Numbers 3
Revised Standard Version
The Sons of Aaron
3 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the first-born, and Abi′hu, Elea′zar, and Ith′amar; 3 these are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to minister in the priest’s office. 4 But Nadab and Abi′hu died before the Lord when they offered unholy fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Elea′zar and Ith′amar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.
The Duties of the Levites
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 They shall perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle; 8 they shall have charge of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and attend to the duties for the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. 9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. 10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but if any one else comes near, he shall be put to death.”
11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every first-born that opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, 13 for all the first-born are mine; on the day that I slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the first-born in Israel, both of man and of beast; they shall be mine: I am the Lord.”
A Census of the Levites
14 And the Lord said to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, 15 “Number the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number.” 16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merar′i. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shim′e-i. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uz′ziel. 20 And the sons of Merar′i by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses.
21 Of Gershon were the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shim′e-ites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22 Their number according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was[a] seven thousand five hundred. 23 The families of the Gershonites were to encamp behind the tabernacle on the west, 24 with Eli′asaph, the son of La′el as head of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites. 25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting was to be the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, 26 the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords; all the service pertaining to these.
27 Of Kohath were the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izhar′ites, and the family of the He′bronites, and the family of the Uzzie′lites; these are the families of the Ko′hathites. 28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, 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 with Eli-za′phan the son of Uz′ziel as head of the fathers’ house of the families of the Ko′hathites. 31 And their charge was to be the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen; all the service pertaining to these. 32 And Elea′zar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who had charge of the sanctuary.
33 Of Merar′i were the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merar′i. 34 Their number according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was six thousand two hundred. 35 And the head of the fathers’ house of the families of Merar′i was Zu′riel the son of Ab′ihail; they were to encamp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 And the appointed charge of the sons of Merar′i was to be the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service pertaining to these; 37 also the pillars of the court round about, with their bases and pegs and cords.
38 And those to encamp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, having charge of the rites within the sanctuary, whatever had to be done for the people of Israel; and any one else who came near was to be put to death. 39 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord, by families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
The Redemption of the Firstborn
40 And the Lord said to Moses, “Number all the first-born males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking their number by names. 41 And you shall take the Levites for me— I am the Lord—instead of all the first-born among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the people of Israel.” 42 So Moses numbered all the first-born among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. 43 And all the first-born males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as numbered were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
44 And the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord. 46 And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the first-born of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels apiece; reckoning by the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs, you shall take them, 48 and give the money by 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 redeemed by the Levites; 50 from the first-born of the people of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, reckoned by the shekel of the sanctuary; 51 and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 3:22 Heb their number was
4 Mose 3
Hoffnung für Alle
Gott bestimmt die Leviten zum Dienst am Heiligtum
3 Zu der Zeit, als der Herr am Berg Sinai mit Mose sprach, hatte Aaron[a] 2 vier Söhne. Der Älteste war Nadab, die anderen hießen Abihu, Eleasar und Itamar. 3 Sie waren zu Priestern gesalbt und in ihr Amt eingesetzt worden. 4 Doch Nadab und Abihu waren im Heiligtum in der Wüste Sinai gestorben, weil sie dem Herrn eigenmächtig ein Räucheropfer dargebracht hatten. Sie hatten keine Söhne. So blieben nur noch Eleasar und Itamar, die zusammen mit Aaron den Priesterdienst versahen.
5 Der Herr sprach zu Mose: 6 »Ruf die Männer vom Stamm Levi zusammen und lass sie zu Aaron kommen. Ich möchte, dass sie ihm helfen. 7 Sie sollen für ihn und die ganze Gemeinschaft der Israeliten die Arbeiten erledigen, die beim heiligen Zelt anfallen: 8 Sie haben die Aufgabe, die Werkzeuge und Gefäße in Ordnung zu halten und die Dienste zu verrichten, die ich den Israeliten aufgetragen habe. 9 Als einziger von allen Stämmen Israels sollen die Leviten Aaron und seinen Nachkommen zur Verfügung stehen. 10 Aber das Priesteramt selbst dürfen nur Aaron und seine Nachkommen ausüben. Jeder andere, der es eigenmächtig übernehmen will, muss getötet werden!«
11 Weiter sagte der Herr zu Mose: 12 »Du siehst, ich habe von allen Stämmen die Leviten ausgesucht. Ich nehme sie anstelle eurer ältesten Söhne, damit sie ganz für mich da sind. 13 Denn eigentlich gehören mir alle erstgeborenen Söhne und alle männlichen Tiere in Israel, die als erste zur Welt kommen. Ich habe sie zu meinem Eigentum erklärt, als ich den ältesten Söhnen der Ägypter das Leben nahm. Eure Erstgeborenen gehören mir, dem Herrn!«
Die Leviten werden gezählt
14 Dann sprach der Herr zu Mose in der Wüste Sinai: 15 »Zähle alle männlichen Leviten, die älter als einen Monat sind, und schreibe sie nach Sippen und Familien geordnet auf!«
16 Mose tat, was der Herr ihm befohlen hatte.
17 Der Stammvater Levi hatte drei Söhne gehabt: Gerschon, Kehat und Merari. 18 Gerschons Söhne waren Libni und Schimi, 19 Kehats Söhne hießen Amram, Jizhar, Hebron und Usiël, 20 und Meraris Söhne waren Machli und Muschi. Von ihnen allen stammen die Sippen der Leviten ab.
