Numbers 3
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
3 Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom Aaron consecrated and ordained to minister in the priest’s office.
4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence and under the supervision of Aaron their father.(A)
5 And the Lord said to Moses,
6 Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
7 And they shall carry out his instructions and the duties connected with the whole assembly before the Tent of Meeting, doing the service of the tabernacle.
8 And they shall keep all the instruments and furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and take charge of [attending] the Israelites, to serve in the tabernacle.
9 And you shall give the Levites [as servants and helpers] to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the Israelites.
10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall observe and attend to their priest’s office; but the excluded [anyone daring to assume priestly duties or privileges who is not of the house of Aaron and called of God] who comes near [the holy things] shall be put to death.
11 And the Lord said to Moses,
12 Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites; and the Levites shall be Mine,
13 For all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; Mine they shall be. I am the Lord.
14 And the Lord said to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai,
15 Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses and by families. Every male from a month old and upward you shall number.
16 So Moses numbered them as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.
17 These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 And 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 by their fathers’ houses.
21 Of Gershon were the families of the Libnites and of the Shimeites. These are the families of the Gershonites.
22 The males who were numbered of them from a month old and upward totaled 7,500.
23 The families of the Gershonites were to encamp behind the tabernacle on the west,
24 The leader of the fathers’ houses of the Gershonites being Eliasaph son of Lael.
25 And the responsibility of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting was to be the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, and the hangings for the door of the Tent of Meeting,
26 And the hangings of the court, the curtain for the door of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, its cords, and all the service pertaining to them.
27 Of Kohath were the families of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites.
28 The number of all the males from a month old and upward totaled 8,600, attending to the duties of the sanctuary.
29 The families of the sons of Kohath were to encamp on the south side of the tabernacle,
30 The chief of the fathers’ houses of the families of the Kohathites being Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
31 Their charge was to be the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen, and all the service having to do with these.
32 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites, and have the oversight of those who had charge of the sanctuary.
33 Of Merari were the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.
34 Their number of all the males from a month old and upward totaled 6,200.
35 And the head of the fathers’ houses of the families of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail; the Merarites were to encamp on the north side of the tabernacle.
36 And the appointed charge of the sons of Merari was the boards or frames of the tabernacle, and its bars, pillars, sockets or bases, and all the accessories or instruments of it, and all the work connected with them,
37 And the pillars of the surrounding court and their sockets or bases, with their pegs and their cords.
38 But those to encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, before the Tent of Meeting, toward the sunrise, were to be Moses and Aaron and his sons, keeping the full charge of the rites of the sanctuary in whatever was required for the Israelites; and the [a]excluded [one not a descendant of Aaron and called of God] who came near [the sanctuary] was to be put to death.
39 All the Levites whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of the Lord, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000.
40 And the Lord said to Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
41 You shall take the Levites for Me instead of all the firstborn among the Israelites. I am the Lord; and you shall take the cattle of the Levites for Me instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the Israelites.
42 So Moses numbered, as the Lord commanded him, all the firstborn Israelites.
43 But all the firstborn males from a month old and upward as numbered were 22,273 [273 more than the Levites].
44 And the Lord said to Moses,
45 Take the Levites [for Me] instead of all the firstborn Israelites, and the Levites’ cattle instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be Mine. I am the Lord.
46 And for those 273 who are to be redeemed of the firstborn of the Israelites who outnumber the Levites,
47 You shall take five shekels apiece, reckoning by the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs; you shall collect them,
48 And you shall give the ransom silver from the excess number [over the Levites] to be redeemed to Aaron and his sons.
49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were left over from the number who were redeemed by the Levites.
50 From the firstborn of the Israelites he took the money, 1,365 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
51 And Moses gave the money from those who were ransomed to Aaron and his sons, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 3:38 This ban against “the excluded” from coming near the sanctuary (the sacred tent, the tabernacle proper) is not to be construed as discrimination against people who were not Israelites. It included everyone except the ordained descendants of Levi of the house of Aaron. The tabernacle proper was made up of two small rooms which no one except the priest or priests who had the assignment was ever to enter. The congregation entered the outside enclosure only. This was true also of the later temples. Neither Jesus nor any of his disciples or Paul ever entered the sanctuary. When Jesus “taught in the temple” or “entered into the temple,” the Greek word invariably indicates that He was in the temple enclosure (hieron) and not in the sanctuary (naos). (For more information, see Richard Trench, Synonyms of The New Testament). For a violation of this ban see II Chron. 26:16-21, which tells of King Uzziah, who attempted to enter the sanctuary to burn incense and while being forcibly put out by eighty priests became a leper—for the rest of his life.
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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