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Numbers 3
World English Bible

3 Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Yahweh spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 4 Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh when they offered strange fire before Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron their father.

5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. 7 They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel. 10 You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

11 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold,[a] I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine. I am Yahweh.”

14 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “Count the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”

16 Moses counted them according to Yahweh’s word, as he was commanded.

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

18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

19 The sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi.

These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.

21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites. These are the families of the Gershonites.

22 Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, even those who were counted of them were seven thousand five hundred.

23 The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.

24 Eliasaph the son of Lael shall be the prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites. 25 The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting, 26 the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.

27 Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites. 28 According to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred keeping the requirements of the sanctuary.

29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, the screen, and all its service. 32 Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.

33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari. 34 Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.[b]

35 The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 The appointed duty of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service, 37 the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords.

38 Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses, with Aaron and his sons, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary for the duty of the children of Israel. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death. 39 All who were counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the commandment of Yahweh, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

40 Yahweh said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41 You shall take the Levites for me—I am Yahweh—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.”

42 Moses counted, as Yahweh commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel. 43 All the firstborn males according to the number of names from a month old and upward, of those who were counted of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

44 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I am Yahweh. 46 For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel who exceed the number of the Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; according to the shekel[c] of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs[d]); 48 and you shall give the money, with which their remainder is redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons.”

49 Moses took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the Levites; 50 from the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels,[e] according to the shekel of the sanctuary; 51 and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, according to Yahweh’s word, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. 3:12 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
  2. 3:34 + 22,000 is the sum rounded to 2 significant digits. The sum of the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites given above is 22,300, but the traditional Hebrew text has the number rounded to 2 significant digits, not 3 significant digits.
  3. 3:47 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.
  4. 3:47 A gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains.
  5. 3:50 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 1365 shekels is about 13.65 kilograms or about 30 pounds.
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Numbers 3
New Catholic Bible

Chapter 3

Aaron’s Offspring.[a] 1 These are the descendants of Aaron and Moses on the day that the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: the oldest was Nadab, and then there were Abihu and Eleazar and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and consecrated to minister in the priesthood. 4 Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unclean fire to the Lord in the Sinai Desert. They had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of their father Aaron.

The Tribe of Levi. 5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Gather the tribe of Levi and have them stand before Aaron the priest so that they can minister to him. 7 They will serve him and serve the whole assembly standing before the tent of meeting, ministering to the needs of the tabernacle. 8 They will take care of all of the furnishings of the tent of meeting and attend to the needs of the people of Israel as they minister in the tabernacle. 9 You will give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are dedicated to him from among the people of Israel. 10 You will appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will serve as priests. Anyone else who draws near is to be put to death.”

11 [b]The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel as a substitute for the firstborn of the people of Israel, those who opened the womb. The Levites will be my own, 13 for every firstborn has belonged to me from the day that I slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. I have set apart all the firstborn as my own in Israel, both human and animal. They will be mine. I am the Lord.”

14 Counting the Levites. The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, saying, 15 “Count the sons of Levi by clan, by family. Count every male one month old and older.”

16 So Moses counted them, as the word of the Lord had commanded[c] him. 17 These are the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.[d] 18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. 19 The sons of Kohath by their families were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 The sons of Merari by the families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their clan.

21 From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites. These are the families of the Gershonites. 22 They counted them, all males one month old and older, and they numbered seven thousand, five hundred. 23 The clan of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle to the west. 24 Eliasaph, the son of Lael, was the leader of the clan of the Gershonites. 25 In the tent of meeting the sons of Gershon had responsibility for the care of the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, 26 the curtains for the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, its cords, and everything that had to be done with these.

27 From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites. 28 They counted them, all males one month old and older, and they numbered eight thousand, three hundred, ministering to the needs of the sanctuary. 29 The clan of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel, was the leader of the clan of the Kohathites. 31 Their responsibility was for the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary, the screen, and everything that had to be done with these.

32 Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was to be the supervisor of the leaders of the Levites. He was to oversee those who had the responsibility to care for the needs of the sanctuary.

33 From Merari came the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari. 34 They counted them, all males one month old and older, and they numbered six thousand, two hundred. 35 Zuriel, the son of Abihail, was the leader of the clan of Merari. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 Their responsibility was for the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, its pillars, its sockets and all of their parts, 37 the pillars around the courtyard, and their pins, and their cords.

38 Finally, Moses, Aaron and his sons camped in front of the tabernacle on its east side, in front of the tent of meeting and eastward. They kept watch over the sanctuary, keeping the people of Israel and any other person from coming near, under penalty of death.

39 The total number of the Levites who were counted by Moses and Aaron at the command of the Lord, everyone in their families who was one month old and older, was twenty-two thousand.

40 Redemption of the Firstborn. The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, those one month old and older, and make a list of their names. 41 The Levites will be a substitute for me in place of the firstborn of the people of Israel. I am the Lord. The cattle of the Levites will be a substitute for the firstborn of the cattle of the people of Israel.”

