| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. | 1These are the family records of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. |
| 2These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. | 2These are the names of Aaron's sons: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. |
| 3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. | 3These are the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. |
| 4But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father. | 4But Nadab and Abihu died in the LORD's presence when they presented unauthorized fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests under the direction of Aaron their father. |
| 5And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 5The LORD spoke to Moses: " |
| 6“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. | 6Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. |
| 7They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. | 7They are to perform duties for him and the entire community before the tent of meeting by attending to the service of the tabernacle. |
| 8They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. | 8They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and perform duties for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle. |
| 9And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. | 9Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been assigned exclusively to him from the Israelites. |
| 10And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.” | 10You are to appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out their priestly responsibilities, but any unauthorized person who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death." |
| 11And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 11The LORD spoke to Moses: " |
| 12“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, | 12See, I have taken the Levites from the Israelites in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me, |
| 13for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD.” | 13because every firstborn belongs to Me. At the time I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated every firstborn in Israel to Myself, both man and animal. They are Mine; I am Yahweh." |
| 14And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, | 14The LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai: " |
| 15“List the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you shall list.” | 15Register the Levites by their ancestral houses and their clans. You are to register every male one month old or more." |
| 16So Moses listed them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. | 16So Moses registered them in obedience to the LORD as he had been commanded: |
| 17And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. | 17These were Levi's sons by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. |
| 18And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. | 18These were the names of Gershon's sons by their clans: Libni and Shimei. |
| 19And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. | 19Kohath's sons by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. |
| 20And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses. | 20Merari's sons by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans 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. | 21The Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan came from Gershon; these were the Gershonite clans. |
| 22Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was7,500.00 | 22Those registered, counting every male one month old or more, numbered 7,500. |
| 23The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, | 23The Gershonite clans camped behind the tabernacle on the west side, |
| 24with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites. | 24and the leader of the Gershonite family was Eliasaph son of Lael. |
| 25And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, | 25The Gershonites' duties at the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, |
| 26the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these. | 26the hangings of the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the tent ropes--all the work relating to these. |
| 27To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites. | 27The Amramite clan, the Izharite clan, the Hebronite clan, and the Uzzielite clan came from Kohath; these were the Kohathites. |
| 28According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary. | 28Counting every male one month old or more, there were 8,600 responsible for the duties of the sanctuary. |
| 29The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, | 29The clans of the Kohathites camped on the south side of the tabernacle, |
| 30with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of the Kohathites. | 30and the leader of the family of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. |
| 31And their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen; all the service connected with these. | 31Their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sanctuary utensils that were used with these, and the screen--and all the work relating to them. |
| 32And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary. | 32The chief of the Levite leaders was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he had oversight of those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary. |
| 33To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari. | 33The Mahlite clan and the Mushite clan came from Merari; these were the Merarite clans. |
| 34Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200. | 34Those registered, counting every male one month old or more, numbered 6,200. |
| 35And the chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. | 35The leader of the family of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they camped on the north side of the tabernacle. |
| 36And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these; | 36The assigned duties of Merari's descendants involved the tabernacle's supports, crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and all the work related to these, |
| 37also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords. | 37in addition to the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes. |
| 38Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death. | 38Moses, Aaron, and his sons, who performed the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites, camped in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise. Any unauthorized person who came near it was to be put to death. |
| 39All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the LORD, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000. | 39The total number of all the Levite males one month old or more that Moses and Aaron registered by their clans at the LORD's command was 22,000. |
| 40And the LORD said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. | 40The LORD told Moses: "Register every firstborn male of the Israelites one month old or more, and list their names. |
| 41And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” | 41You are to take the Levites for Me--I am Yahweh--in place of every firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites' cattle in place of every firstborn among the Israelites' cattle." |
| 42So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded him. | 42So Moses registered every firstborn among the Israelites, as the LORD commanded him. |
| 43And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273. | 43The total number of the firstborn males one month old or more listed by name was 22,273. |
| 44And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 44The LORD spoke to Moses again:" |
| 45“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. | 45Take the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites' cattle in place of their cattle. The Levites belong to Me; I am Yahweh. |
| 46And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, | 46As the redemption price for the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites, |
| 47you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), | 47collect five shekels for each person, according to the standard sanctuary shekel--20 gerahs to the shekel. |
| 48and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” | 48Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are in excess among the Israelites." |
| 49So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. | 49So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the ones redeemed by the Levites. |
| 50From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. | 50He collected the money from the firstborn Israelites: 1,365 shekels measured by the standard sanctuary shekel. |
| 51And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. | 51He gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the LORD, just as the LORD commanded Moses. |
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