Numbers 3

The Sons of Aaron

1 Now these are the *Ex. 6:16–27records of Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the *Ex. 6:23firstborn, and *Lev. 10:1, 2; Num. 26:60, 61; 1 Chr. 24:2Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, *Ex. 28:41; Lev. 8the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests. 4 *Lev. 10:1, 2; Num. 26:61; 1 Chr. 24:2Nadab and Abihu had died before the Lord when they offered profane fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.

The Levites Serve in the Tabernacle

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 6 *Num. 8:6–22; 18:1–7; Deut. 10:8; 33:8–11"Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7 And they shall attend to his needs and the needs of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of meeting, to do *Num. 1:50; 8:11, 15, 24, 26the work of the tabernacle. 8 Also they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting, and to the needs of the children of Israel, to do the work of the tabernacle. 9 And *Num. 8:19; 18:6, 7you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are given entirely to him from among the children of Israel. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, *Ex. 29:9; Num. 18:7and they shall attend to their priesthood; *Num. 1:51; 3:38; 16:40but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death."

11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 "Now behold, *Num. 3:41; 8:16; 18:6I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be *Ex. 13:2; Num. 3:45; 8:14Mine, 13 because *Ex. 13:2; Lev. 27:26; Num. 8:16, 17; Neh. 10:36; Luke 2:23all the firstborn are Mine. *Ex. 13:12, 15; Num. 8:17On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the Lord."

Census of the Levites Commanded

14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying: 15 "Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families; you shall number *Num. 3:39; 26:62every male from a month old and above."

16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17 *Gen. 46:11; Ex. 6:16–22; Num. 26:57; 1 Chr. 6:1, 16; 23:6These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of *Num. 4:38–41Gershon by their families: *Ex. 6:17Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of *Num. 4:34–37Kohath by their families: *Ex. 6:18Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 *Ex. 6:19; Num. 4:42–45And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses.

21 From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22 Those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above—of those who were numbered therewere seven thousand five hundred. 23 *Num. 1:53The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward. 24 And the leader of the father’s house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25 *Num. 4:24–26The duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting included*Ex. 25:9the tabernacle, *Ex. 26:1the tent with *Ex. 26:7, 14its covering, the *Ex. 26:36screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 26 *Ex. 27:9, 12, 14, 15the screen for the door of the court, *Ex. 27:16the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and the altar, and *Ex. 35:18their cords, according to all the work relating to them.

27 *1 Chr. 26:23From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. 28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and above, therewere eight thousand six hundred keeping charge of the sanctuary. 29 *Ex. 6:18; Num. 1:53The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 And the leader of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of *Lev. 10:4Uzziel. 31 *Num. 4:15Their duty included*Ex. 25:10the ark, *Ex. 25:23the table, *Ex. 25:31the lampstand, *Ex. 27:1; 30:1the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, *Ex. 26:31–33the screen, and all the work relating to them.

32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest wastobe chief over the leaders of the Levites, with oversight of those who kept charge of the sanctuary.

33 From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34 And those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, were six thousand two hundred. 35 The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. *Num. 1:53; 2:25These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 And *Num. 4:31, 32the appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them, 37 and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.

38 *Num. 1:53Moreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, *Num. 18:5keeping charge of the sanctuary, *Num. 3:7, 8to meet the needs of the children of Israel; but *Num. 3:10the outsider who came near was to be put to death. 39 *Num. 3:43; 4:48; 26:62All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord, by their families, all the males from a month old and above, were twenty-two thousand.

Levites Dedicated Instead of the Firstborn

40 Then the Lord said to Moses: *Num. 3:15"Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. 41 *Num. 3:12, 45And you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel." 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 45 *Num. 3:12, 41"Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the Lord. 46 And for *Ex. 13:13, 15; Num. 18:15, 16the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, *Num. 3:39, 43who are more than the number of the Levites, 47 you shall take *Lev. 27:6; Num. 18:16five shekels for each one *Num. 1:2, 18, 20individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, *Ex. 30:13the shekel of twenty gerahs. 48 And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons."

49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, *Num. 3:46, 47one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses *Num. 3:48gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.