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Numbers 3

New International Reader’s Version



1 Here is the story of the family line of Aaron and Moses. It belongs to the time when the LORD spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai. 2 Aaron’s eldest son was Nadab. Aaron’s other sons were Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3 Those were the names of Aaron’s sons. They were the anointed priests. They were given authority to serve the LORD as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu made an offering to the LORD by using fire that wasn’t allowed. So they died in front of him. That happened in the Desert of Sinai. They didn’t have any sons. Only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests while their father Aaron was living. 5 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said, 6 ‘Bring the men of the tribe of Levi to Aaron the priest. They will help him. 7 They must work at the tent of meeting for Aaron and for the whole community. They must do what needs to be done at the holy tent. 8 They must take care of everything connected with the tent of meeting. When they do, they are acting for all the Israelites. 9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are the men of Israel who must be given completely to him. 10 Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who approaches the sacred tent must be put to death.’ 11 The LORD also said to Moses, 12 ‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites. I have taken them in place of the son born first to each woman in Israel. The Levites belong to me. 13 That’s because every male born first to a mother is mine. In Egypt I struck down all the males born first. I did it when I set apart for myself every male born first to a mother in Israel. That is true for men and animals alike. They belong to me. I am the LORD.’ 14 The LORD spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai. He said, 15 ‘Count the Levites by their family groups. Count every male a month old or more.’ 16 So Moses counted them. He did just as the word of the LORD had commanded him. 17 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 18 The major families from Gershon were Libni and Shimei. 19 The major families from Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 20 The major families from Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the major families of the Levites. 21 The families of Libni and Shimei belonged to the family of Gershon. 22 All the males a month old or more were counted. There were 7,500 of them. 23 The families of Gershon had to camp on the west side. They had to camp behind the holy tent. 24 The leader of the families of Gershon was Eliasaph, the son of Lael. 25 Here are the duties of the families of Gershon at the tent of meeting. They were responsible for taking care of the holy tent and its coverings. They took care of the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 26 They took care of the curtains of the courtyard. And they took care of the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. The courtyard was all around the holy tent and altar. The families of Gershon also took care of the ropes. In fact, they had to take care of everything connected with the use of all those things. 27 The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel belonged to the family of Kohath. 28 All the males a month old or more were counted. There were 8,600 of them. The families of Kohath were responsible for taking care of the sacred tent. 29 They had to camp on the south side of the holy tent. 30 The leader of the families of Kohath was Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel. 31 They were responsible for taking care of the ark of the covenant law. They took care of the table for the holy bread. They took care of the lampstand and the two altars. They took care of the things used for serving in the sacred tent. They also took care of the inner curtain. In fact, they had to take care of everything connected with the use of all those things. 32 The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar. He was the son of Aaron the priest. Eleazar was appointed over those responsible for taking care of the sacred tent. 33 The families of Mahli and Mushi belonged to the family of Merari. 34 All the males a month old or more were counted. There were 6,200 of them. 35 The leader of the families of Merari was Zuriel, the son of Abihail. The families of Merari had to camp on the north side of the holy tent. 36 They were responsible for taking care of the frames of the tent. They took care of its crossbars, posts and bases. They took care of all its supplies. In fact, they had to take care of everything connected with the use of all those things. 37 They also took care of the posts of the courtyard around the holy tent. And they took care of the bases, tent stakes and ropes. 38 Moses, Aaron and Aaron’s sons had to camp to the east of the holy tent. They had to camp towards the sunrise in front of the tent of meeting. They were responsible for taking care of the sacred tent. They had to do it for the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the tent would be put to death. 39 The total number of the Levite males was 22,000. They were counted family by family. Every male a month old or more was counted. Moses and Aaron counted them, just as the LORD had commanded. 40 The LORD said to Moses, ‘Count all the Israelite males born first in their families. Count all those a month old or more. Make a list of their names. 41 Take the Levites for me in their place. And take the livestock of the Levites in place of all the male animals in Israel born first to their mothers. I am the LORD.’ 42 So Moses counted all the eldest sons in Israel. He did just as the LORD had commanded him. 43 There were 22,273 of those sons a month old or more. They were listed by name. 44 The LORD also said to Moses, 45 ‘Take the Levites in place of all the males born first in Israel. Also take the livestock of the Levites in place of the livestock of Israel. The Levites belong to me. I am the LORD. 46 But there are 273 more males born first in Israel than there are male Levites. 47 Collect 60 grams of silver for each of them. Weigh it out according to the standard weights used in the sacred tent. 48 Give the silver to Aaron and his sons. It will buy the freedom of the additional sons in Israel.’ 49 So Moses collected the silver from the additional sons in Israel to buy their freedom. The Levites took the place of all the others. 50 Moses collected 16.4 kilograms of silver. It was weighed out according to the weights used in the sacred tent. Moses collected it from the eldest sons in Israel. 51 He gave the silver to Aaron and his sons. He did just as the LORD had commanded him. 

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Numbers 3

English Standard Version



1 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 firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. (Ex 6:23) 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. (Ex 28:41) 4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father. (Le 10:1; Nu 26:61; 1Ch 24:2) 



5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. (Nu 1:50; Nu 8:6; Nu 18:2) 7 They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. (Nu 8:11; Nu 8:15; Nu 8:24; Nu 8:26) 8 They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over 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. (Nu 8:16; Nu 8:19; Nu 18:6) 10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.” (Nu 1:51; Nu 3:38; Nu 18:7; Ro 12:7) 11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, (Nu 3:41; Nu 8:16; Nu 18:6) 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.” (Ex 13:2; Ex 13:12; Ex 13:15; Nu 8:17) 14 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “List the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you shall list.” (Nu 1:47; Nu 3:39; Nu 26:62) 16 So Moses listed 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 Merari. (Ge 46:11; Ex 6:16; Nu 26:57; 1Ch 6:1; 1Ch 6:16; 1Ch 23:6) 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. (Ex 6:17; 1Ch 6:17; 1Ch 23:7) 19 And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (Ex 6:18; 1Ch 6:2; 1Ch 6:18; 1Ch 23:12) 20 And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses. (Ex 6:19; 1Ch 6:19; 1Ch 23:21) 21 To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites. 22 Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was[1] 7,500. 23 The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, (Nu 1:53) 24 with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites. 25 And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, (Ex 25:9; Ex 26:7; Ex 26:14; Ex 26:36; Ex 36:14; Nu 4:24) 26 the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these. (Ex 27:9; Ex 27:16; Ex 35:18; Ex 39:40; Nu 3:37) 27 To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites. (1Ch 26:23) 28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary. 29 The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, 30 with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of the Kohathites. (Ex 6:22; Le 10:4) 31 And their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen; all the service connected with these. (Ex 25:10; Ex 25:23; Ex 25:31; Ex 26:36; Ex 27:1; Ex 30:1) 32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary. 33 To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari. 34 Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200. 35 And the chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these; (Ex 26:15; Ex 26:26; Ex 26:32; Ex 26:37; Nu 4:31) 37 also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords. (Ex 27:10; Ex 27:19; Nu 3:26) 38 Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect[2] the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death. (Nu 1:53) 39 All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the Lord, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000. (Nu 3:22; Nu 3:28; Nu 3:34; Nu 3:46) 



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 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.” (Nu 3:12; Nu 3:45) 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 “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. (Nu 3:12; Nu 3:41) 46 And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, (Ex 13:13; Nu 18:15) 47 you shall take five shekels[3] per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs[4]), (Ex 30:13; Le 27:6; Nu 18:16) 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, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. (Nu 3:46) 51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Nu 3:48) 

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