Numbers 3
EasyEnglish Bible
The Levites
3 This is the list of the family of Aaron and Moses. This was at the time when the Lord spoke to Moses on Sinai mountain.
2 The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Nadab was the firstborn son. 3 Aaron anointed them, and he gave authority to them to work as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu fell down and died in front of the Lord. That happened when they offered strange fire to the Lord in the Sinai desert.[a] They had no children. So only Eleazar and Ithamar worked as priests while their father Aaron was alive.
The Levites help the priests
5 Then the Lord said to Moses, 6 ‘Bring the tribe of Levi to Aaron the priest. They must help him. 7 They must serve him and all the Israelites. They must work at the Tent of Meeting and take care of it. 8 They must work on behalf of the Israelites. They must take care of the things that are in the Tent of Meeting. That is how they will serve God. 9 Give the Levites to Aaron and to his descendants. They will be the Israelites who help him. They do not have to do anything else. 10 But you must make a list of Aaron and his descendants. They will be the priests. If any other person comes near to the special Tent, they must die.’
11 The Lord also said to Moses, 12 ‘I will not take the firstborn son of every woman in Israel to belong to me. I will take the Levites instead of them. 13 I killed all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. But I kept the firstborn sons of every person and animal among the Israelites for myself. They belong to me. I am the Lord!’
The Levite families
14 The Lord said to Moses in the Sinai desert, 15 ‘Put the Levites into clans and families and count them. Make a list of every male who is a month old or older.’ 16 Moses obeyed the Lord. So Moses recorded them as the Lord said.
17 The names of the sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
18 Gershon had two sons. Their names were Libni and Shimei.
19 Kohath's sons were called Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
20 Merari's sons were called Mahli and Mushi.
Those were the sons and grandsons of Levi. They became the leaders of the clans of Levi's tribe.
Gershon's clan
21 There were two families in Gershon's clan. They were the families of Libni and Shimei. 22 There were 7,500 males who were one month or older in their list. 23 Gershon's clan had to put up their tents on the west side of the special Tent. 24 The leader of the clan of Gershon was Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25 Gershon's clan had to take care of the Tent of Meeting, with the cloth that covered it, and the curtain at its door. 26 There was a yard round the outside of the tabernacle and the altar. Gershon's family took care of the curtains that hung round the yard, with their ropes. They also took care of the curtain at the entrance to the yard. They took care of all those kinds of things.
Kohath's clan
27 There were four families in Kohath's clan. They were the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 28 There were 8,600 males who were one month old or older in this clan. They had to take care of the things inside the special Tent. 29 Kohath's clan had to put up their tents on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 The leader of Kohath's descendants was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31 Kohath's family had to take care of the Covenant Box, the table and the lampstands. They had to take care of the altars and the tools that the priests used in the special Tent. They also took care of the curtain in front of the Most Holy Place in the Tent. They did all the work with those things.
32 Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was the most important leader of the Levites. He ruled over those people who took care of God's special Tent.
Merari's clan
33 There were two families in Merari's clan. They were the families of Mahli and Mushi. 34 There were 6,200 males in that list. They were one month old or older when Moses counted them. 35 The leader of Merari's clan was Zuriel, the son of Abihail. They had to put up their tents on the north side of the special tabernacle.
36 Merari's family had to take care of all the wood parts of the tabernacle. They took care of the heavy things that stood on the ground to hold the poles. 37 They also took care of the poles that held the cloth round the yard, their ropes and other things that held the Tent in its place.
38 Moses, Aaron and Aaron's sons had to put up their tents in front of the tabernacle, on the east side. They were the only people who could go into the Holy Place in the Tent. Any other person who went near it had to die.
39 So Moses and Aaron obeyed the Lord. They counted the Levites by their clans. There were 22,000 males who were one month old or older.
The firstborn sons belong to the Lord
40 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Record all the firstborn sons of the Israelites. Record every male who is one month old or older. Make a list of their names. 41 The Israelites' firstborn sons belong to me. I am the Lord. But I will accept all the males among the Levites instead. The Israelites' firstborn animals also belong to me. But I will accept the animals of the Levites instead.’
42 So Moses counted all the firstborn males among the Israelites as the Lord had said. 43 He counted 22,273 firstborn males who were one month old or older. He made a list of their names.
44 Then the Lord said to Moses, 45 ‘Do not take the firstborn males among the people to belong to me. Accept the Levites instead. Do not use the firstborn animals of the people. Accept the animals of the Levites instead. The Levites will belong to me. I am the Lord. 46 There are 273 more firstborn males of the people than there are Levites. So the people must pay for the extra firstborn sons. 47 You must accept five shekels for each extra firstborn male. The shekel must have the same weight as the shekel that the Levites use in God's tabernacle. There are 20 gerahs in one shekel. 48 Give that money to Aaron and his sons.’
49 So Moses took the money to buy back the extra 273 firstborn sons. That was because the number of firstborn sons was more than the number of Levites. 50 He took 1,365 shekels from them. The shekels had the same weight as the shekel that the Levites used in God's tabernacle. 51 Moses did what the Lord had told him to do. He gave the money to Aaron and his sons.
