Numbers, 3

1. These were the descendants of Aaron and Moses, at the time when Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.

1. These also [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day [that] the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.

2. These were the names of Aaron's sons: Nadab the eldest, then Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

2. And these [are] the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3. Such were the names of Aaron's sons, priests anointed and invested with the powers of the priesthood.

3. These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.

4. Nadab and Abihu died in Yahweh's presence, in the desert of Sinai, when they offered unauthorised fire before Yahweh. They left no children and so it fell to Eleazar and Ithamar to exercise the priesthood under their father Aaron.

4. And 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's office in the sight of Aaron their father.

5. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

5. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

6. 'Muster the tribe of Levi and put it at the disposal of the priest Aaron: they must be at his service.

6. Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.

7. They will undertake the duties incumbent on him and the whole community before the Tent of Meeting, in serving the Dwelling,

7. And 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.

8. and they will be in charge of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and undertake the duties incumbent on the Israelites in serving the Dwelling.

8. And 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.

9. You will present the Levites to Aaron and his sons as men dedicated; they will be given to him by the Israelites.

9. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they [are] wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

10. 'You will register Aaron and his sons, who will carry out their priestly duty. But any unauthorised person who comes near must be put to death.'

10. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

11. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

11. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

12. 'Look, I myself have chosen the Levites from the Israelites instead of all the first-born, those who emerge first from the womb in Israel; the Levites therefore belong to me.

12. And 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;

13. For every first-born belongs to me. On the day when I struck down all the first-born in Egypt, I consecrated all the first-born in Israel, human and animal, to be my own. They are mine, Yahweh's.'

13. Because 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.

14. Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai and said:

14. And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15. 'You must take a census of Levi's descendants by families and clans; all the males of the age of one month and over will be counted.'

15. Number 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.

16. At Yahweh's word Moses took a census of them, as Yahweh had ordered.

16. And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

17. These were the names of Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

17. And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

18. These were the names of Gershon's sons by their clans: Libni and Shimei;

18. And these [are] the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.

19. Kohath's sons by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel;

19. And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20. Merari's sons by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi, grouped by families.

20. And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These [are] the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.

21. From Gershon were descended the Libnite and Shimeite clans; these were the Gershonite clans.

21. Of Gershon [was] the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these [are] the families of the Gershonites.

22. Their full number, counting the males of one month and over, came to seven thousand five hundred.

22. Those 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.

23. The Gershonite clans pitched their camp behind the Dwelling, on the west side.

23. The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.

24. The leader of the House of Gershon was Eliasaph son of Lael.

24. And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites [shall be] Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25. As regards the Tent of Meeting, the Gershonites had charge of the Dwelling, the Tent and its covering, the screen for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

25. And 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,

26. the curtaining of the court, the screen for the entrance to the court surrounding the Dwelling and the altar, and the cords required in dealing with all this.

26. And 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.

27. From Kohath were descended the Amramite, Izharite, Hebronite and Uzzielite clans; these were the Kohathite clans.

27. And 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.

28. Their full number, counting the males of one month and over, came to eight thousand three hundred. They were in charge of the sanctuary.

28. In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, [were] eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

29. The Kohathite clans pitched their camp on the south side of the Dwelling.

29. The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

30. The leader of the house of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

30. And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites [shall be] Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31. They were in charge of the ark, the table, the lamp-stand, the altars, the sacred vessels used in the liturgy, and the curtain with all its fittings.

31. And 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.

32. The chief of the Levite leaders was Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest. He supervised the people responsible for the sanctuary.

32. And 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.

33. From Merari were descended the Mahlite and Mushite clans; these were the Merarite clans.

33. Of Merari [was] the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these [are] the families of Merari.

34. Their full number, counting the males of one month and over, came to six thousand two hundred.

34. And 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.

35. The leader of the House of the Merarite clans was Zuriel, son of Abihail. They pitched their camp on the north side of the Dwelling.

35. And 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.

36. The Merarites were in charge of the framework of the Dwelling, with its crossbars, poles, sockets and all its accessories and fittings,

36. And [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,

37. and also the poles round the court, with their sockets, pegs and cords.

37. And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

38. Finally, on the east side, in front of the Dwelling, in front of the Tent of Meeting, towards the east, was the camp of Moses and Aaron and his sons, who had charge of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Any unauthorised person coming near was to be put to death.

38. But 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.

39. The total number of male Levites of the age of one month and over, whom Moses counted by clans as Yahweh had ordered, came to twenty-two thousand.

39. All 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.

40. Yahweh said to Moses: 'Take a census of all the first-born of the Israelites, all the males from the age of one month and over; take a census of them by name.

40. And 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.

41. You will then present the Levites to me, Yahweh, instead of Israel, and similarly the Levites' cattle instead of the first-born cattle of the Israelites.'

41. And 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.

42. As Yahweh ordered, Moses took a census of all the first-born of the Israelites.

42. And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

43. The total count, by name, of the first-born from the age of one month and over came to twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

43. And 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.

44. Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said:

44. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

45. 'Take the Levites instead of all the first-born of the Israelites, and the Levites' cattle instead of their cattle; the Levites will be mine, Yahweh's.

45. Take 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.

46. For the ransom of the two hundred and seventy-three first-born of the Israelites in excess of the number of Levites,

46. And 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;

47. you will take five shekels for each, by the sanctuary shekel, at twenty gerah to the shekel;

47. Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take [them]: (the shekel [is] twenty gerahs:)

48. you will then give this money to Aaron and his sons as the ransom for the extra number.'

48. And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.

49. Moses took the ransom money for the extra ones unransomed by the Levites;

49. And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:

50. he took the money for the first-born of the Israelites: one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, by the sanctuary shekel;

50. Of 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:

51. and Moses then handed over their ransom money to Aaron and his sons, at Yahweh's bidding, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

51. And 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.