Numbers 3:1-33
The Sons of Aaron
3:1 Now these are the records of Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
3:2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3:3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests.
3:4 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 ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.
The Assignment of the Levites
3:5 The Lord spoke to Moses:
3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.
3:7 They are responsible for his needs and the needs of the whole community before the tent of meeting, by attending to the service of the tabernacle.
3:8 And they are responsible for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and for the needs of the Israelites, as they serve in the tabernacle.
3:9 You are to assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned exclusively to him out of all the Israelites.
3:10 So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for their priesthood; but the unauthorized person who comes near must be put to death.”
3:11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses:
3:12 “Look, I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong to me,
3:13 because all the firstborn are mine. When I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They belong to me. I am the Lord.”
The Numbering of the Levites
3:14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai:
3:15 “Number the Levites by their clans and their families; every male from a month old and upward you are to number.”
3:16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded.
The Summary of Families
3:17 These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
3:18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
3:19 The sons of Kohath by their families were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
3:20 The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans.
The Numbering of the Gershonites
3:21 From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites.
3:22 Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and upward, were 7,500.
3:23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle toward the west.
3:24 Now the leader of the clan of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.
3:25 And the responsibilities of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the curtain at the entrance of the tent of meeting,
3:26 the hangings of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounded the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, plus all the service connected with these things.
The Numbering of the Kohathites
3:27 From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites.
3:28 Counting every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.
3:29 The families of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.
3:30 Now the leader of the clan of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
3:31 Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the curtain, and all their service.
3:32 Now the head of all the Levitical leaders was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the sanctuary.
The Numbering of Merari
3:33 From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari.