Numbers 3
Amplified Bible
Levites to Be Priesthood
3 Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day when the Lord spoke [by special revelation] 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 [a]consecrated and ordained to minister in the priest’s office. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the Lord when they offered strange (unholy, unacceptable, inappropriate) fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests [b]in the presence and under the supervision of Aaron their father.(A)
5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them before Aaron the priest, so that they may serve him. 7 They shall carry out the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, doing the service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall also take care of all the furnishings and utensils of the Tent of Meeting, and [attend to] the duties of the Israelites, doing the service of the tabernacle. 9 You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons [as servants and helpers]; they are to be given wholly to him from among the Israelites. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall observe and attend to their priesthood; but the layman (non-Levite) who approaches [the holy things] shall be put to death.”
11 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of and as a substitute for every firstborn, that is, the first that opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites shall be Mine, 13 for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine; I am the Lord.”
14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families (clans). You shall number every male from a month old and upward.” 16 So Moses numbered them just as he was commanded by the word (mouth) of the Lord. 17 These are the [three] sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 These are the names of the [two] sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei; 19 and the [four] sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; 20 and the [two] sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ households.
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, every male from a month old and upward totaled 7,500. 23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, 24 and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.
Duties of the Levites
25 Now the responsibilities of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the curtain for the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, 26 and the hangings of the courtyard, the curtain for the doorway of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, its tent ropes, and all the service [c]concerning 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 males who were numbered, every male from a month old and upward totaled [d]8,600, attending to the duties of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, 30 and the leader of the fathers’ households of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Now their responsibilities involved the ark, the table [on which the bread of the Presence was placed], the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the curtain, and all the service concerning them. 32 Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was chief of the leaders of the Levites; he supervised those who performed the duties of the sanctuary.
33 Of Merari were the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites; these are the families of Merari. 34 The males who were numbered, every male from a month old and upward totaled 6,200. 35 The leader of the fathers’ households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. The Merarites were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 Now the appointed responsibilities of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets or bases, and all the equipment, and all the service concerning them, 37 and the pillars around the courtyard with their bases and their pegs and their cords (tent ropes).
38 Now those to camp before the tabernacle toward the east, before the Tent of Meeting, toward the sunrise, were to be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for whatever was required of the Israelites; and the [e]layman (non-Levite) who approached [the sanctuary] was to be put to death. 39 All the men of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the [f]command of the Lord, by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000.
Firstborn Redeemed
40 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and [g]make a list of their names. 41 You shall take the Levites for Me instead of and as a substitute for all the firstborn among the Israelites. I am the Lord; and you shall take the cattle of the Levites instead of and as a substitute for all the firstborn among the cattle of the Israelites.” 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded him; 43 and all the firstborn males from a month old and upward as numbered were 22,273 [273 more than the Levites].
44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites [for Me] instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. And the Levites shall be Mine. I am the Lord. 46 For the ransom (redemption price) of the 273 of the firstborn of the Israelites who outnumber the Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels apiece, per head, you shall take them in terms of the sanctuary shekel (the shekel is twenty gerahs), 48 and give the money, the ransom (redemption price) of those who outnumber the Levites to Aaron and to his sons.” 49 So Moses took the ransom (redemption) money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites; 50 from the firstborn of the Israelites he took the money in terms of the sanctuary shekel, 1,365 shekels. 51 Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons at the command of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 3:3 Lit filled their hand.
- Numbers 3:4 Lit before the face.
- Numbers 3:26 Lit of it.
- Numbers 3:28 Some suspect that this count should be 8,300 which, when added to the 7,500 of v 22 and the 6,200 of v 34 gives the total of 22,000 in v 39. Unless the figure there was rounded, the number here may have been a copyist’s error (omitting just one letter between two that are the same in Hebrew).
- Numbers 3:38 This ban against “the layman” or “the unauthorized” from coming near the sanctuary (the sacred tent, the tabernacle proper) should not 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 (the courtyard) 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). A violation of this ban is recorded in 2 Chr 26:16-21. King Uzziah attempted to enter the sanctuary to burn incense. While he was being confronted and restrained by Azariah the priest and eighty others he broke out in leprosy. He remained a leper for the rest of his life.
