Numbers 3:1-4:49 Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.

ERV⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai. ² And these 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 priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 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 presence of Aaron their father. ⁵ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ⁶ Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. ⁷ And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. ⁸ And they shall keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. ⁹ And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him on the behalf of the children of Israel. ¹⁰ And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. ¹¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹² And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine: ¹³ for all the firstborn are mine; 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 they shall be; I am the LORD. ¹⁴ And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, ¹⁵ Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. ¹⁶ And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. ¹⁷ And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁸ And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni and Shimei. ¹⁹ And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁰ And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. ²¹ Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites. 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 families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward. ²⁴ And the prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael. ²⁵ And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting shall be the tabernacle, and the Tent, the covering thereof, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, ²⁶ and the hangings of the court, and the screen 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 And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites. ²⁸ According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary. ²⁹ The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward. ³⁰ And the prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 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 screen, and all the service thereof. ³² And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, [and have] the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. ³³ Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari. 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 And the prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: they shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward. ³⁶ And the appointed 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 instruments thereof, and all the service thereof; ³⁷ and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. ³⁸ And those that pitch before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, 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 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand. ⁴⁰ And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 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 And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel. ⁴³ And all the firstborn males according to 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 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 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 And for the redemption of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are over and above [the number of] the Levites, ⁴⁷ thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll; after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs): ⁴⁸ and thou shalt give the money wherewith the odd number of them is redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons. ⁴⁹ And Moses took the redemption-money from them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites: ⁵⁰ from 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 gave the redemption-money unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. ⁴ ¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ² Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, ³ from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting. ⁴ This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, [about] the most holy things: ⁵ when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it: ⁶ and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. ⁷ And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and the cups to pour out withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: ⁸ and they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof. ⁹ And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: ¹⁰ and they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it upon the frame. ¹¹ And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof: ¹² and they shall take all the vessels of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame. ¹³ And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: ¹⁴ and they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, the firepans, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of sealskin, and put in the staves thereof. ¹⁵ And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting. ¹⁶ And the charge of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the continual meal offering, and the anointing oil, the charge of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, the sanctuary, and the furniture thereof. ¹⁷ And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ¹⁸ Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: ¹⁹ but thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: ²⁰ but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die. ²¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²² Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses, by their families; ²³ from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to wait upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting. ²⁴ This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens: ²⁵ they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting; ²⁶ and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatsoever shall be done with them, therein shall they serve. ²⁷ At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burden. ²⁸ This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. ²⁹ As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them by their families, by their fathers’ houses; ³⁰ from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth upon the service, to do the work of the tent of meeting. ³¹ And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tent of meeting; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof; ³² and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden. ³³ This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tent of meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. ³⁴ And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, ³⁵ from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting: ³⁶ and those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. ³⁷ These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. ³⁸ And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, ³⁹ from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, ⁴⁰ even those that were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. ⁴¹ These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD. ⁴² And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, ⁴³ from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, ⁴⁴ even those that were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand and two hundred. ⁴⁵ These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. ⁴⁶ All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, ⁴⁷ from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, ⁴⁸ even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. ⁴⁹ According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.