1These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.2These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. (Ex 6:23)3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. (Ex 28:41)4But 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)
Duties of the Levites
5And 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)7They 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)8They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle.9And 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)10And 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)11And 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)13for 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)14And 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)16So Moses listed them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded.17And 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)18And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. (Ex 6:17; 1Ch 6:17; 1Ch 23:7)19And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (Ex 6:18; 1Ch 6:2; 1Ch 6:18; 1Ch 23:12)20And 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)21To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites.22Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was[1] 7,500.23The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, (Nu 1:53)24with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites.25And 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)26the 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)27To 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)28According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary.29The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,30with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of the Kohathites. (Ex 6:22; Le 10:4)31And 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)32And 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.33To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari.34Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200.35And 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.36And 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)37also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords. (Ex 27:10; Ex 27:19; Nu 3:26)38Those 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)39All 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)
Redemption of the Firstborn
40And 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.41And 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)42So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded him.43And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.44And 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)46And 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)47you 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)48and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.”49So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites.50From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. (Nu 3:46)51And 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)
Numbers 3
New International Version
The Levites
1This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.2The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.3Those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.4Nadab and Abihu, however, died before the Lord when they made an offering with unauthorised fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.5The Lord said to Moses,6‘Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.7They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle.8They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.9Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.[1]10Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.’11The Lord also said to Moses,12‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine,13for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.’14The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,15‘Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.’16So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.17These were the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.18These were the names of the Gershonite clans: Libni and Shimei.19The Kohathite clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.20The Merarite clans: Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, according to their families.21To Gershon belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites; these were the Gershonite clans.22The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500.23The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle.24The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.25At the tent of meeting the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting,26the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes – and everything related to their use.27To Kohath belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites; these were the Kohathite clans.28The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600.[2] The Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.29The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.30The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.31They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use.32The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.33To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.34The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 6,200.35The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.36The Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use,37as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes.38Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, towards the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.39The total number of Levites counted at the Lord’s command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.40The Lord said to Moses, ‘Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names.41Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.’42So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him.43The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.44The Lord also said to Moses,45‘Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the Lord.46To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites,47collect five shekels[3] for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.48Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.’49So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites.50From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels,[4] according to the sanctuary shekel.51Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.
Numbers 3
King James Version
1These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.2And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest' office.4And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest' office in the sight of Aaron their father.5And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,6Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.7And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.8And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.9And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.10And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest' office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,12And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;13Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.14And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,15Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.16And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.17And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.18And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.19And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.20And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.22Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.23The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.24And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.25And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,26And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.27And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.28In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.29The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.30And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.31And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.32And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.34And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.35And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.36And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,37And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.38But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.39All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.40And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.41And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.42And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.43And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.44And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,45Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.46And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;47Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them : (the shekel is twenty gerahs:)48And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.49And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:50Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels , after the shekel of the sanctuary:51And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Numbers 3
New International Reader’s Version
The Levites
1Here 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.2Aaron’s eldest son was Nadab. Aaron’s other sons were Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.3Those were the names of Aaron’s sons. They were the anointed priests. They were given authority to serve the LORD as priests.4But 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.5The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,6‘Bring the men of the tribe of Levi to Aaron the priest. They will help him.7They 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.8They must take care of everything connected with the tent of meeting. When they do, they are acting for all the Israelites.9Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are the men of Israel who must be given completely to him.10Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who approaches the sacred tent must be put to death.’11The 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.13That’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.’14The 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.’16So Moses counted them. He did just as the word of the LORD had commanded him.17The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.18The major families from Gershon were Libni and Shimei.19The major families from Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.20The major families from Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the major families of the Levites.21The families of Libni and Shimei belonged to the family of Gershon.22All the males a month old or more were counted. There were 7,500 of them.23The families of Gershon had to camp on the west side. They had to camp behind the holy tent.24The leader of the families of Gershon was Eliasaph, the son of Lael.25Here 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.26They 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.27The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel belonged to the family of Kohath.28All 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.29They had to camp on the south side of the holy tent.30The leader of the families of Kohath was Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.31They 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.32The 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.33The families of Mahli and Mushi belonged to the family of Merari.34All the males a month old or more were counted. There were 6,200 of them.35The 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.36They 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.37They also took care of the posts of the courtyard around the holy tent. And they took care of the bases, tent stakes and ropes.38Moses, 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.39The 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.40The 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.41Take 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.’42So Moses counted all the eldest sons in Israel. He did just as the LORD had commanded him.43There were 22,273 of those sons a month old or more. They were listed by name.44The 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.46But there are 273 more males born first in Israel than there are male Levites.47Collect 60 grams of silver for each of them. Weigh it out according to the standard weights used in the sacred tent.48Give the silver to Aaron and his sons. It will buy the freedom of the additional sons in Israel.’49So Moses collected the silver from the additional sons in Israel to buy their freedom. The Levites took the place of all the others.50Moses 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.51He gave the silver to Aaron and his sons. He did just as the LORD had commanded him.