New American Standard Bible 1995

New Living Translation

1Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

1This is the family line of Aaron and Moses as it was recorded when the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai:

2These then are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

2The names of Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests.

3These sons of Aaron were anointed and ordained to minister as priests.

4But 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. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.

4But Nadab and Abihu died in the LORD’s presence in the wilderness of Sinai when they burned before the LORD the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. Since they had no sons, this left only Eleazar and Ithamar to serve as priests with their father, Aaron.

5Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

5Then the LORD said to Moses,

6"Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.

6“Call forward the tribe of Levi, and present them to Aaron the priest to serve as his assistants.

7"They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.

7They will serve Aaron and the whole community, performing their sacred duties in and around the Tabernacle.

8"They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

8They will also maintain all the furnishings of the sacred tent, serving in the Tabernacle on behalf of all the Israelites.

9"You shall thus give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel.

9Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They have been given from among all the people of Israel to serve as their assistants.

10"So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death."

10Appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the sanctuary must be put to death.”

11Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

11And the LORD said to Moses,

12"Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine.

12“Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me,

13"For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD."

13for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the LORD.” Registration of the Levites

14Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

14The LORD spoke again to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. He said,

15"Number the sons of Levi by their fathers' households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number."

15“Record the names of the members of the tribe of Levi by their families and clans. List every male who is one month old or older.”

16So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, just as he had been commanded.

16So Moses listed them, just as the LORD had commanded.

17These then are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

17Levi had three sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

18These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei;

18The clans descended from Gershon were named after two of his descendants, Libni and Shimei.

19and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel;

19The clans descended from Kohath were named after four of his descendants, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' households.

20The clans descended from Merari were named after two of his descendants, Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, listed according to their family groups.

21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites.

21The descendants of Gershon were composed of the clans descended from Libni and Shimei.

22Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men were 7,500.

22There were 7,500 males one month old or older among these Gershonite clans.

23The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward,

23They were assigned the area to the west of the Tabernacle for their camp.

24and the leader of the fathers' households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

24The leader of the Gershonite clans was Eliasaph son of Lael.

25Now the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting,

25These two clans were responsible to care for the Tabernacle, including the sacred tent with its layers of coverings, the curtain at its entrance,

26and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords, according to all the service concerning them.

26the curtains of the courtyard that surrounded the Tabernacle and altar, the curtain at the courtyard entrance, the ropes, and all the equipment related to their use.

27Of 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 were the families of the Kohathites.

27The descendants of Kohath were composed of the clans descended from Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

28In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary.

28There were 8,600 males one month old or older among these Kohathite clans. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary,

29The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle,

29and they were assigned the area south of the Tabernacle for their camp.

30and the leader of the fathers' households of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

30The leader of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

31Now their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service concerning them;

31These four clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various articles used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use.

32and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary.

32Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, was the chief administrator over all the Levites, with special responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary.

33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari.

33The descendants of Merari were composed of the clans descended from Mahli and Mushi.

34Their numbered men in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200.

34There were 6,200 males one month old or older among these Merarite clans.

35The leader of the fathers' households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the northward side of the tabernacle.

35They were assigned the area north of the Tabernacle for their camp. The leader of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail.

36Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its equipment, and the service concerning them,

36These two clans were responsible for the care of the frames supporting the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars, the bases, and all the equipment related to their use.

37and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords.

37They were also responsible for the posts of the courtyard and all their bases, pegs, and ropes.

38Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but the layman coming near was to be put to death.

38The area in front of the Tabernacle, in the east toward the sunrise, was reserved for the tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final responsibility for the sanctuary on behalf of the people of Israel. Anyone other than a priest or Levite who went too near the sanctuary was to be put to death.

39All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of the LORD by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

39When Moses and Aaron counted the Levite clans at the LORD’s command, the total number was 22,000 males one month old or older. Redeeming the Firstborn Sons

40Then the LORD said to Moses, "Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and make a list of their names.

40Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now count all the firstborn sons in Israel who are one month old or older, and make a list of their names.

41"You shall take the Levites for Me, I am the LORD, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel."

41The Levites must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel; I am the LORD. And the Levites’ livestock must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the whole nation of Israel.”

42So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded him;

42So Moses counted the firstborn sons of the people of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded.

43and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were 22,273.

43The number of firstborn sons who were one month old or older was 22,273.

44Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

44Then the LORD said to Moses,

45"Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the LORD.

45“Take the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. And take the livestock of the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me; I am the LORD.

46"For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites,

46There are 273 more firstborn sons of Israel than there are Levites. To redeem these extra firstborn sons,

47you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs),

47collect five pieces of silver for each of them (each piece weighing the same as the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs).

48and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons."

48Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the extra firstborn sons.”

49So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites;

49So Moses collected the silver for redeeming the firstborn sons of Israel who exceeded the number of Levites.

50from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365.

50He collected 1,365 pieces of silver on behalf of these firstborn sons of Israel (each piece weighing the same as the sanctuary shekel).

51Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the command of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

51And Moses gave the silver for the redemption to Aaron and his sons, just as the LORD had commanded.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.