Aaron’s Descendants

(Leviticus 10:1-7)

1This is a record of the genealogiesa of Aaron and Moses current as ofb the day on which the LORD addressed Moses on Mount Sinai. 2Thec sons of Aaron were Nadab the first-born, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar 3whod were anointed priests and whom he consecratede as priests. 4Nadab and Abihu died in the LORD’s presence when they offered unauthorizedf fire before himg in the Sinai wilderness. Since they didn’t have their own children, Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priest under the authority ofh Aaron their father.

Appointment of the Descendants of Levi as Priests

5The LORD told Moses, 6“Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to Aaron the priest so they may serve him. 7They are to take care of his needs and the needs of the whole congregation at the Tent of Meeting by performing dutiesi at the tent. 8They are to take charge of the utensils at the Tent of Meeting and meet the needs of the Israelis by performing duties on behalf of the tent. 9Assignj the descendants of Levi to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelis. 10Appoint Aaron and his sons so that they are to take responsibility for their priesthood. Any unauthorizedk person who approaches it is to be put to death.”

The Descendants of Levi as Substitutes for the First-born

11Later, the LORD told Moses, 12“I’m taking the descendants of Levi for myself from among the Israelis in place of every first-born who opens the womb.l The descendants of Levi belong to me 13because all the first-born belong to me. Whenm I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated all the first-born in Israel for myself—from human beings to livestock. They belong to me, sincen I am the LORD.”

Numbering the Descendants of Levi

14The LORD also told Moses in the Sinai wilderness, 15“Number the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral houses and tribes, numbering every male from a month old and above.”

16So Moses numbered them according to the instructiono of the LORD, as he had been commanded. 17These are Levi’s descendants by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18These are names of Gershon’s descendants according to their families: Libni and Shimei. 19These are the names of Kohath’s descendants according to their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20Merari’s descendants according to their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral house.

The Descendants of Gershon

21The families of Libni and Shimei were descendants of Gershon. As families of the descendants of Gershon, 22all the males a month old and above numbered 7,500. 23The families of the descendants of Gershon encamped behind the tent toward the west.p 24The leader of the tribe and family of Gershon was Lael’s son Eliasaph. 25The duties of the descendants of Gershon at the Tent of Meeting pertained to the tent, the tent covering, the curtainq to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 26the hangings at the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard that surrounded the tent, the altar, and all of the tent cords in use.

The Descendants of Kohath and Their Duties

27The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel were descendants of Kohath. As families of the descendants of Kohath, 28all the males a month old and above numbered 8,600.r They were tasked to the care of the sanctuary. 29The descendants of Kohath encamped beside the tent toward the south. 30The leader of the tribe and family of Kohath was Uzziel’s son Elizaphan. 31Their duties pertained to the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, and all the curtains in use. 32The chief of all the leaders of the descendants of Levi was Aaron the priest’s son Eleazar. He was assigned to oversee those who were in charge of the services of the sanctuary.

The Descendants of Merari and Their Duties

33The families of Mahli and Mushi were descendants of Merari. As families of Merari, 34all the males a month old and above numbered 6,200. 35The leader of the tribe and family of Merari was Abihail’s son Zuriel. The descendants of Merari encamped beside the tent toward the north. 36The duties of the caretakers from the descendants of Merari included the boards of the tent, its bars, crossbars, sockets, all its utensils for their services, 37the pillars around the courtyard, their sockets, pegs, and tent cords.

The Encampment of Moses and Aaron

38In front of the tent and east of the Tent of Meeting, Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’ss sons encamped facing the east. They were tasked to perform the duties of the sanctuary and care for the needs of the Israelis. Any unauthorizedt person who approached was to be executed. 39As the LORD had instructed, everyone counted by Moses and Aaron from the descendants of Levi, according to their tribe, all males from a month old and above numbered 22,000.

Numbering Israel’s First-born

40Later the LORD instructed Moses: “Number all the first-born males of Israel from a month old and above and list their names. 41Separateu the descendants of Levi for me—sincev I am the LORD—in place of all the first-born sons of Israel. Also separatew the livestock of the descendants of Levi in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of Israel.” 42So Moses numbered all the firstborn from the sons of Israel just as the LORD commanded him. 43All the first-born males according to the list of their names from a month old and above numbered 22,273.

Creation of the Levite Ministry

44Then the LORD told Moses, 45“Separate the descendants of Levi in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel and the livestock of the descendants of Levi in place of their livestock. The descendants of Levi belong to me, sincex I am the LORD. 46You are to pay a ransom for the 273 first-born Israelis who exceed the census number of the descendants of Levi, 47so collect five shekels for each individual,y denominated in shekels of the sanctuary, that is, the shekel that weighs 20 gerahs.z 48Then give the money meant for ransom of their excess to Aaron and his sons.”

49So Moses took the ransom money to account for the difference in the total numberaa of those redeemed by the descendants of Levi. 50From the firstborn of the Israelis, Moses took money amounting to 1,365 shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 51Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and his sons according to the LORD’s instructions, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.