The Sons of Aaron
1 When the Lord talked with Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 Aaron's four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, 3 were the ones to be ordained as priests. 4 But the Lord killed Nadab and Abihu in the Sinai Desert when they used fire that was unacceptable in their offering to the Lord. And because Nadab and Abihu had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with their father Aaron.
The Duties of the Levites
5 The Lord said to Moses:
6 Assign the Levi tribe to Aaron the priest. They will be his assistants 7 and will work at the sacred tent for him and for all the Israelites. 8 The Levites will serve the community by being responsible for the furnishings of the tent. 9 They are assigned to help Aaron and his sons, 10 who have been appointed to be priests. Anyone else who tries to perform the duties of a priest must be put to death.
11-13 Moses, I have chosen these Levites from all Israel, and they will belong to me in a special way. When I killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the first-born sons in every Israelite family and the first-born males of their flocks and herds would be mine. But now I accept these Levites in place of the first-born sons of the Israelites.
The Levites Are Counted
14 In the Sinai Desert the Lord said to Moses, 15 “Now I want you to count the men and boys in the Levi tribe by families and by clans. Include every one at least a month old.” 16 So Moses obeyed and counted them.
17 Levi's three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, had become the heads of their own clans. 18 Gershon's sons were Libni and Shimei. 19 Kohath's sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. These were the sons and grandsons of Levi, and they had become the leaders of the Levite clans.
21 The two Gershon clans were the Libnites and Shimeites, 22 and they had 7,500 men and boys at least one month old. 23-24 The Gershonites, under the leadership of Eliasaph son of Lael, were to camp on the west side of the sacred tent. 25 Their duties at the tent included taking care of the tent itself, along with its outer covering, the curtain for the entrance, 26 the curtains hanging inside the courtyard around the tent, as well as the curtain and ropes for the entrance to the courtyard and its altar. The Gershonites were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.
27 The four Kohath clans were the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and the Uzzielites, 28 and they had 8,600 men and boys at least one month old. 29-30 The Kohathites, under the leadership of Elizaphan son of Uzziel, were to camp on the south side of the sacred tent. 31 Their duties at the tent included taking care of the sacred chest, the table for the sacred bread, the lampstand, the altars, the objects used for worship, and the curtain in front of the most holy place. The Kohathites were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.
32 Eleazar son of Aaron was the head of the Levite leaders, and he made sure that the work at the sacred tent was done.
33 The two Merari clans were the Mahlites and the Mushites, 34 and they had 6,200 men and boys at least one month old. 35 The Merarites, under the leadership of Zuriel son of Abihail, were to camp on the north side of the sacred tent. 36-37 Their duties included taking care of the tent frames and the pieces that held the tent up: the bars, the posts, the stands, and its other equipment. They were also in charge of the posts that supported the courtyard, as well as their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merari clans were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.
38 Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to camp in front of the sacred tent, on the east side, and to make sure that the Israelites worshiped in the proper way. Anyone else who tried to do the work of Moses and Aaron was to be put to death.
39 So Moses and Aaron obeyed the Lord and counted the Levites by their clans. The total number of Levites at least one month old was 22,000.
The Levites Are Accepted as Substitutes for the First-Born Sons
40 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a list and count the first-born sons at least one month old in each of the Israelite families. 41 They belong to me, but I will accept the Levites as substitutes for them, and I will accept the Levites' livestock as substitutes for the Israelites' first-born livestock.”
42 Moses obeyed the Lord and counted the first-born sons; 43 there were 22,273 of them.
44 Then the Lord said, 45 “The Levites will belong to me and will take the place of the first-born sons; their livestock will take the place of the Israelites' first-born livestock. 46 But since there are more first-born sons than Levites, the extra 273 men and boys must be bought back from me. 47 For each one, you are to collect five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards. 48 This money must then be given to Aaron and his sons.”
49 Moses collected the silver from the extra 273 first-born men and boys, 50 and it amounted to 1,365 pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards. 51 Then he gave it to Aaron and his sons, just as the Lord had commanded.
