Numbers 3

Thomson^{(i) 1} Now this is the genealogy of Aaron and Moses. On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses at mount Sina, ² these were the names of Aaron's sons, Nadab his first born, and Abiud, Eleazar and Ithamar. ³ These were the names of Aaron's sons who were anointed priests, whose hands were consecrated to minister in the priest's office. ⁴ But Nadab and Abiud died in the presence of the Lord, upon their offering strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sina, and they had no children; so Eleazar and Ithamar officiated as priests with their father. ⁵ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶ Take the tribe of Levi, and thou shalt present them before Aaron the priest, and they shall minister to him, ⁷ and keep his watches, and the watches of the children of Israel before the tabernacle of the testimony, to do the works of the tabernacle. ⁸ Now that they may keep all the utensils of the tabernacle of the testimony, and the watches of the children of Israel, as far as they respect all the works of the tabernacle; ⁹ and that thou mayst give the Levites, to Aaron and his sons the priests; they are to be given to me as a gift from among the children of Israel. ¹⁰ And thou shalt set Aaron and his sons over the tabernacle of the testimony, and they shall keep watch over their priesthood, and all that appertain to the altar, and that are within the veil; and if any one of another family touch these, he shall be put to death. ¹¹ Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses saying, ¹² Behold I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel, instead of all the first born males among the children of Israel. The Levites shall be the price of their redemption, and shall be mine; ¹³ for every first born belongeth to me. On the day when I smote every first born in the land of Egypt, I hallowed for myself all the firstlings in Israel. The firstlings both of man and beast shall belong to me. I am the Lord. ¹⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sina, saying, ¹⁵ Review the children of Levi, according to the houses of their families, according to their communities. Review them every male, from a month old and upwards. ¹⁶ Accordingly Moses and Aaron reviewed them, at the command of the Lord, in the manner the Lord commanded them. ¹⁷ Now these were the sons of Levi by their names, Gerson, Kaath, and Merari. ¹⁸ And these are the sons of Gerson, according to their communities; Lobeni and Semei. ¹⁹ And these are the sons of Kaath according to their communities, Amram and Issaar, Chebron and Oziel. ²⁰ And the sons of Merari, according to their communities, were Mooli and Mousi. These are the communities of the Levites, according to the houses of their families. ²¹ To the Gersonites belong the community of the Lobenites, ²² and the community of the Semeites. These are the communities of the Gersonites; and the review of them according to the number of every male, from a month old and upwards; on a review of them the number was seven thousand two hundred. ²³ Now the Gersonites are to encamp behind the tabernacle, towards the west, ²⁴ and the chief of the head of the family of the community of the Gersonites, was Elisaph son of Dael. ²⁵ And the charge of the Gersonites in the tabernacle of the testimony, was the tabernacle and the covering; and the curtain of the door of the tabernacle of the testimony; ²⁶ and the hangings of the court; and the curtain of the gate, of the court around the tabernacle; and the rest of the works thereof. ²⁷ To the Kaathites belonged the community of the Amramites, and the community of the Issaarites, and the community of the Chebronites, and the community of the Ozielites. These are the communities of the Kaathites ²⁸ according to the numeration; every male, from a month old and upwards, amounted to eight thousand six hundred. ²⁹ These communities of the Kaathites, having the charge of the holy things, are to encamp on the south side of the tabernacle; ³⁰ and the chief of the head family of the communities of the Kaathites was Elisaphan, son of Oziel; ³¹ and their charge was the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary which were used in the priest's office; and the veil, and all the works thereof. ³² And the chief over the chiefs of the Levites, was Eleazar, the son of Aaron, set over them to superintend the watches of the holy things. ³³ To the Merarites belonged the community of Mooli, and the community of Mousi. These are the communities of the Merarites. ³⁴ The muster of them, comprehending every male from one month old and upwards, was six thousand two hundred. ³⁵ And the chief of the head family of the community of the Merarites, was Suriel, the son of Abichail. They are to encamp on the north side of the tabernacle; ³⁶ and the review of the watch of the Merarites, had the charge of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the bases thereof, with all their appurtenances and works, ³⁷ and the pillars of the court round about, with their stakes and their cords . ³⁸ They who encamp in front of the tabernacle of the testimony, towards the east, were Moses and Aaron, and their sons, who have the superintendance of the watches of the sanctuary, for the purpose of guarding the things committed to the charge of the Israelites, and if any of another family touch them, he is to be put to death. ³⁹ The whole muster of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron reviewed, by the command of the Lord, according to their communities; all the males, from a month old and upwards, were twenty two thousand. ⁴⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Review all the male first born of the children of Israel, from one month old and upwards, and take the number by name. ⁴¹ And thou shalt take the Levites for me; I the Lord; instead of all the first born sons of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings of the cattle belonging to the children of Israel. ⁴² So Moses reviewed, in the manner the Lord commanded, all the male first born among the Israelites; ⁴³ and all the first born males, numbered by name, from one month old and upwards, were twenty two thousand two hundred and seventy three. ⁴⁴ Whereupon the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵ Take the Levites, instead of all the first born of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites, for the firstlings of their cattle; and the Levites shall belong to me; I the Lord. ⁴⁶ And as redemption money for the two hundred and seventy three, of the first born, more than the Levites, ⁴⁷ thou shalt take from the first born of the children of Israel, five shekels a poll. According to the holy didrachm, thou shall receive twenty oboli for a shekel. ⁴⁸ And thou shalt give the money to Aaron and his sons, as the redemption of the overplus among the Israelites. ⁴⁹ So Moses took the redemption money, for those who exceeded the redemption made by the Levites. ⁵⁰ From the first born of the children of Israel he took the money, amounting to one thousand three hundred and sixty five shekels according to the holy shekel, ⁵¹ and gave the redemption money for the overplus to Aaron and his sons, by the command of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.