Numbers

¹This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.

²The names of Aaron's sons were Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

³These were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests who were ordained to serve as priests.

⁴Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they made an unauthorized offering before him in the wilderness of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during Aaron's lifetime.

⁵The LORD said to Moses,

⁶"Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest, to assist him."

⁷"They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle."

⁸"They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and fulfill their responsibilities on behalf of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle."

⁹"Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be wholly given over to him."

¹⁰"Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death."

¹¹The LORD also said to Moses,

¹²"I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of every firstborn male. The Levites are mine,"

¹³"for every firstborn belongs to me. When I struck down every firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, both human and animal. They are mine. I am the LORD."

¹⁴The LORD said to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai,

¹⁵"Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more."

¹⁶So Moses counted them, as the LORD commanded.

¹⁷These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁸The sons of Gershon by clan were Libni and Shimei.

¹⁹The sons of Kohath by clan were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

²⁰The sons of Merari by clan were Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans according to their families.

²¹From Gershon came the clans of Libni and Shimei; these were the Gershonite clans.

²²The total number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500.

²³The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west side of the tabernacle.

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

²⁵The Gershonites were responsible for the tabernacle, its tent, its covering, the curtain at the entrance of the tent of meeting,

²⁶the courtyard curtains, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes — and everything related to their use.

²⁷From Kohath came the clans of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; these were the Kohathite clans.

²⁸The total number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. The Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.

²⁹The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.

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

³¹They were responsible for the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sanctuary utensils used in the ministry, the curtain, and everything related to their use.

³²Eleazar son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the Levite leaders and have overall responsibility for those who cared for the sanctuary.

³³From Merari came the clans of Mahli and Mushi; these were the Merarite clans.

³⁴The total number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 6,200.

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

³⁶The Merarites were assigned custody of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use,

³⁷as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.

³⁸Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting. They were responsible for the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

³⁹The total number of Levites counted by Moses and Aaron at the LORD's command, according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.

⁴⁰The LORD said to Moses, "Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names."

⁴¹"Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn livestock of the Israelites. I am the LORD."

⁴²So Moses counted all the firstborn Israelite males, as the LORD commanded him.

⁴³The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.

⁴⁴The LORD also said to Moses,

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 are to be mine. I am the LORD."

⁴⁶"To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites,"

⁴⁷"collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel — which weighs twenty gerahs."

⁴⁸"Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons."

⁴⁹So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites.

⁵⁰From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

⁵¹Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as the LORD commanded him.