Footnotes
- 3:4 We are not sure what ‘strange fire’ was. But we know that it was something wrong that did not please God.
民数记 3
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)
3 耶和华在西奈山晓谕摩西的日子，亚伦和摩西的后代如下： 2 亚伦的儿子，长子名叫拿答，还有亚比户、以利亚撒、以他玛。 3 这是亚伦儿子的名字，都是受膏的祭司，是摩西叫他们承接圣职供祭司职分的。 4 拿答、亚比户在西奈的旷野向耶和华献凡火的时候，就死在耶和华面前了，他们也没有儿子。以利亚撒、以他玛在他们的父亲亚伦面前供祭司的职分。
区别利未人服侍亚伦
5 耶和华晓谕摩西说： 6 “你使利未支派近前来，站在祭司亚伦面前好服侍他， 7 替他和会众在会幕前守所吩咐的，办理帐幕的事。 8 又要看守会幕的器具，并守所吩咐以色列人的，办理帐幕的事。 9 你要将利未人给亚伦和他的儿子，因为他们是从以色列人中选出来给他的。 10 你要嘱咐亚伦和他的儿子谨守自己祭司的职任。近前来的外人必被治死。”
11 耶和华晓谕摩西说： 12 “我从以色列人中拣选了利未人，代替以色列人一切头生的，利未人要归我， 13 因为凡头生的是我的。我在埃及地击杀一切头生的那日，就把以色列中一切头生的，连人带牲畜都分别为圣归我，他们定要属我。我是耶和华。”
利未男丁之数与其职守
14 耶和华在西奈的旷野晓谕摩西说： 15 “你要照利未人的宗族、家室数点他们，凡一个月以外的男子都要数点。” 16 于是摩西照耶和华所吩咐的，数点他们。 17 利未众子的名字是革顺、哥辖、米拉利。 18 革顺的儿子，按着家室，是立尼、示每； 19 哥辖的儿子，按着家室，是暗兰、以斯哈、希伯伦、乌薛； 20 米拉利的儿子，按着家室，是抹利、母示。这些按着宗族是利未人的家室。
21 属革顺的，有立尼族、示每族，这是革顺的二族。 22 其中被数，从一个月以外所有的男子，共有七千五百名。 23 这革顺的二族要在帐幕后西边安营。 24 拉伊勒的儿子以利雅萨做革顺人宗族的首领。 25 革顺的子孙在会幕中所要看守的，就是帐幕和罩篷，并罩篷的盖与会幕的门帘， 26 院子的帷子和门帘（院子是围帐幕和坛的），并一切使用的绳子。
27 属哥辖的，有暗兰族、以斯哈族、希伯伦族、乌薛族，这是哥辖的诸族。 28 按所有男子的数目，从一个月以外看守圣所的，共有八千六百名。 29 哥辖儿子的诸族要在帐幕的南边安营。 30 乌薛的儿子以利撒反做哥辖宗族家室的首领。 31 他们所要看守的是约柜、桌子、灯台、两座坛与圣所内使用的器皿，并帘子和一切使用之物。 32 祭司亚伦的儿子以利亚撒做利未人众首领的领袖，要监察那些看守圣所的人。
33 属米拉利的，有玛利族、母示族，这是米拉利的二族。 34 他们被数的，按所有男子的数目，从一个月以外的，共有六千二百名。 35 亚比亥的儿子苏列做米拉利二宗族的首领。他们要在帐幕的北边安营。 36 米拉利子孙的职分是看守帐幕的板、闩、柱子、带卯的座和帐幕一切所使用的器具， 37 院子四围的柱子、带卯的座、橛子和绳子。
38 在帐幕前东边向日出之地安营的是摩西、亚伦和亚伦的儿子。他们看守圣所，替以色列人守耶和华所吩咐的。近前来的外人必被治死。 39 凡被数的利未人，就是摩西、亚伦照耶和华吩咐所数的，按着家室，从一个月以外的男子，共有二万二千名。
40 耶和华对摩西说：“你要从以色列人中数点一个月以外，凡头生的男子，把他们的名字记下。 41 我是耶和华。你要拣选利未人归我，代替以色列人所有头生的；也取利未人的牲畜，代替以色列所有头生的牲畜。” 42 摩西就照耶和华所吩咐的，把以色列人头生的都数点了。 43 按人名的数目，从一个月以外，凡头生的男子，共有二万二千二百七十三名。
利未人代替以色列族首生之男
44 耶和华晓谕摩西说： 45 “你拣选利未人代替以色列人所有头生的，也取利未人的牲畜代替以色列人的牲畜。利未人要归我。我是耶和华。 46 以色列人中头生的男子比利未人多二百七十三个，必当将他们赎出来。 47 你要按人丁，照圣所的平，每人取赎银五舍客勒（一舍客勒是二十季拉）， 48 把那多余之人的赎银交给亚伦和他的儿子。” 49 于是摩西从那被利未人所赎以外的人取了赎银。 50 从以色列人头生的所取之银，按圣所的平，有一千三百六十五舍客勒。 51 摩西照耶和华的话把这赎银给亚伦和他的儿子，正如耶和华所吩咐的。
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