Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their clans, ¹  made an offering. They were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ones who had been supervising ²  the numbering.

“How long must I bear ¹  with this evil congregation ²  that murmurs against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites that they murmured against me.

These were the ones chosen ¹  from the community, leaders ²  of their ancestral tribes. ³  They were the heads of the thousands ⁴  of Israel.

You are to assign ¹  the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned exclusively ²  to him out of all ³  the Israelites.

The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans.

From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites.

From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were ¹  the families of Merari.

“Also take a census of the Gershonites, by their clans and by their families.

These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and his holiness was maintained ¹  among them.

But appoint ¹  the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, ²  over all its furnishings and over everything in it. They must carry ³  the tabernacle and all its furnishings; and they ⁴  must attend to it and camp around it. ⁵ 

Moses was very angry, and he said to the Lord, “Have no respect ¹  for their offering! I have not taken so much as one donkey from them, nor have I harmed any one of them!”

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. ¹ 

So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command ¹  of the Lord. All of them were leaders ²  of the Israelites.

But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among ¹  the men who went to investigate the land, lived.

Then Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company present yourselves before the Lord – you and they, and Aaron – tomorrow.

They and all that they had went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed over them. So they perished from among the community.

And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”

See, I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they perform – the service of the tent of meeting.

For ¹  in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you ²  rebelled against my command ³  to show me as holy ⁴  before their eyes over the water – the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”

For they are entirely given ¹  to me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for myself instead of ²  all who open the womb, the firstborn sons of all the Israelites.