42 Moses counted all of the firstborn of the people of Israel as the Lord had commanded him 43 and he listed all the firstborn males by name, those one month old and older. They numbered twenty-two thousand, two hundred seventy-three.

44 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites as a substitute for all the firstborn of the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites as a substitute for their cattle. The Levites are mine. I am the Lord.”

46 Those who were to be redeemed among the firstborn of the people of Israel, not counting the Levites, numbered two hundred seventy-three. 47 “You will take five shekels for each person according to the shekel of the sanctuary, that is, twenty gerahs for each shekel 48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons to redeem those who are in excess among them.”

49 Moses took the redemption money for those who were in excess, above the number of those redeemed by the Levites. 50 He received the money for the firstborn of the people of Israel, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons as the Lord had commanded Moses by the word of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 3:1 In the tribe of Levi, which is to be at the spiritual service of the community, a distinction exists between the priests, whose office it is to offer sacrifice, and the “Levites,” who are to provide material services. Historically, however, this distinction dates only from the time of King Josiah (640–609 B.C.) and would become definitive only after the return from the Exile.
  2. Numbers 3:11 The Levites, being consecrated to the service of God, take the place of the firstborn of the entire people, those who have belonged to God ever since the Passover when the people were delivered from Egypt and the destroying angel spared their firstborn from slaughter (Ex 12:23).
  3. Numbers 3:16 As the word of the Lord had commanded: Moses’ commitment to the Lord is firm and without exception.
  4. Numbers 3:17 See Ex 6:16-25. By omitting mention of Aaron and his family, the editor, a priest, means to underscore the superiority of the priests, who are not to be numbered among the simple Levites.
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Numbers 3
New International Version

The Levites

3 This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses(A) at the time the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.(B)

2 The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn(C) and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.(D) 3 Those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests,(E) who were ordained to serve as priests. 4 Nadab and Abihu, however, died before the Lord(F) when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai.(G) They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar(H) served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.(I)

5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi(J) and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.(K) 7 They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community(L) at the tent of meeting by doing the work(M) of the tabernacle. 8 They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. 9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons;(N) they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.[a] 10 Appoint Aaron(O) and his sons to serve as priests;(P) anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”(Q)

11 The Lord also said to Moses, 12 “I have taken the Levites(R) from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring(S) of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine,(T) 13 for all the firstborn are mine.(U) When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”(V)

14 The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,(W) 15 “Count(X) the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.”(Y) 16 So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

17 These were the names of the sons of Levi:(Z)

Gershon,(AA) Kohath(AB) and Merari.(AC)

18 These were the names of the Gershonite clans:

Libni and Shimei.(AD)

19 The Kohathite clans:

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(AE)

20 The Merarite clans:(AF)

Mahli and Mushi.(AG)

These were the Levite clans, according to their families.

21 To Gershon(AH) belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites;(AI) these were the Gershonite clans. 22 The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500. 23 The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle.(AJ) 24 The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 At the tent of meeting the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle(AK) and tent, its coverings,(AL) the curtain at the entrance(AM) to the tent of meeting,(AN) 26 the curtains of the courtyard(AO), the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar,(AP) and the ropes(AQ)—and everything(AR) related to their use.

27 To Kohath(AS) belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites;(AT) these were the Kohathite(AU) clans. 28 The number of all the males a month old or more(AV) was 8,600.[b] The Kohathites were responsible(AW) for the care of the sanctuary.(AX) 29 The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side(AY) of the tabernacle. 30 The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan(AZ) son of Uzziel. 31 They were responsible for the care of the ark,(BA) the table,(BB) the lampstand,(BC) the altars,(BD) the articles(BE) of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain,(BF) and everything related to their use.(BG) 32 The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar(BH) son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible(BI) for the care of the sanctuary.(BJ)

33 To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites;(BK) these were the Merarite clans.(BL) 34 The number of all the males a month old or more(BM) who were counted was 6,200. 35 The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.(BN) 36 The Merarites were appointed(BO) to take care of the frames of the tabernacle,(BP) its crossbars,(BQ) posts,(BR) bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use,(BS) 37 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard(BT) with their bases, tent pegs(BU) and ropes.

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

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

40 The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more(CB) and make a list of their names.(CC) 41 Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites,(CD) and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.”(CE)

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

44 The 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.(CH) I am the Lord.(CI) 46 To redeem(CJ) the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, 47 collect five shekels[c](CK) for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel,(CL) which weighs twenty gerahs.(CM) 48 Give the money for the redemption(CN) of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.”(CO)

49 So Moses collected the redemption money(CP) from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the Israelites(CQ) he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels,[d](CR) according to the sanctuary shekel. 51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 3:9 Most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also 8:16) to me
  2. Numbers 3:28 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts 8,300
  3. Numbers 3:47 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams
  4. Numbers 3:50 That is, about 35 pounds or about 16 kilograms
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