Numbers 3:40-51
New American Standard Bible
Firstborn Redeemed
40 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(A)Count every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and [a]make a list of their names. 41 And you (B)shall take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.” 42 So Moses counted all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded him; 43 and all the firstborn males, by the number of names from a month old and upward for their numbered men, were (C)22,273.
44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “(D)Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites in place of their cattle. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the Lord. 46 (E)And as [b]a redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess of the number of the Levites, 47 you shall take (F)five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in (G)terms of the shekel of the sanctuary ((H)the shekel is twenty [c]gerahs), 48 and you shall give the money, the redemption price of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were in excess of the number of those redeemed by the Levites; 50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. 51 Then Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, at the [d]command of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 3:40 Lit take up the number
- Numbers 3:46 Or ransom
- Numbers 3:47 A gerah is about 0.025 oz. or 0.7 gm
- Numbers 3:51 Lit mouth
Numbers 3:40-51
English Standard Version
Redemption of the Firstborn
40 And the Lord said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. 41 (A)And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” 42 So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.
44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 (B)“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord. 46 And (C)as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47 you shall take (D)five shekels[a] per head; you shall take them according to (E)the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs[b]), 48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, (F)1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses (G)gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 3:47 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- Numbers 3:47 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
