Numbers 1:47-54
New American Standard Bible
Levites Exempted
47 (A)The Levites, however, were not counted among them by their fathers’ tribe. 48 For the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi (B)you shall not count, nor shall you take their [a]census among the sons of Israel. 50 And you shall (C)appoint the Levites over the [b]tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over everything that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the [c]tabernacle. 51 (D)So when the tabernacle is to move on, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But (E)the [d]layman who comes near it shall be put to death. 52 (F)So the sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own [e]flag, according to their armies. 53 (G)But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be (H)no divine wrath against the congregation of the sons of Israel. (I)So the Levites shall be responsible for service to the tabernacle of the testimony.” 54 And the sons of Israel did so; in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 1:49 Lit sum
- Numbers 1:50 Lit dwelling place, and so throughout the ch
- Numbers 1:50 Lit dwelling place, and so throughout the ch
- Numbers 1:51 Lit stranger
- Numbers 1:52 Or division
Numbers 1:47-54
International Standard Version
Exemption of the Tribe of Levi from the Census
47 The descendants of Levi were not counted according to their ancestral houses 48 because the Lord had ordered Moses: 49 “Be sure not to number or count the tribe of Levi with the rest of the Israelis. 50 Instead, appoint the descendants of Levi over the Tent of Meeting, all the vessels, and everything in it. They are to carry the tent and all the vessels in it. They are to attend to it and camp around it. 51 Whenever the tent is ready for travel, the descendants of Levi are to take it down. When it’s time to encamp, the descendants of Levi are to set it up. Any unauthorized person[a] who approaches it is to be executed. 52 Then the Israelis are to encamp around the tent,[b] arranged according to their company and the standard of their army. 53 But the descendants of Levi are to encamp on all sides of the Tent of Meeting so that divine wrath won’t fall on the congregation of Israel.[c] The descendants of Levi are to take care of the Tent of Meeting.”
54 The Israelis observed everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, doing exactly what they were told.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 1:51 Lit. stranger
- Numbers 1:52 The Heb. lacks around the tent
- Numbers 1:53 Lit. sons of Israel
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