21 Die Libniter und Schimiter, die Nachkommen von Gerschon, 22 zählten 7500 Männer und Jungen, die älter als einen Monat waren. 23 Sie sollten im Westen hinter dem heiligen Zelt lagern. 24 Ihr Oberhaupt war Eljasaf, der Sohn von Laël. 25 Die Gerschoniter bekamen die Verantwortung für das heilige Zelt, für die Zeltdecke, den Vorhang am Zelteingang, 26 für die Vorhänge zur Abgrenzung des Vorhofs rings um Zelt und Altar, den Vorhang am Eingang des Vorhofs und die Seile. Ihnen wurden alle Arbeiten übertragen, die damit zusammenhingen.
27 Von Levis Sohn Kehat stammen die Sippen Amram, Jizhar, Hebron und Usiël ab. 28 Die Zahl ihrer Männer und Jungen, die älter als einen Monat waren und im Heiligtum dienen sollten, betrug 8600[b]. 29 Sie lagerten an der Südseite des heiligen Zeltes. 30 Ihr Oberhaupt war Elizafan, der Sohn von Usiël. 31 Den Kehatitern wurde die Verantwortung für die Bundeslade, den Tisch, den Leuchter und die Altäre übertragen, ebenso für den Vorhang zum Allerheiligsten und für die Gefäße und Werkzeuge, die im Heiligtum gebraucht wurden. Sie sollten alle Arbeiten erledigen, die damit zusammenhingen. 32 Das höchste Oberhaupt der Leviten war Eleasar, der Sohn des Priesters Aaron. Er hatte die Aufsicht über alle, die im Heiligtum dienten.
33 Von Levis Sohn Merari stammen die Sippen Machli und Muschi ab. 34 Sie zählten 6200 Männer und Jungen. 35 Ihr Oberhaupt war Zuriël, der Sohn von Abihajil. Sie sollten an der Nordseite des Heiligtums lagern. 36-37 Den Nachkommen von Merari übertrug man die Verantwortung für die Holzplatten der Zeltwände, die Querbalken, die Pfosten, Sockel und alle dazugehörigen Werkzeuge, außerdem für die Pfosten der Abgrenzung des Vorhofs, ihre Sockel, Pflöcke und Seile und für alle Arbeiten, die damit zusammenhingen.
38 Im Osten vor dem Eingang des heiligen Zeltes, in Richtung Sonnenaufgang, lagerten Mose und Aaron mit seinen Söhnen. Sie sollten den Dienst im Heiligtum ausüben, wie der Herr es den Israeliten befohlen hatte. Wer sich aber dem heiligen Zelt unerlaubt näherte, musste sterben.
39 Nach der Zählung, die Mose und Aaron im Auftrag des Herrn durchführten, gab es insgesamt 22.000 männliche Leviten, die einen Monat und älter waren.
Die Leviten ersetzen die Erstgeborenen
40 Dann sprach der Herr zu Mose: »Zähle alle erstgeborenen Söhne in Israel, die älter als einen Monat sind, und schreib ihre Namen auf. 41 Du sollst an ihrer Stelle die Leviten zu meinem Eigentum erklären, und anstelle der erstgeborenen männlichen Tiere der Israeliten sollst du mir das Vieh der Leviten geben.« 42 Mose tat, was der Herr ihm befohlen hatte, und ließ alle erstgeborenen Israeliten zählen, 43 die einen Monat und älter waren. Ihre Zahl betrug 22.273.
44 Der Herr sprach zu Mose: 45 »Die Leviten und ihr Vieh gehören nun mir, dem Herrn – anstelle der ältesten Söhne der anderen Israeliten und ihrer erstgeborenen männlichen Tiere. 46 Da es nun mehr Erstgeborene als Leviten gibt, sollen die 273 überzähligen Erstgeborenen freigekauft werden. 47 Nimm für jeden von ihnen 5 Silberstücke zu je 12 Gramm, nach dem Gewicht, das im Heiligtum gilt! 48 Dieses Geld, das aus dem Loskauf der überzähligen Erstgeborenen zusammenkommt, sollen Aaron und seine Söhne erhalten.«
49-50 Mose ließ sich das Silber von den erstgeborenen Israeliten geben. Es waren 1365 Silberstücke, die zusammen etwa 16 Kilogramm wogen. 51 Er gab das Silber Aaron und seinen Söhnen, wie der Herr es ihm aufgetragen hatte.
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
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Hoffnung für Alle® (Hope for All) Copyright © 1983, 1996, 2002 by Biblica, Inc.®
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
