Numbers 3:14–39

A Census of the Levites

¹⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, ¹⁵“Enroll the Levites by ancestral houses and by clans. You shall enroll every male from a month old and up.”^{* 16}So Moses enrolled them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. ¹⁷These were the sons of Levi, by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.^{* 18}These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁹The sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁰The sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, by their ancestral houses.^*

²¹To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites.^{* 22}Their enrollment, counting all the males from a month old and up, was seven thousand five hundred. ²³The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, ²⁴with Eliasaph son of Lael as head of the ancestral house of the Gershonites. ²⁵The responsibility of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting was the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting,^{* 26}the hangings of the court, the screen for the entrance of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service pertaining to these.

²⁷To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites, the clan of the Izharites, the clan of the Hebronites, and the clan of the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.^{* 28}Counting all the males, from a month old and up, there were eight thousand six hundred performing the duties of the sanctuary. ²⁹The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,^{* 30}with Elizaphan son of Uzziel as head of the ancestral house of the clans of the Kohathites. ³¹Their responsibility was the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen—all the service pertaining to these. ³²Eleazar son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites and to have oversight of those who performed the duties of the sanctuary.

³³To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites; these were the clans of Merari.^{* 34}Their enrollment, counting all the males from a month old and up, was six thousand two hundred. ³⁵The head of the ancestral house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. ³⁶The responsibility assigned to the sons of Merari was the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories—all the service pertaining to these,^{* 37}also the pillars of the court all around, with their bases and pegs and cords.

³⁸Those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east—in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise—were Moses and Aaron and Aaron’s sons, who were to perform the duties of the sanctuary, whatever had to be done for the Israelites, and any outsider who came near was to be put to death.^{* 39}The total enrollment of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron enrolled at the commandment of the Lord, by their clans, all the males from a month old and up, was twenty-two thousand.^*