²⁴ These were the sons of Levi by their ancestral houses, the heads of families as they were enrolled according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and up who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord.^(A)

³ The Levites, thirty years old and up, were counted, and the total head count of men was thirty-eight thousand.^(A)

²¹ Then the Kohathites, who carried the holy things, set out, and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival.^(A)

¹⁷ Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites, who carried the tabernacle, set out.^(A)

³ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who qualify to do work relating to the tent of meeting.^(A)

Foundation Laid for the Temple

⁸ In the second year after their arrival at the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their people, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites from twenty years old and up to have the oversight of the work on the house of the Lord.^(A)

²⁴ “This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and up they shall begin to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting;^(A)

²⁷ for according to the last words of David these were the number of the Levites from twenty years old and up—

Census of the Levites

³⁴ So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation enrolled the Kohathites, by their clans and their ancestral houses,^{(A) 35} from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who qualified for work relating to the tent of meeting, ³⁶ and their enrollment by clans was two thousand seven hundred fifty. ³⁷ This was the enrollment of the clans of the Kohathites, all who served at the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron enrolled according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.^(B)

³⁸ The enrollment of the Gershonites, by their clans and their ancestral houses,^{(C) 39} from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who qualified for work relating to the tent of meeting— ⁴⁰ their enrollment by their clans and their ancestral houses was two thousand six hundred thirty. ⁴¹ This was the enrollment of the clans of the Gershonites, all who served at the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron enrolled according to the commandment of the Lord.^(D)

⁴² The enrollment of the clans of the Merarites, by their clans and their ancestral houses, ⁴³ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who qualified for work relating to the tent of meeting, ⁴⁴ and their enrollment by their clans was three thousand two hundred. ⁴⁵ This is the enrollment of the clans of the Merarites, whom Moses and Aaron enrolled according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.^(E)

⁴⁶ All those who were enrolled of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel enrolled, by their clans and their ancestral houses, ⁴⁷ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who qualified to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens relating to the tent of meeting,^{(F) 48} and their enrollment was eight thousand five hundred eighty. ⁴⁹ According to the commandment of the Lord through Moses, they were appointed to their several tasks of serving or carrying; thus they were enrolled by him, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴⁷ you shall take five shekels apiece, reckoning by the shekel of the sanctuary, a shekel of twenty gerahs.^(A)