1 These also were the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai. 2 So these are the names of the sonnes of Aaron, Nadab the first borne, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sonnes of Aaron the anoynted Priests, whom Moses did consecrate to minister in the Priests office. 4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offred strange fire before the Lord in the wildernesse of Sinai, and had no children: but Eleazar and Ithamar serued in ye Priestes office in the sight of Aaron their father. 5 Then the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 6 Bring the tribe of Leui, and set the before Aaron the Priest that they may serue him, 7 And take the charge with him, euen the charge of the whole Congregation before the Tabernacle of the Congregation to doe the seruice of the Tabernacle. 8 They shall also keepe all the instruments of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and haue the charge of the children of Israel to doe the seruice of the Tabernacle. 9 And thou shalt giue the Leuites vnto Aaron and to his sonnes: for they are giuen him freely from among the children of Israel. 10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sonnes to execute their Priestes office: and the stranger that commeth neere, shalbe slayne. 11 Also the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 12 Beholde, I haue euen taken the Leuites from among the childre of Israel: for al the first borne that openeth the matrice among the children of Israel, and the Leuites shalbe mine, 13 Because all the first borne are mine: for the same day, that I smote all the first borne in the land of Egypt, I sanctified vnto me all the first borne in Israel, both man and beast: mine they shalbe: I am the Lord. 14 Moreouer, the Lord spake vnto Moses in the wildernesse of Sinai, saying, 15 Nomber the children of Leui after the houses of their fathers, in their families: euery male from a moneth olde and aboue shalt thou nomber. 16 Then Moses nombred them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17 And these are the sonnes of Leui by their names, Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. 18 Also these are the names of the sonnes of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. 19 The sonnes also of Kohath by their families: Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Vzziel. 20 And the sonnes of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Leui, according to the houses of their fathers. 21 Of Gershon came the familie of the Libnites, and the familie of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites. 22 The summe whereof (after the nomber of all the males from a moneth olde and aboue) was counted seuen thousand and fiue hundreth. 23 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the Tabernacle westward. 24 The captaine and auncient of the house of the Gershonites shalbe Eliasaph the sonne of Lael. 25 And the charge of the sonnes of Gershon in the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall be the Tabernacle, and the pauilion, the couering thereof, and the vaile of the dore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, 26 And the hanging of the court, and the vaile of the doore of the court, which is neere the Tabernacle, and neere ye Altar round about, and the cordes of it for all the seruice thereof. 27 And of Kohath came the familie of the Amramites, and the familie of the Izeharites, and the familie of the Hebronites, and the familie of the Vzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites. 28 The nomber of all the males from a moneth olde and aboue was eight thousand and sixe hundreth, hauing the charge of the Sanctuarie. 29 The families of the sonnes of Kohath shall pitch on the Southside of the Tabernacle. 30 The captaine and auncient of the house, and families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the sonne of Vzziel: 31 And their charge shalbe the Arke, and the Table, and the Candlesticke, and the altars, and the instruments of the Sanctuarie that they minister with, and the vaile, and all that serueth thereto. 32 And Eleazar the sonne of Aaron the Priest shalbe chiefe captaine of the Leuites, hauing the ouersight of them that haue the charge of the Sanctuarie. 33 Of Merari came the familie of the Mahlites, and the familie of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari. 34 And the summe of them, according to the nomber of all the males, from a moneth olde and aboue was sixe thousand and two hundreth. 35 The captaine and the ancient of the house of the families of Merari shalbe Zuriel the sonne of Abihail: they shall pitche on the Northside of the Tabernacle. 36 And in ye charge and custodie of the sonnes of Merari shall be the boardes of the Tabernacle, and the barres thereof, and his pillars, and his sockets, and al the instruments therof, and al that serueth thereto, 37 With the pillars of the court round about, with their sockets, and their pins and their coardes. 38 Also on the forefront of the Tabernacle toward the East, before the Tabernacle, I say, of the Congregation Eastwarde shall Moses and Aaron and his sonnes pitch, hauing the charge of the Sanctuarie, and the charge of the children of Israel: but the stranger that commeth neere, shall be slayne. 39 The wholesumme of ye Leuites, which Moses and Aaron nombred at the commandement of the Lord throughout their families, euen al the males from a moneth olde and aboue, was two and twentie thousand. 40 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Nomber all the first borne that are Males among the children of Israel, from a moneth old and aboue, and take the nomber of their names. 41 And thou shalt take ye Leuites to me for all the first borne of the children of Israel (I am the Lord) and the cattell of the Leuites for all the first borne of the cattell of the children of Israel. 42 And Moses nombred, as the Lord commanded him, all the first borne of the children of Israel. 43 And all the first borne males rehearsed by name (from a moneth olde and aboue) according to their nomber were two and twentie thousand, two hundreth seuentie and three. 44 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 45 Take the Leuites for all the first borne of the children of Israel, and the cattell of the Leuites for their cattel, and the Leuites shalbe mine, (I am the Lord) 46 And for the redeeming of the two hundreth seuentie and three, (which are moe then the Leuites) of the first borne of the children of of Israel, 47 Thou shalt also take fiue shekels for euery person: after the weight of the Sanctuarie shalt thou take it: ye shekel conteineth twenty gerahs. 48 And thou shalt giue the money, wherwith the odde nomber of them is redeemed, vnto Aaron and to his sonnes. 49 Thus Moses tooke the redemption of the that were redeemed, being more then the Leuites: 50 Of the first borne of the children of Israel tooke he the mony: eue a thousand three hundreth three score and fiue shekels after the shekel of the Sanctuarie. 51 And Moses gaue the money of them that were redeemed, vnto Aaron and to his sonnes according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.