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
New King James Version
The Sons of Aaron(A)
3 Now these are the (B)records[a] of Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the (C)firstborn, and (D)Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, (E)the anointed priests, [b]whom he consecrated to minister as priests. 4 (F)Nadab and Abihu had died before the Lord when they offered profane fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.
The Levites Serve in the Tabernacle
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 6 (G)“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7 And they shall attend to his needs and the needs of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of meeting, to do (H)the work of the tabernacle. 8 Also they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting, and to the needs of the children of Israel, to do the work of the tabernacle. 9 And (I)you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are given entirely to [c]him from among the children of Israel. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, (J)and they shall attend to their priesthood; (K)but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 “Now behold, (L)I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be (M)Mine, 13 because (N)all the firstborn are Mine. (O)On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the Lord.”
Census of the Levites Commanded(P)
14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying: 15 “Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families; you shall number (Q)every male from a month old and above.”
16 So Moses numbered them according to the [d]word of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17 (R)These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of (S)Gershon by their families: (T)Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of (U)Kohath by their families: (V)Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 (W)And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses.
21 From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22 Those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above—of those who were numbered there were seven thousand five hundred. 23 (X)The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward. 24 And the leader of the father’s house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25 (Y)The duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting included (Z)the tabernacle, (AA)the tent with (AB)its covering, (AC)the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 26 (AD)the screen for the door of the court, (AE)the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and the altar, and (AF)their cords, according to all the work relating to them.
27 (AG)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 were the families of the Kohathites. 28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and above, there were eight thousand [e]six hundred [f]keeping charge of the sanctuary. 29 (AH)The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 And the leader of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of (AI)Uzziel. 31 (AJ)Their duty included (AK)the ark, (AL)the table, (AM)the lampstand, (AN)the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, (AO)the screen, and all the work relating to them.
32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites, with oversight of those who kept charge of the sanctuary.
33 From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34 And those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, were six thousand two hundred. 35 The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. (AP)These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 And (AQ)the appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them, 37 and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.
38 (AR)Moreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, (AS)keeping charge of the sanctuary, (AT)to meet the needs of the children of Israel; but (AU)the outsider who came near was to be put to death. 39 (AV)All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord, by their families, all the males from a month old and above, were twenty-two thousand.
Levites Dedicated Instead of the Firstborn
40 Then the Lord said to Moses: (AW)“Number[g] all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. 41 (AX)And you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—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 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 45 (AY)“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the Lord. 46 And for (AZ)the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, (BA)who are more than the number of the Levites, 47 you shall take (BB)five shekels for each one (BC)individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, (BD)the shekel of twenty gerahs. 48 And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, (BE)one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses (BF)gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 3:1 Lit. generations
- Numbers 3:3 Lit. whose hands he filled
- Numbers 3:9 Sam., LXX Me
- Numbers 3:16 Lit. mouth
- Numbers 3:28 Some LXX mss. three
- Numbers 3:28 taking care of
- Numbers 3:40 Take a census of
Numbers 3
Wycliffe Bible
3 These be the generations of Aaron and of Moses, in the day in which the Lord spake to Moses, in the hill of Sinai. (These be the generations of Aaron and of Moses, on the day in which the Lord spoke to Moses, on Mount Sinai.)
2 And these be the names of the sons of Aaron; his first engendered, Nadab (Nadab, his first-born); afterward, Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar;
3 these be the names of Aaron’s sons, (the) priests, that were anointed, and whose hands were [ful]filled and hallowed, that they should be set in priesthood. (these be the names of Aaron’s sons, the priests, who were anointed, and consecrated, so that they could be installed, or ordained, in the priesthood.)
4 Nadab and Abihu [died], when they offered alien fire in the sight of the Lord, in the desert of Sinai, (and they) were dead without free children; and Eleazar and Ithamar were set in priesthood before Aaron their father. (But then Nadab and Abihu were killed, when they offered unholy fire before the Lord, in the Sinai Desert, and they died before having any children; and so Eleazar and Ithamar were ordained in the priesthood in the sight of their father Aaron.)
