The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Numbers 03
1 Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron
and Moses in the day that
Yahweh spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.
2 These are the names of the sons of
Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu,
Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sons of
Aaron, the priests who were anointed,
whom he consecrated to minister in the
priest’s office.
4 Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh
when they offered strange fire before Yahweh in the
wilderness of Sinai, and they
hadno children. Eleazar and Ithamarministered in the
priest’s office in the presence
of Aaron their father.
5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set
them before Aaron the priest, that they
may minister to him.
7 They shall keep his requirements, and
the requirements of the whole congregation before the
Tent of Meeting, to do the
service of the tabernacle.
8 They shall keep all the furnishings of
the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of
the children of Israel, to do the service of
the tabernacle.
9 You shall give the Levites to Aaron and
to his sons. They are wholly given to him
on the behalf of the children of Israel.
10 You shall appoint Aaron and his sons,
and they shall keep their priesthood, but
the stranger who comes near shall be put
to death.”
11 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
12 “Behold,† Ihave takentheLevites from
among the children of Israel instead of all
the firstborn who open the womb among
the children of Israel; and the Levites shall
be mine,
13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the
day that I struck down all the firstborn in
the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the
firstborn in Israel, both man and animal.
They shall be mine. I am Yahweh.”
14 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15 “Count the children of Levi by their
fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall
count every male from a month old and
upward.”
16 Moses counted them according to Yahweh’s word, as he was commanded.
17 These were the sons of Levi by their
names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 These are the names ofthe sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
19 The sons of Kohath by their families:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 The sons of Merari by their families:
Mahli and Mushi.
These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.
21 Of Gershon was the family of the
Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites.
These are the families of the Gershonites.
22 Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males
from a month old and upward, even those
who were counted of them were seven
thousand five hundred.
23 The families of the Gershonites shall
encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
24 Eliasaph the son of Lael shall be the
prince ofthe fathers’house ofthe Gershonites.
25 The duty of the sons of Gershon in the
Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, the
tent, 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 by the
tabernacle and around the altar, and its
cords for all of its service.
27 Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the
family of the Hebronites, and the family of
the Uzzielites. These are the families of the
Kohathites.
28 According to the number of all the
males from a month old and upward,there
were eight thousand six hundred keeping
the requirements of the sanctuary.
29 The families ofthe sons of Kohathshall
encamp on the south side of the tabernacle.
30 The prince of the fathers’ house of the
families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31 Their duty shall be the ark, the table,
the lampstand,the altars,the vessels ofthe
sanctuary with which they minister, the
screen, and all its service.
32 Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest
shall be prince ofthe princes ofthe Levites,
with the oversight of those who keep the
requirements of the sanctuary.
33 Of Merari was the family of the
Mahlites and the family of the Mushites.
These are the families of Merari.
34 Those who were counted of them, according to the
number of all the males
from a month old and upward, were six
thousand two hundred.‡
35 The prince of the fathers’ house of the
families of Merari was Zuriel the son of
Abihail. They shall encamp on the north
side of the tabernacle.
36 The appointed duty of the sons of
Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its
bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service,
37 the pillars of the court around it, their
sockets, their pins, and their cords.
38 Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in
front of the Tent of
Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be
Moses, with Aaron and his sons, keeping
the requirements of the sanctuary for the
duty of the children of Israel. The outsider
who comes near shall be put to death.
39 All who were counted of the Levites,
whom Moses and Aaron counted at the
commandment of Yahweh, by their families, all the males
from a month old and
upward, were twenty-two thousand.
40 Yahweh said to Moses, “Count all the
firstborn males of the children of Israel
from a month old and upward, and take
the number of their names.
41 You shall take the Levites for me—I
am Yahweh—instead of all the firstborn
among the children of Israel; and the livestock of the Levites instead of
all the firstborn among the livestock ofthe children of
Israel.”
42 Moses counted, as Yahweh commanded him, all the firstborn among the
children of Israel.
43 All the firstborn males according to
the number of names from a month old
and upward, of those who were counted
of them, were twenty-two thousand two
hundred seventy-three.
44 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
45 “Take the Levites instead of all the
firstborn among the children of Israel, and
the livestock of the Levites instead of their
livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I
am Yahweh.
46 For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the
children of Israel who exceed the number
of the Levites,
47 you shall take five shekels apiece for
each one; according to the shekel§ of the
sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel
is twenty gerahs†);
48 and you shall give the money, with
which their remainder is redeemed, to
Aaron and to his sons.”
49 Moses took the redemption money
from those who exceeded the number of
those who were redeemed by the Levites;
50 from the firstborn of the children of
Israel he took the money, one thousand
three hundred sixty-five shekels,‡ according to the shekel of the sanctuary;
51 and Moses gave the redemption
money to Aaron and to his sons, according to Yahweh’s word, as Yahweh commanded
Moses.