- Numbers 3:39 Lit mouth.
- Numbers 3:40 Lit take the number of.
Numbers 3
Lexham English Bible
Aaron’s Sons
3 These are the genealogies of Aaron and Moses at the time[a] when Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the descendants of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the descendants of Aaron, the priests, the anointed ones whom he consecrated as priests.[b] 4 Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh[c] when they presented a strange fire before Yahweh[d] in the desert of Sinai, and they had no children.[e] Eleazar and Ithamar served as priest during the presence of Aaron their father.
5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring near the tribe of Levi, and set the tribe[f] before Aaron[g] the priest, and they will minister to him. 7 They shall observe his duties and the duties of the entire community before the tent of assembly, to do the work of the tabernacle. 8 And they will keep all the vessels of the tent of assembly and the responsibilities of the Israelites,[h] to do the work[i] of the tabernacle. 9 You will give the Levites to Aaron and to his descendants; they are surely assigned to him from among the Israelites.[j] 10 But you will count Aaron and his descendants; they will keep their priesthood, and the stranger[k] who approaches will be put to death.”
11 Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, 12 “I myself receive the Levites from the midst of the Israelites[l] in the place of all the firstborn of the offspring of the womb from the Israelites.[m] The Levites will be mine 13 because all the firstborn are mine; on the day of my killing all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both humankind and animal;[n] they will be mine. I am Yahweh.”
14 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying, 15 “Muster[o] the descendants of Levi according to their families,[p] according to their clans. You will count every male from one month[q] and above.” 16 So Moses mustered[r] them according to the command of Yahweh,[s] just as he commanded. 17 These were the sons of Levi according to their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon according to their clans: Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath according to their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 The sons of Merari according to their tribes: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their families.[t]
21 To Gershon belonged[u] the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these are the clans of the Gershonites. 22 The ones counted[v] according to the number of every male from one month[w] and above were seven thousand five hundred. 23 The clans of the Gershonites will camp behind the tabernacle to the west, 24 and the leader of the family[x] of the Gershonites is Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 And the responsibility of the descendants of Gershon in the tent of assembly is the tabernacle, and the tent covering it and the curtain of the doorway of the tent of the assembly, 26 and the hangings of the courtyard and the curtain of the doorway of the courtyard that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its ten cords, all of its use.
27 To Kohath belonged[y] the clan of Amramites,[z] the clan of the Izharites,[aa] the clan of the Hebronites,[ab] and the clan of the Uzzielites;[ac] these were the clans of the Kohathites.[ad] 28 According to the number of every male from one month[ae] and above there were eight thousand six hundred keeping the responsibility of the sanctuary. 29 The clan of the descendants of Kohath will encamp on the side of the tabernacle to the south. 30 The leader of his family[af] according to the clans of the Kohathites[ag] is Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Their responsibility was the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altar, and the vessels of the sanctuary, with which they ministered, and the curtain, and all of its use. 32 The chief of the leaders[ah] of the Levites[ai] was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest who had oversight of those keeping the responsibility of the sanctuary.
33 To Merari belonged[aj] the clan of Mahlites[ak] and the clan of the Mushites:[al] these are the clans of Merari. 34 The ones counted[am] according to the number of every male from one month[an] and above were six thousand two hundred. 35 The leader of the family[ao] according to the clans of Merari is Zuriel son of Abihail; they will encamp of the side of the tabernacle to the north. 36 The responsibility of the sons of Merari was the supervision of the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, pillars, bases, and all its vessels and all its service, 37 and the pillars around the courtyard, and their bases, pegs, and cords.
38 Those encamped before the tabernacle to the east—before the tent of assembly to the east—were Moses and Aaron and his sons; they will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary for the Israelites;[ap] and the stranger[aq] who approaches will be put to death. 39 All those counted from the Levites whom Moses and Aaron mustered[ar] according to the word of Yahweh,[as] according to their clans, every male from one month[at] and above were twenty-two thousand.
