or older, and make a list of their names.

41The Levites must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel; I am the Lord. And the Levites’ livestock must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the whole nation of Israel.”

42So Moses counted the firstborn sons of the people of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded.

43The number of firstborn sons who were one month old or older was 22,273.