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3
(4) 1 Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron [Light-bringer] and Moses [Drawn out] in the day that Adonai spoke with Moses [Drawn out] in Mount Sinai [Thorn]. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron [Light-bringer]: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar [Help of God], and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron [Light-bringer], the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 4 Nadab and Abihu died before Adonai , when they offered strange fire before Adonai , in the wilderness of Sinai [Thorn], and they had no children. Eleazar [Help of God] and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron [Light-bringer] their father.
5 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi [United with] near, and set them before Aaron [Light-bringer] the priest, that they may minister to him. 7 They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel [God prevails], to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 You shall give the Levites [Descendants of United with] to Aaron [Light-bringer] and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel [God prevails]. 10 You shall appoint Aaron [Light-bringer] and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
11 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites [Descendants of United with] from among the children of Israel [God prevails] instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the children of Israel [God prevails]; and the Levites [Descendants of United with] shall be mine: 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery] I made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel [God prevails], both man and animal. They shall be mine. I am Adonai .”
(5) 14 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out] in the wilderness of Sinai [Thorn], saying, 15 “Count the children of Levi [United with] by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”
16 Moses [Drawn out] counted them according to Adonai ’s word, as he was enjoined.
17 These were the sons of Levi [United with] by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
19 The sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi.
These are the families of the Levites [Descendants of United with] 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 who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those who were counted of them were seven thousand five hundred.
23 The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
24 The prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25 The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, 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 around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.
27 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 six hundred, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary.
29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the menorah ·lamp·, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service. 32 Eleazar [Help of God] the son of Aaron [Light-bringer] the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites [Descendants of United with], with the oversight of those who keep the requirements 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 Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.
35 The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 The appointed duty of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service, 37 the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords. 38 Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses [Drawn out], and Aaron [Light-bringer] and his sons, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary for the duty of the children of Israel [God prevails]. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death. 39 All who were counted of the Levites [Descendants of United with], whom Moses [Drawn out] and Aaron [Light-bringer] counted by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
(6) 40 Adonai said to Moses [Drawn out], “Count all the firstborn males of the children of Israel [God prevails] from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41 You shall take the Levites [Descendants of United with] for me (I am Adonai ·) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel [God prevails]; and the livestock of the Levites [Descendants of United with] instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel [God prevails].”
42 Moses [Drawn out] counted, as Adonai enjoined him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel [God prevails]. 43 All the firstborn males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those who were counted of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.
44 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 45 “Take the Levites [Descendants of United with] instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel [God prevails], and the livestock of the Levites [Descendants of United with] instead of their livestock; and the Levites [Descendants of United with] shall be mine. I am Adonai . 46 For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel [God prevails], who exceed the number of the Levites [Descendants of United with], 47 you shall take five shekels [2 oz; 56.7 g] for each one, that is 273 shekels [6.83 lb; 3.1 kg] total; after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them; (the shekel is 0.4oz; 11.34 g; or called twenty gerahs 20/50 of an oz): 48 and you shall give the money, with which their remainder is redeemed, to Aaron [Light-bringer] and to his sons.”
49 Moses [Drawn out] took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the Levites [Descendants of United with]; 50 from the firstborn of the children of Israel [God prevails] he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels [34.13 lb; 15.48 kg], after the shekel of the sanctuary [0.4 oz; 11.34 g]: 51 and Moses [Drawn out] gave the redemption money to Aaron [Light-bringer] and to his sons, according to Adonai ’s word, as Adonai enjoined Moses [Drawn out].

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© 2016 Thomas Robinson