Numbers 3

The Sons of Aaronⓘ

The priestly sons of Aaron¹This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

²These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³These were Aaronʼs sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

⁴Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the Lord when they offered unauthorized^a fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

The Duties of the Levitesⓘ

Levites given to Aaron in place of the firstborn⁵Then the Lord said to Moses, ⁶“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. ⁷They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. ⁸They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.

⁹Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him^b from among the Israelites. ¹⁰So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”

¹¹Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹²“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me, ¹³for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the Lord.”

The Numbering of the Levitesⓘ

Counting the Levites: Gershon¹⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying, ¹⁵“Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.”

¹⁶So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he had been commanded.

¹⁷These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁸These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁹The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁰And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families.

The Gershonitesⓘ

²¹From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans. ²²The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500.

Gershonite camp and duties²³The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle, ²⁴and the leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.

²⁵The duties of the Gershonites at the Tent of Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its covering, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, ²⁶the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, and the cords—all the service for these items.

The Kohathitesⓘ

Kohathites: count, camp and duties²⁷From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites. ²⁸The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600.^c They were responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

²⁹The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, ³⁰and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan^d son of Uzziel.

³¹Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.

³²The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

The Meraritesⓘ

Merarites, the east camp and the Levite total³³From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans. ³⁴The number of all the males a month old or more was 6,200.

³⁵The leader of the families of the Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

³⁶The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacleʼs frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items, ³⁷as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.

Moses and Aaronⓘ

³⁸Moses, Aaron, and Aaronʼs sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

³⁹The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the Lordʼs command, including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000.

The Redemption of the Firstbornⓘ

Redeeming the extra firstborn⁴⁰Then the Lord said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites a month old or more, and list their names. ⁴¹You are to take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.”

⁴²So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord had commanded him. ⁴³The total number of the firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.

⁴⁴Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵“Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites belong to Me; I am the Lord. ⁴⁶To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites, ⁴⁷you are to collect five shekels^e for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs.^{f 48}Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the excess among the Israelites.”

⁴⁹So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites. ⁵⁰He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels,^g according to the sanctuary shekel. ⁵¹And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the word of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded him.