5 And the Lord spake to Moses, saying,
6 Present thou the lineage of Levi, and make it to stand in the sight of Aaron, the priest, that they minister to him; (Present thou the tribe of Levi, and make them to stand before Aaron, the priest, to serve him;)
7 and (to stand) watch, and that they keep whatever thing pertaineth to the religion of the multitude, before the tabernacle of witnessing; (and to keep charge, and to do whatever thing pertaineth to the service of the multitude, in the Tabernacle of the Witnessing;)
8 and that they keep (charge of) the vessels of the tabernacle, and serve in the service of it.
9 And thou shalt give by free gift the Levites to Aaron and to his sons, to whom they be given (out) of the sons of Israel. (And thou shalt give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons, to whom they be given from all the Israelites.)
10 Soothly thou shalt ordain Aaron and his sons on the religion of priesthood; a stranger that nigheth for to minister, shall die. (And thou shalt ordain Aaron and his sons to serve in the priesthood; a stranger who cometh near to try to minister, shall be put to death.)
11 And the Lord spake to Moses, saying,
12 I have taken the Levites (out) of the sons of Israel for each first engendered (male) thing that openeth the womb in the sons of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine,
13 for each first engendered (male) thing is mine; since the time I smote the first engendered (male) thing in the land of Egypt, I have hallowed to me whatever (male) thing is born first in Israel (I have consecrated to myself whatever male is first-born in Israel); from man unto beast they be mine; I am the Lord.
14 And the Lord spake to Moses in the desert of Sinai, and said,
15 Number thou the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, and by their families, each male from one month and above (every male one month of age and older).
16 [And] Moses numbered them, as the Lord commanded.
17 And the sons of Levi were found, by their names, Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari;
18 the sons of Gershon were Libni, and Shimei;
19 the sons of Kohath were Amram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel;
20 and the sons of Merari were Mahli, and Mushi.
21 Of Gershon were two families, (they) of Libni, and (they) of Shimei;
22 of which the people of male kind was numbered, from one month and above, seven thousand and five hundred. (of whom the number of the males, who were one month of age and older, was seven thousand and five hundred.)
23 These shall set tents behind the tabernacle at the west part, (They shall pitch their tents behind the Tabernacle, on the west side,)
24 under the prince Eliasaph, the son of Lael. (and their leader shall be Eliasaph, the son of Lael.)
25 And they shall have the keepings in the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, the tabernacle itself, and the covering thereof, (and) the tent that is drawn before the gates of the covering of the witnessing of the bond of peace; (And they shall keep charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, that is, the Tabernacle itself, and its coverings, and the curtain which is hung at the entrance to the Tabernacle of the Covenant;)
26 and the curtains of the great entry, also the tent that is hanged in the entering of the great entry of the tabernacle, and whatever thing pertaineth to the use of the altar, the cords of the tabernacle, and to all the service thereof. (and the curtains for the courtyard all around the Tabernacle, and the curtain that is hung at the entrance to the courtyard, and whatever pertaineth to the use of the altar, and all the other things in the service thereof.)
27 The kindred of Kohath shall have the peoples of Amram, and of Izhar, and of Hebron, and of Uzziel; these be the families of Kohathites,
28 numbered by their names, all of male kind, from one month and above, eight thousand and six hundred. They shall have the keepings of the saintuary, (and the number of all the males, from one month of age and older, was eight thousand and six hundred. They shall keep charge of the holy things of the sanctuary,)
29 and they shall set their tents at the south coast thereof; (and they shall pitch their tents on its south side;)
30 and the prince of them shall be Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel. (and their leader shall be Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.)
31 And they shall keep (charge of) the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the saintuary in which it is served, and the veil, and all such manner purtenance. (And they shall keep charge of the Ark, that is, the Box containing the tablets of the Law, and the table, and the lamp-stand, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they shall serve, or they shall minister, and the Veil, and all the other things in the service thereof.)
