Numbers 3–4

Aaron’s Sons

3This is the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. ^2*Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the eldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³They were anointed and ordained as priests, ^4*but Nadab and Abihu were killed when they offered unholy fire to the Lord in the Sinai Desert. They had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during Aaron’s lifetime.

The Levites Are Appointed to Serve the Priests

⁵The Lord said to Moses, ⁶“Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest. ⁷They shall do the work required for the Tent of my presence and perform duties for the priests and for the whole community. ⁸They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites. ⁹The only responsibility the Levites have is to serve Aaron and his sons. ¹⁰You shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; anyone else who tries to do so shall be put to death.”

¹¹The Lord said to Moses, ^12–13“The Levites are now to be mine. When I killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians, I consecrated as my own the eldest son of each Israelite family and the firstborn of every animal. Now, instead of having the firstborn sons of Israel as my own, I have the Levites; they will belong to me. I am the Lord.”

The Census of the Levites

¹⁴In the Sinai Desert the Lord commanded Moses ¹⁵to register the Levites by clans and families, enrolling every male a month old or older, ¹⁶and Moses did so. ^17–20Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, who were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. Gershon had two sons: Libni and Shimei; Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and Merari had two sons: Mahli and Mushi. They were the ancestors of the families that bear their names.

²¹The clan of Gershon was composed of the families of Libni and Shimei. ²²The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 7,500. ²³This clan was to camp on the west behind the Tent, ²⁴with Eliasaph son of Lael as chief of the clan. ²⁵They were responsible for the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the curtain for the entrance, ²⁶the curtains for the court which is round the Tent and the altar, and the curtain for the entrance of the court. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.

²⁷The clan of Kohath was composed of the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁸The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 8,600. ²⁹This clan was to camp on the south side of the Tent, ³⁰with Elizaphan son of Uzziel as chief of the clan. ³¹They were responsible for the Covenant Box, the table, the lamp-stand, the altars, the utensils the priests use in the Holy Place, and the curtain at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.

³²The chief of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was in charge of those who carried out the duties in the Holy Place.

³³The clan of Merari was composed of the families of Mahli and Mushi. ³⁴The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 6,200. ³⁵This clan was to camp on the north side of the Tent, with Zuriel son of Abihail as chief of the clan. ³⁶They were assigned responsibility for the frames for the Tent, its bars, posts, bases, and all its fittings. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items. ³⁷They were also responsible for the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes for the outer court.

³⁸Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp in front of the Tent on the east. They were responsible for carrying out the services performed in the Holy Place for the people of Israel. Anyone else who tried to do so was to be put to death. ³⁹The total number of all the Levite males one month old or older that Moses enrolled by clans at the command of the Lord, was 22,000.

The Levites Take the Place of the First-Born Sons

^40–41The Lord said to Moses, “All of Israel’s firstborn sons belong to me. So register by name every firstborn male Israelite, one month old or older. But in place of them I claim all the Levites as mine! I am the Lord! I also claim the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock.” ⁴²Moses obeyed, and registered all the firstborn males ⁴³one month old or older; the total was 22,273.

⁴⁴The Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵“Now dedicate the Levites as mine in place of all the firstborn Israelite sons, and dedicate the livestock of the Levites in place of the firstborn of the Israelites’ livestock. ⁴⁶Since the firstborn Israelite sons outnumber the Levites by 273, you must buy back the extra sons. ⁴⁷For each one pay five pieces of silver, according to the official standard, ⁴⁸and give this money to Aaron and his sons.” ⁴⁹Moses obeyed and took ⁵⁰the 1,365 pieces of silver ⁵¹and gave them to Aaron and his sons.

The Duties of the Levite Clan of Kohath

4The Lord told Moses ²to take a census of the Levite clan of Kohath by sub-clans and families, ³and to register all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord’s presence. ⁴Their service involves the most holy things.

⁵The Lord gave Moses the following instructions. When it is time to break camp, Aaron and his sons shall enter the Tent, take down the curtain in front of the Covenant Box, and cover the Box with it. ⁶They shall put a fine leather cover over it, spread a blue cloth on top, and then insert the carrying poles.

⁷They shall spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread offered to the Lord and put on it the dishes, the incense bowls, the offering bowls, and the jars for the wine offering. There shall always be bread on the table. ⁸They shall spread a red cloth over all this, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles.

⁹They shall take a blue cloth and cover the lamp-stand, with its lamps, tongs, trays, and all the olive oil containers. ¹⁰They shall wrap it and all its equipment in a fine leather cover and place it on a carrying frame.

¹¹Next they shall spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles. ¹²They shall take all the utensils used in the Holy Place, wrap them in a blue cloth, put a fine leather cover over them, and place them on a carrying frame. ¹³They shall remove the greasy ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. ¹⁴They shall put on it all the equipment used in the service at the altar: firepans, hooks, shovels, and basins. Then they shall put a fine leather cover over it and insert the carrying poles. ¹⁵When it is time to break camp, the clan of Kohath shall come to carry the sacred objects only after Aaron and his sons have finished covering them and all their equipment. The clan of Kohath must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die.

These are the responsibilities of the clan of Kohath whenever the Tent is moved.

¹⁶Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall be responsible for the whole Tent and for the oil for the lamps, the incense, the grain offerings, the anointing oil, and everything else in the Tent that has been consecrated to the Lord.

¹⁷The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ¹⁸“Do not let the clan of Kohath ¹⁹be killed by coming near these most sacred objects. To prevent this happening, Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each man his task and tell him what to carry. ²⁰But if the Kohathites enter the Tent and see the priests preparing the sacred objects for moving,^a they will die.”

The Duties of the Levite Clan of Gershon

²¹The Lord told Moses ²²to take a census of the Levite clan of Gershon by sub-clans and families, ²³and to register all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord’s presence. ²⁴They shall be responsible for carrying the following objects: ²⁵the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the fine leather cover on top of it, the curtain for the entrance, ²⁶the curtains and ropes for the court that is round the Tent and the altar, the curtains for the entrance of the court, and all the fittings used in setting up these objects. They shall perform all the tasks required for these things. ²⁷Moses and Aaron shall see to it that the Gershonites perform all the duties and carry everything that Aaron and his sons assign to them. ²⁸These are the responsibilities of the Gershon clan in the Tent; they shall carry them out under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

The Duties of the Levite Clan of Merari

²⁹The Lord told Moses to take a census of the Levite clan of Merari by sub-clans and families, ³⁰and to register all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord’s presence. ³¹They shall be responsible for carrying the frames, bars, posts, and bases of the Tent, ³²and the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes of the court round the Tent, with all the fittings used in setting them up. Each man will be responsible for carrying specific items. ³³These are the responsibilities of the Merari clan in their service in the Tent: they shall carry them out under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

The Census of the Levites

^34–48Following the Lord’s command, Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the community took a census of the three Levite clans, Kohath, Gershon, and Merari. They did this by sub-clans and families and registered all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord’s presence, as follows:

Clan

Number

Kohath

2,750

Gershon

2,630

Merari

3,200

Total: 8,580

⁴⁹Each man was registered as the Lord had commanded Moses; and at the command of the Lord given through Moses, each man was assigned responsibility for his task of serving or carrying.