Numbers 3
The Voice
3 At that time (when the Eternal One spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai), the lineage of Aaron and Moses went like this: 2 Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the eldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar— 3 actually, they were his sons who were anointed as priests, who were supposed to work as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu perished in the presence of the Eternal when they failed to follow God’s instructions and offered profane fire at Sinai. They didn’t have any children. The other two, Eleazar and Ithamar, carried on as priests for Aaron’s lifetime.
5 Then the Eternal One told Moses,
Eternal One: 6 Summon the Levi tribe, and send them to Aaron, the priest. 7 They are to serve him and all the people in front of the tent of the congregation. They are to do the work for the tent, My sacred dwelling place. 8 They are in charge of the tent’s furnishings. Their work in service to the congregation tent is on behalf of the people of Israel. 9 These Levites are to be given exclusively to Aaron and Aaron’s sons. 10 Aaron and his descendants alone are the priests. If any outsider gets involved, he will be killed.
11 And the Eternal One spoke later to Moses.
Eternal One: 12-13 As you know, all firstborn children of each woman belong to Me. I made that clear when I killed all the Egyptian firstborn but spared Israel and its animals, setting them apart just for Me. But rather than giving all Israel’s firstborn to Me, I accept the Levites as a substitute. They will be Mine. I am the Eternal One.
The Levites as a whole are given into religious service sacrificing the animals and serving in the congregation tent rather than taking all the firstborn males, as was done with the livestock. To have drawn the servants of the Lord from the entire nation would have resulted in great disruption of each of the families and tribes.
14 God formerly gave these instructions to Moses in the wild desert area of Sinai.
Eternal One: 15 Organize the male Levites (including infants, one month old and older) by their clans and extended families.
16 So Moses did just as the Eternal One told him. 17 Levi’s three sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 Gershon’s sons, by their clans, were Libni and Shimei. 19 Kohath’s sons, by their clans, were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 Merari’s sons, by their clans, were Mahli and Mushi. These, remember, are specifically the Levite clans by their extended families.
21 So within Gershon were the Libnite and Shimeite clans. 22 Counting just the males one month old and older, 7,500 were organized. 23 They camped in the area behind the congregation tent on the west. 24 Eliasaph (Lael’s son) served as head of the Gershonite extended family. 25 Their jobs were to take care of everything related to the congregation tent, both the place of revelation and its covering, the screen for the congregation tent’s entrance, 26 the curtains for the court surrounding the place of revelation and the altar, its entrance screen, the ropes, and anything else for the tent.
27 Within Kohath were the Amramite, Izharite, Hebronite, and Uzzielite clans. 28 Counting just the males one month old and older, there were 8,600[a] who worked for the sacred place. 29 They camped on the south side of the congregation tent. 30 Uzziel’s son, Elizaphan, was their head. 31 These Kohathites were to take care of everything associated with the chest, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the furnishings of the sanctuary that the priests use, the screen, and anything else inside the sacred place. 32 Priest Aaron’s son, Eleazar, was head of the Levite leaders. He was in charge of overseeing the people who took care of the sacred place.
33 Within Merari were the Mahlite and Mushite clans, 34 of whom 6,200 males one month or older were organized. 35 Abihail’s son, Zuriel, was their leader. They were instructed to camp on the northern side of the tent area, 36 and their work was to maintain the planks of the tent, its bars, posts, and sockets; plus all the furnishings and any other wood items; 37 as well as the posts surrounding the courtyard together with their sockets, pegs, and ropes.
38 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons camped in front of the congregation tent, on the east facing sunrise, where they worked according to the needs of the sanctuary and on behalf of the Israelites. If an outsider trespassed in this area, he would be killed. 39-45 The total number of Levites whom Moses and Aaron organized, according to the Eternal’s command, were 22,273. These males, one month or older, Moses listed by name.
The Eternal One told Moses,
Eternal One (to Moses): As a substitute for all the Israelite firstborn children and animals (as all of them are Mine), take all the Levites and all the Levites’ animals, which shall belong to Me.[b] 46 But because there are 273 more Israelite firstborn children than there are Levites, you shall pay a substitute price: 47 five shekels for each (calculated by the sanctuary weight, which is 35 pounds to the shekel), 48 and give that money as a substitute price to Aaron and Aaron’s sons.
49-51 So Moses did all that concerning the substitute price, just as the Eternal commanded, and it amounted to 47,775 pounds of metal.
Numbers 3
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
3 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai.
2 And these the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the functions of priesthood.
4 Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father.
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6 Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron the priest to minister to him, and let them watch,
7 And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony,
8 And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the ministry thereof.
9 And thou shalt give the Levites for a gift,
10 To Aaron and to his sons, to whom they are delivered by the children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of priesthood. The stranger that approacheth to minister, shall be put to death.
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
12 I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
13 For every firstborn is mine: since I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt: I have sanctified to myself whatsoever is firstborn in Israel both of man and beast, they are mine: I am the Lord.
14 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:
15 Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and upward.
16 Moses numbered them as the Lord had commanded.
17 And there were found sons of Levi by their names, Gerson and Caath and Merari.
18 The sons of Gerson: Lebni and Semei.
19 The sons of Caath: Amram, and Jesaar, Hebron and Oziel:
20 The sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi.
21 Of Gerson were two families, the Lebnites, and the Semeites:
22 Of which were numbered, people of the male sex from one month and upward, seven thousand five hundred.
23 These shall pitch behind the tabernacle on the west,
24 Under their prince Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25 And their charge shall be in the tabernacle of the covenant:
26 The tabernacle itself and the cover thereof, the hanging that is drawn before the doors of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the curtains of the court: the hanging also that is hanged in the entry of the court of the tabernacle, and whatsoever belongeth to the rite of the altar, the cords of the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof.
27 Of the kindred of Caath come the families of the Amramites and Jesaarites and Hebronites and Ozielites. These are the families of the Caathites reckoned up by their names:
28 All of the male sex from one month and upward, eight thousand six hundred: they shall have the guard of the sanctuary,
29 And shall camp on the south side.
30 And their prince shall be Elisaphan the son of Oziel:
31 And they shall keep the ark, and the table and the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary, wherewith they minister, and the veil, and all the furniture of this kind.
32 And the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over them that watch for the guard of the sanctuary.
33 And of Merari are the families of the Moholites, and Musites, reckoned up by their names:
34 All of the male kind from one month and upward, six thousand two hundred.
35 Their prince Suriel the son of Abihaiel: they shall camp on the north side.
36 Under their custody shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the pillars and their sockets, and all things that pertain to this kind of service:
37 And the pillars of the court round about with their sockets, and the pins with their cords.
38 Before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is to say on the east side, shall Moses and Aaron camp, with their sons, having the custody of the sanctuary, in the midst of the children of Israel. What stranger soever cometh unto it, shall be put to death.
39 All the Levites, that Moses and Aaron numbered according to the precept of the Lord, by their families, of the male kind from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
40 And the Lord said to Moses: Number the firstborn of the male sex of the children of Israel, from one month and upward, and thou shalt take the sum of them.
41 And thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the firstborn of the children of Israel, I am the Lord: and their cattle for all the firstborn of the cattle of the children of Israel:
42 Moses reckoned up, as the Lord had commanded, the firstborn of the children of Israel:
43 And the males by their names, from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saving:
45 Take the Levites for the firstborn of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites for their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.
46 But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, of the firstborn of the children of Israel, that exceed the number of the Levites,
47 Thou shalt take five sides for every head, according to the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.
48 And then shalt give the money to Aaron and his sons, the price of them that are above.
49 Moses therefore took the money of them that were above, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites,
50 For the firstborn of the children of Israel, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,
51 And gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word that the Lord had commanded him.
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