32 Soothly the prince of princes of Levites shall be Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest; and he shall be upon the keepers of the keeping of the saintuary. (And the leader of the leaders of the Levites shall be Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest; and he shall be over those in charge of the sanctuary.)
33 And soothly of Merari shall be the peoples of Mahli, and of Mushi,
34 numbered by their names, all the male kind, from one month and above, six thousand and two hundred; (and the number of all the males, from one month of age and older, was six thousand and two hundred;)
35 the prince of them shall be Zuriel, the son of Abihail; they shall set their tents in the north coast. (their leader shall be Zuriel, the son of Abihail; and they shall pitch their tents on the north side of the Tabernacle.)
36 And under the keeping of them shall be the tables of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the pillars, and the foundaments of those, and all things that pertain to such adorning, (And the sons of Merari shall be in charge of the tables of the Tabernacle, and the bars, and the pillars, and their foundations, or their bases, and all the things in the service thereof,)
37 and the pillars of the great entry by compass (and the pillars all around the courtyard), with their bases, and the stakes with their cords.
38 Forsooth Moses, and Aaron with his sons, shall set their tents before the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, that is, at the east coast, and shall have the keeping of the saintuary, in the midst of the sons of Israel; whatever alien nigheth thereto, he shall die. (And Moses, and Aaron with his sons, shall pitch their tents in front of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, that is, on the east side, and they shall be in charge of the sanctuary, on behalf of the Israelites; and any stranger who cometh near to it, shall be put to death.)
39 All the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered, by the commandment of the Lord, by their families, in male kind, from one month and above, were two and twenty thousand. (And the number of all the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed, or registered, by the Lord’s command, by their families, all the males from one month of age and older, was twenty-two thousand.)
40 And the Lord said to Moses, Number thou the first begotten of male kind of the sons of Israel, from one month and above (from one month of age and older); and thou shalt have the sum, or the number, of them;
41 and thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the first begotten of the sons of Israel; I am the Lord; and thou shalt take their beasts (to me) for all the first begotten of the sons of Israel. (and thou shalt give me the Levites in place of all the first-born sons of the Israelites; I am the Lord; and thou shalt give me the beasts of the Levites in place of all the first-born male beasts of the Israelites.)
42 And as the Lord commanded, Moses numbered the first begotten (male) children of the sons of Israel;
43 and the males were by their names, from one month and above, two and twenty thousand two hundred and seventy and three. (and the number of the males, listed by their names, from one month of age and older, was twenty-two thousand and two hundred and seventy-three.)
44 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
45 Take thou the Levites for the first begotten of the sons of Israel, and take the beasts of the Levites for the beasts of them, and the Levites shall be mine; I am the Lord. (Now give me the Levites in place of all the first-born sons of the Israelites, and the beasts of the Levites in place of the first-born male beasts of the Israelites, and so the Levites shall be mine; I am the Lord.)
46 Forsooth in the price of two hundred and seventy and three persons, that pass the number of the Levites, of the first begotten (sons) of the sons of Israel, (And as payment to buy back the two hundred and seventy-three persons, of the first-born sons of the Israelites, who surpass the number of the Levites,)
47 thou shalt take five shekels by each head, at the measure of the saintuary (thou shalt take five shekels for each one, by the measure of the sanctuary); a shekel hath twenty halfpence;
48 and thou shalt give the money to Aaron and to his sons, the price of them that be numbered above (the number of the Levites). (and thou shalt give this money to Aaron and to his sons, as payment for those who be listed, or registered, above the number of the Levites.)
49 Therefore Moses took the money of them that were numbered above, and which they had again-bought of the Levites, (And so Moses took the money for the first-born sons of the Israelites, who surpassed the number of the Levites, and so had to be bought back, or ransomed, or redeemed,)
50 for the first begotten (sons) of the sons of Israel, a thousand three hundred and sixty and five of shekels, by the weight of the saintuary; (in all, a thousand and three hundred and sixty-five shekels, by the measure of the sanctuary;)
51 and he gave that money to Aaron and to his sons, by the word that the Lord commanded to him.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2001 by Terence P. Noble