Numbers 3:1–18
1 aNow these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 aThese then 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 aanointed priests, whom he 1ordained to serve as priests.
4 aBut 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. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests 1in the lifetime of their father Aaron.
5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
6 “aBring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.
7 “They shall perform the duties for 1him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the aservice of the tabernacle.
8 “They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
9 “You shall thus agive the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel.
10 “So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that athey may keep their priesthood, but bthe 1layman who comes near shall be put to death.”
11 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
12 “Now, behold, I ahave taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every bfirstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine.
13 “For aall the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.”
14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses ain the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15 “1aNumber the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number.”
16 So Moses numbered them according to the 1word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded.
17 aThese then are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.
18 These are the names of the asons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei;