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¹ And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day Jehovah spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.² And these are the names of Aaron's sons: Nadab, the first-born; and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.³ These are the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests whose hands he consecrated to act as priests.⁴ And Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah in the wilderness of Sinai, for bringing strange fire before Jehovah. And they had no sons. And Eleazar and Ithamar acted as priests in the presence of their father Aaron.⁵ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,⁶ Bring the tribe of Levi near, and you shall cause it to stand before Aaron the priest. And they shall serve him,⁷ and keep his charge, and the charge of all the congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.⁸ And they shall keep all the vessels of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.⁹ And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his son. Giving they shall be given to him out of the sons of Israel.¹⁰ And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood. And the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.¹¹ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,¹² And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel in the place of every first-born opening a womb from the sons of Israel; and the Levites have become Mine.¹³ For every first-born is Mine, from the day I struck every first-born in the land of Egypt, I have set apart to Myself every first-born in Israel, from men to animal. They are Mine. I am Jehovah.

¹⁴ And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,¹⁵ Number the sons of Levi by their families, by their fathers' house. You shall number every male from a son of a month and upward.¹⁶ And Moses numbered them according to the command of Jehovah, as he had been commanded.¹⁷ And these are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.¹⁸ And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.¹⁹ And the sons of Kohath, by their families: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.²⁰ And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These were the families of the Levites by their fathers' houses.²¹ Of Gershon is the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites. These were the families of the Gershonites.²² Those numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a son of a month and upward, even those numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.²³ The families of the Gershonites were to encamp behind the tabernacle westward.²⁴ The ruler of the fathers' house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.²⁵ And the duty of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation was the tabernacle, and the tent, and its coverings, and the veil at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation;²⁶ and the hangings of the court, and the veil at the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar all around, and its cords, to all its service.²⁷ And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites. These were the families of the Kohathites.²⁸ In number, all the males, from a son of a month and upward were eight thousand and six hundred, keepers of the charge of the sanctuary.²⁹ The families of the sons of Kohath were to encamp on the side of the tabernacle southward;³⁰ The ruler of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites being Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.³¹ And their charge was the ark, and the table, and the lampstand, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the veil, and all its service.³² Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was ruler over the rulers of the Levites, and had the oversight of those that keep the charge of the sanctuary.³³ Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites. These were the families of Merari.³⁴ And those numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a son of a month and upward were six thousand and two hundred.³⁵ The ruler of the fathers' house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to encamp on the side of the tabernacle northward.³⁶ The appointed duty of the sons of Merari being the boards of the tabernacle and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all its service;³⁷ and the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.³⁸ And those that were to encamp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tabernacle of the congregation, toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron, and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the sons ofIsrael. And the stranger who goes near shall die.³⁹ All numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the mouth of Jehovah, by their families, all the males from a son of a month and upward were twenty two thousand.

⁴⁰ And Jehovah said to Moses, Number every first-born male of the sons of Israel from a son of a month and upward, and take the number of their names.⁴¹ And you shall take the Levites for Me, I am Jehovah, instead of every first-born among the sons of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of every firstling among the livestock of the sons of Israel.⁴² And Moses numbered as Jehovah commanded him, all the first-born among the sons of Israel.⁴³ And all the first-born males according to the number of names, from a son of a month and upward, of those numbered of them were twenty two thousand, two hundred and seventy three.⁴⁴ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,⁴⁵ Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am Jehovah.⁴⁶ And from those redeemed of the two hundred and seventy three who are more than the Levites, of the first-born of the sons of Israel,⁴⁷ you shall even take five shekels apiece, by the head; you shall take by the shekel of the sanctuary; twenty gerahs to the shekel.⁴⁸ And you shall give the silver to Aaron, and to his sons, of the redeemed over and above among them.⁴⁹ And Moses shall take the redemption silver from those that are over and above those that were redeemed by the Levites,⁵⁰ from the first-born of the sons of Israel he shall take the silver, a thousand, three hundred and sixty five by the sanctuary shekel.⁵¹ And Moses shall give the silver of those redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to Jehovah's command, as Jehovah has commanded Moses.