1   These were the descendants of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. 2   The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the eldest, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3   These were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests who had been installed in the priestly office. 4   Nadab and Abihu fell dead before the Lord because they had presented illicit fire before the Lord in the wilderness

Israel in the wilderness of Sinai of Sinai. They left no sons; Eleazar and Ithamar continued to perform the priestly office in their father's presence.

5    6   The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them to serve Aaron the priest and to minister to him. 7   They shall be in attendance on him and on the whole community before the Tent of the Presence, undertaking the service of the Tabernacle. 8   They shall be in charge of all the equipment in the Tent of the Presence, and be in attendance on the Israelites, undertaking the service of the Tabernacle. 9   You shall assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons as especially dedicated to him out of all the Israelites. 10   To Aaron and his line you shall commit the priestly office and they shall perform its duties; any unqualified person who intrudes upon it shall be put to death.’

11    12   The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘I take the Levites for myself out of all the Israelites as a substitute for the eldest male child of every woman; the Levites shall be mine. 13   For every eldest child, if a boy, became mine when I destroyed all the eldest sons in Egypt. So I have consecrated to myself all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be mine. I am the Lord.’

14   The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai and said, 15   ‘Make a detailed list of all the Levites by their families in the father's line, every male from the age of one month and upwards.’

16   Moses made a detailed list of them in accordance with the command given him by the Lord. 17   Now these were the names of the sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

18   Descendants of Gershon, by families: Libni and Shimei.

19   Descendants of Kohath, by families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

20   Descendants of Merari, by families: Mahli and Mushi.

These were the families of Levi, by fathers' families:

21   Gershon: the family of Libni and the family of Shimei. These were the families of Gershon, 22   and the number of males in their list as detailed, from the age of one month and upwards, was seven thousand five hundred. 23   The families of Gershon were stationed on the west, behind the Tabernacle. 24    25   Their chief was Eliasaph son of Lael, and in the service of the Tent of the Presence they were in charge of the Tabernacle and ^note its coverings, of the screen at the entrance to the Tent of the Presence, 26   the hangings of the court, the screen at the entrance to the court all round the Tabernacle and the altar, and of all else needed for its maintenance.

27   Kohath: the family of Amram, the family of Izhar, the family of

Israel in the wilderness of Sinai Hebron, the family of Uzziel. These were the families of Kohath, and the number of males, 28   from the age of one month and upwards, was eight thousand six hundred. They were the guardians of the holy things. 29   The families of Kohath were stationed on the south, at the side of the Tabernacle. 30    31   Their chief was Elizaphan son of Uzziel; they were in charge of the Ark, the table, the lamp-stands and the altars, together with the sacred vessels used in their service, and the screen with everything needed for its maintenance. 32   The chief over all the chiefs of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, who was appointed overseer of those in charge of the sanctuary.

33   Merari: the family of Mahli, the family of Mushi. These were the families of Merari, 34   and the number of males in their list as detailed from the age of one month and upwards was six thousand two hundred. 35   Their chief was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were stationed on the north, at the side of the Tabernacle. 36   The Merarites were in charge of the planks, bars, posts, and sockets of the Tabernacle, together with its vessels and all the equipment needed for its maintenance, 37   the posts, sockets, pegs, and cords of the surrounding court.

38   In front of the Tabernacle on the east, Moses was stationed, with Aaron and his sons, in front of the Tent of the Presence eastwards. They were in charge of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites; any unqualified person who came near would be put to death.

39   The number of Levites recorded by Moses ^note on the detailed list by families at the command of the Lord was twenty-two thousand males aged one month and upwards.

40   The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a detailed list of all the male first-born in Israel aged one month and upwards, and count the number of persons. 41   You shall reserve the Levites for me—I am the Lord—in substitution for the eldest sons of the Israelites, and in the same way the Levites' cattle in substitution for the first-born cattle of the Israelites.’ 42   As the Lord had told him to do, Moses made a list of all the eldest sons of the Israelites, 43   and the total number of first-born males recorded by name in the register, aged one month and upwards, was twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

44    45   The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Take the Levites as a substitute for all the eldest sons in Israel and the cattle of the Levites as a substitute for their cattle. The Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord. 46   The eldest sons in Israel will outnumber the Levites by two hundred and seventy-three. 47   This remainder must be ransomed, and you shall accept five shekels for each of them, taking the sacred shekel and reckoning twenty gerahs to the shekel; 48   you shall give the money with which they are ransomed to Aaron and his sons.’

Israel in the wilderness of Sinai

49   Moses took the money paid as ransom for those who remained over when the substitution of Levites was complete. 50   The amount received was one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels of silver by the sacred standard. 51   In accordance with what the Lord had said, he gave the money to Aaron and his sons, doing what the Lord had told him to do.

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