[1] Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day when the
word of the Lord came to Moses on Mount Sinai. [2] These are the names of
the sons of Aaron: Nadab the oldest, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. [3]
These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests, on whom the holy oil
was put, who were marked out as priests. [4] And Nadab and Abihu were put
to death before the Lord when they made an offering of strange fire before
the Lord, in the waste land of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar
and Ithamar did the work of priests before Aaron their father. [5] And the
Lord said to Moses, [6] Make the tribe of Levi come near, and put them
before Aaron the priest, to be his helpers, [7] In order that they may be
responsible to him and to all Israel for the care of the Tent of meeting,
and to do the work of the House; [8] And they will have the care of all the
vessels of the Tent of meeting, and will do for the children of Israel all
the necessary work of the House. [9] Give the Levites to Aaron and his
sons; so that they may be his without question from among the children of
Israel. [10] And give orders that Aaron and his sons are to keep their
place as priests; any strange person who comes near is to be put to death.
[11] And the Lord said to Moses, [12] See, I have taken the Levites out of
the children of Israel to be mine in place of the first sons of the
children of Israel; [13] For all the first sons are mine; on the day when I
put to death all the first sons in the land of Egypt, I took for myself
every first male birth of man and beast. They are mine; I am the Lord. [14]
And the Lord said to Moses in the waste land of Sinai, [15] Let all the
children of Levi be numbered by their families and their fathers' houses;
let every male of a month old and over be numbered. [16] So Moses did as
the Lord said, numbering them as he had been ordered. [17] These were the
sons of Levi by name: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. [18] And these are the
names of the sons of Gershon, by their families: Libni and Shimei. [19] And
the sons of Kohath, by their families: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and
Uzziel. [20] And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi.
These are the families of the Levites in the order of their fathers'
houses. [21] From Gershon come the Libnites and the Shimeites; these are
the families of the Gershonites. [22] Those who were numbered of them, the
males from one month old and over, were seven thousand, five hundred. [23]
The tents of the Gershonites are to be placed at the back of the House, to
the west. [24] The chief of the Gershonites is Eliasaph, the son of Lael.
[25] In the Tent of meeting, the Gershonites are to have the care of the
House, and the Tent with its cover, and the veil for the door of the Tent
of meeting, [26] And the hangings for the open space round the House and
the altar, and the curtain for its doorway, and all the cords needed for
its use. [27] From Kohath come the Amramites and the Izharites and the
Hebronites and the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites.
[28] Those who were numbered of them, the males from one month old and
over, were eight thousand, six hundred, who were responsible for the care
of the holy place. [29] The tents of the Kohathites are to be placed on the
south side of the House. [30] Their chief is Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel.
[31] In their care are the ark, and the table, and the lights, and the
altars, and all the vessels used in the holy place, and the veil, and all
they are used for. [32] Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, will be head
over all the Levites and overseer of those responsible for the care of the
holy place. [33] From Merari come the Mahlites and the Mushites; these are
the families of Merari. [34] Those who were numbered of them, the males of
a month old and over, were six thousand, two hundred. [35] The chief of the
families of Merari was Zuriel, the son of Abihail: their tents are to be
placed on the north side of the House. [36] And in their care are to be all
the boards of the Tent, with their rods and pillars and bases, and all the
instruments, and all they are used for, [37] And the pillars of the open
space round it, with their bases and nails and cords. [38] And those whose
tents are to be placed on the east side of the House in front of the Tent
of meeting, looking to the dawn, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, who will
do the work of the holy place for the children of Israel; and any strange
person who comes near will be put to death. [39] All the Levites numbered
by Moses and Aaron at the order of the Lord, all the males of one month old
and over numbered in the order of their families, were twenty-two thousand.
[40] And the Lord said to Moses, Let all the first male children be
numbered, and take the number of their names. [41] And give to me the
Levites (I am the Lord) in place of the first sons of the children of
Israel; and the cattle of the Levites in place of the first births among
the cattle of the children of Israel. [42] So Moses had all the first sons
among the children of Israel numbered, as the Lord said to him. [43] Every
first son from a month old and over was numbered by name, and the number
came to twenty-two thousand, two hundred and seventy-three. [44] And the
Lord said to Moses, [45] Take the Levites in place of all the first sons of
the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites in place of their
cattle; the Levites are to be mine; I am the Lord. [46] And the price you
have to give for the two hundred and seventy-three first sons of the
children of Israel which are in addition to the number of the Levites, [47]
Will be five shekels for every one, by the scale of the holy place (the
shekel is twenty gerahs); [48] And this money, the price of those over the
number of the Levites, is to be given to Aaron and his sons. [49] So Moses
took the money, the price of those whose place had not been taken by the
Levites; [50] From the first sons of Israel he took it, a thousand, three
hundred and sixty-five shekels, by the scale of the holy place; [51] And he
gave the money to Aaron and his sons, as the Lord had said.