40 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Muster every firstborn male from the Israelites[au] from one month[av] and above and count[aw] their names. 41 And you will receive the Levites for me—I am Yahweh—in the place of all the firstborn among the Israelites,[ax] and the animals[ay] of the Levites in the place of all the firstborn among the animals[az] among the Israelites.”[ba] 42 So Moses mustered[bb] all the firstborn among the Israelites[bc] just as Yahweh commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males[bd] among the number of names from one month[be] and above, the ones counted,[bf] were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
44 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Receive the Levites in the place of all the firstborn among the Israelites,[bg] and the animals of the Levites in the place of their animals; the Levites will be mine. I am Yahweh. 46 And the ransom of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the Israelites[bh] who are excessive over the Levites, 47 you will receive five shekels a person, in the sanctuary shekel; you will collect twenty gerahs[bi] per shekel. 48 You will give the money to Aaron, and to his sons the ransom of the ones who are excessive among them.” 49 And Moses received the money of the redemption from the ones who were excessive from those redeemed of the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the Israelites[bj] he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, in the sanctuary shekel. 51 And Moses gave the money of the ransom to Aaron and to his sons according to the word[bk] of Yahweh just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 3:1 Literally “on a day”
- Numbers 3:3 Literally “he filled their hands to serve as a priest”
- Numbers 3:4 Literally “before the face of Yahweh”
- Numbers 3:4 Literally “before the face of Yahweh”
- Numbers 3:4 Literally “sons were not for them”
- Numbers 3:6 Literally “cause it to stand”
- Numbers 3:6 Literally “in the presence of Aaron”
- Numbers 3:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:8 Or “service”
- Numbers 3:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:10 Or “outsider”
- Numbers 3:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:13 Literally “from humankind to animal”
- Numbers 3:15 Or “count,” or “summon,” or “enroll”
- Numbers 3:15 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 3:15 Literally “the son of a month”
- Numbers 3:16 Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 3:16 Literally “mouth of Yahweh”
- Numbers 3:20 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 3:21 Literally “To Gershon was”
- Numbers 3:22 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
- Numbers 3:22 Literally “the son of a month and above”
- Numbers 3:24 Literally “the house of his father”
- Numbers 3:27 Literally “For Kohath was”
- Numbers 3:27 Hebrew “Amramite”
- Numbers 3:27 Hebrew “Izharite”
- Numbers 3:27 Hebrew “Hebronite”
- Numbers 3:27 Hebrew “Uzzielite”
- Numbers 3:27 Hebrew “Kohathite”
- Numbers 3:28 Literally “the son of a month”
- Numbers 3:30 Literally “the house of his father”
- Numbers 3:30 Hebrew “Kohathite”
- Numbers 3:32 Literally “the leader of leaders”
- Numbers 3:32 Hebrew “Levite”
- Numbers 3:33 Literally “for Merari was”
- Numbers 3:33 Hebrew “Mahlite”
- Numbers 3:33 Hebrew “Mushite”
- Numbers 3:34 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
- Numbers 3:34 Literally “the son of a month”
- Numbers 3:35 Literally “the house of his father”
- Numbers 3:38 Literally “for the responsibility of the children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:38 Or “outsider”
- Numbers 3:39 Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 3:39 Literally “the mouth of Yahweh”
- Numbers 3:39 Literally “the son of a month”
- Numbers 3:40 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:40 Literally “the son of a month”
- Numbers 3:40 Literally “and lift up the number of”
- Numbers 3:41 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:41 Hebrew “animal”
- Numbers 3:41 Hebrew “animal”
- Numbers 3:41 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:42 Or “counted” or “summoned” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 3:42 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:43 Hebrew “male”
- Numbers 3:43 Literally “the son of a month”
- Numbers 3:43 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
- Numbers 3:45 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:46 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:47 Hebrew “gerah”
- Numbers 3:50 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 3:51 Literally “mouth”
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