3:1¹ Now these are the records² of Aaron and Moses when³ the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 3:2 And 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 anointed⁴ priests, whom he consecrated⁵ to minister as priests.⁶

3:4 Nadab and Abihu died⁷ before the LORD⁸ when they offered⁹ strange¹⁰ fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children.¹¹ So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests¹² in the presence of¹³ Aaron their father.

3:5 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near,¹⁴ and present¹⁵ them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.¹⁶ 3:7 They are responsible for his needs¹⁷ and the needs of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, by attending¹⁸ 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 serve¹⁹ in the tabernacle. 3:9 And you are to assign²⁰ the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned exclusively²¹ to him out of all²² the Israelites. 3:10 So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for their priesthood; but the outsider²³ who comes near must be put to death.”

3:11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 3:12 “Look,²⁴ I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of²⁵ 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 destroyed²⁶ 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.”²⁷

3:14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying, 3:15 “Number the Levites by their clans and their families; every male from a month old and higher you are to number²⁸.”

3:16 So Moses numbered them according to the word²⁹ of the LORD, just as he had been commanded.³⁰

3:17 These were the sons³¹ of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

3:18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. 3:19 And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3:20 And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans.

3:21 From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimnites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 3:22 Those numbered of them, by the number of every male from a month old and higher—those numbered of them were 7,500. 3:23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle toward the West. 3:24 Now the leader³² of the clan of the Gershonites was Eliasaph, the son of Lael.

3:25 And³³ the responsibility 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,³⁴ the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounded the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes for all their service.³⁵

3:27 From Kohath came 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.³⁶ 3:28 By the number of every male, from a month old and higher, there were 8,600. They were responsible for the care³⁷ of the sanctuary. 3:29 The families of the Kohathites were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 3:30 Now the leader of the clan of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

3:31 And their responsibility included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered,³⁸ the curtain, and all their service.³⁹ 3:32 Now the head of all the Levitical leaders⁴⁰ was Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible⁴¹ for the sanctuary.

3:33 From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were⁴² the families of Merari. 3:34 And those numbered of them, by the number of every male from a month old and higher, were 6,200. 3:35 Now the leader of the clan of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

3:36 The appointed responsibility of the Merarites included the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets, its utensils, and all their service,⁴³ 3:37 and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their ropes.

3:38 But those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting, were Moses, Aaron⁴⁴ and his sons. They were responsible for the needs⁴⁵ of the sanctuary, and for the needs of the Israelites; but the outsider who draws near must be put to death. 3:39 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the word⁴⁶ of the LORD, by their families, every male from a month old and higher, were 22,000.⁴⁷

3:40 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number all the firstborn males of the Israelites from a month old and higher, and take⁴⁸ the number of their names. 3:41 And take⁴⁹ the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.” 3:42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him. 3:43 And every firstborn male, by the number of the names, from a month old and higher, according to those numbered of them, were 22,273.

3:44 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 3:45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. And the Levites will be mine. I am the LORD. 3:46 And for the redemption of the 273 of the firstborn of the Israelites who are more than the number of the Levites, 3:47 collect⁵⁰ five shekels for each⁵¹ one individually; you are to collect⁵² them in the currency of the sanctuary shekel, which is the shekal of twenty gerahs.⁵³ 3:48 And give the money for the redemption of the excess number of them to Aaron and his sons.”

3:49 So Moses took the redemption money⁵⁴ from those who were in excess of those redeemed by the Levites. 3:50 From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected the money, 1,365 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 3:51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.