The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

⭑ Geneva Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 3 -

(Leviticus 10:1–7)

These also were the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai.

So these are the names of the sonnes of Aaron, Nadab the first borne, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

These are the names of the sonnes of Aaron the anoynted Priests, whom Moses did consecrate to minister in the Priests office.

And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offred strange fire before the Lord in the wildernesse of Sinai, and had no children: but Eleazar and Ithamar serued in ye Priestes office in the sight of Aaron their father.

The Duties of the Levites

Then the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

Bring the tribe of Leui, and set the before Aaron the Priest that they may serue him,

And take the charge with him, euen the charge of the whole Congregation before the Tabernacle of the Congregation to doe the seruice of the Tabernacle.

They shall also keepe all the instruments of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and haue the charge of the children of Israel to doe the seruice of the Tabernacle.

And thou shalt giue the Leuites vnto Aaron and to his sonnes: for they are giuen him freely from among the children of Israel.

And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sonnes to execute their Priestes office: and the stranger that commeth neere, shalbe slayne.

Also the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

Beholde, I haue euen taken the Leuites from among the childre of Israel: for al the first borne that openeth the matrice among the children of Israel, and the Leuites shalbe mine,

Because all the first borne are mine: for the same day, that I smote all the first borne in the land of Egypt, I sanctified vnto me all the first borne in Israel, both man and beast: mine they shalbe: I am the Lord.

The Numbering of the Levites

Moreouer, the Lord spake vnto Moses in the wildernesse of Sinai, saying,

Nomber the children of Leui after the houses of their fathers, in their families: euery male from a moneth olde and aboue shalt thou nomber.

Then Moses nombred them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded.

And these are the sonnes of Leui by their names, Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

Also these are the names of the sonnes of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

The sonnes also of Kohath by their families: Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Vzziel.

And the sonnes of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Leui, according to the houses of their fathers.

The Gershonites

(Numbers 4:21–28; 1 Chronicles 23:7–11)

Of Gershon came the familie of the Libnites, and the familie of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites.

The summe whereof (after the nomber of all the males from a moneth olde and aboue) was counted seuen thousand and fiue hundreth.

The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the Tabernacle westward.

The captaine and auncient of the house of the Gershonites shalbe Eliasaph the sonne of Lael.

And the charge of the sonnes of Gershon in the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall be the Tabernacle, and the pauilion, the couering thereof, and the vaile of the dore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation,

And the hanging of the court, and the vaile of the doore of the court, which is neere the Tabernacle, and neere ye Altar round about, and the cordes of it for all the seruice thereof.

The Kohathites

(Numbers 4:1–20; 1 Chronicles 23:12–20)

And of Kohath came the familie of the Amramites, and the familie of the Izeharites, and the familie of the Hebronites, and the familie of the Vzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.

The nomber of all the males from a moneth olde and aboue was eight thousand and sixe hundreth, hauing the charge of the Sanctuarie.

The families of the sonnes of Kohath shall pitch on the Southside of the Tabernacle.

The captaine and auncient of the house, and families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the sonne of Vzziel:

And their charge shalbe the Arke, and the Table, and the Candlesticke, and the altars, and the instruments of the Sanctuarie that they minister with, and the vaile, and all that serueth thereto.

And Eleazar the sonne of Aaron the Priest shalbe chiefe captaine of the Leuites, hauing the ouersight of them that haue the charge of the Sanctuarie.

The Merarites

(Numbers 4:29–33; 1 Chronicles 23:21–23)

Of Merari came the familie of the Mahlites, and the familie of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.

And the summe of them, according to the nomber of all the males, from a moneth olde and aboue was sixe thousand and two hundreth.

The captaine and the ancient of the house of the families of Merari shalbe Zuriel the sonne of Abihail: they shall pitche on the Northside of the Tabernacle.

And in ye charge and custodie of the sonnes of Merari shall be the boardes of the Tabernacle, and the barres thereof, and his pillars, and his sockets, and al the instruments therof, and al that serueth thereto,

With the pillars of the court round about, with their sockets, and their pins and their coardes.

Moses and Aaron

Also on the forefront of the Tabernacle toward the East, before the Tabernacle, I say, of the Congregation Eastwarde shall Moses and Aaron and his sonnes pitch, hauing the charge of the Sanctuarie, and the charge of the children of Israel: but the stranger that commeth neere, shall be slayne.

The wholesumme of ye Leuites, which Moses and Aaron nombred at the commandement of the Lord throughout their families, euen al the males from a moneth olde and aboue, was two and twentie thousand.

The Redemption of the Firstborn

And the Lord said vnto Moses, Nomber all the first borne that are Males among the children of Israel, from a moneth old and aboue, and take the nomber of their names.

And thou shalt take ye Leuites to me for all the first borne of the children of Israel (I am the Lord) and the cattell of the Leuites for all the first borne of the cattell of the children of Israel.

And Moses nombred, as the Lord commanded him, all the first borne of the children of Israel.

And all the first borne males rehearsed by name (from a moneth olde and aboue) according to their nomber were two and twentie thousand, two hundreth seuentie and three.

And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

Take the Leuites for all the first borne of the children of Israel, and the cattell of the Leuites for their cattel, and the Leuites shalbe mine, (I am the Lord)

And for the redeeming of the two hundreth seuentie and three, (which are moe then the Leuites) of the first borne of the children of of Israel,

Thou shalt also take fiue shekels for euery person: after the weight of the Sanctuarie shalt thou take it: ye shekel conteineth twenty gerahs.

And thou shalt giue the money, wherwith the odde nomber of them is redeemed, vnto Aaron and to his sonnes.

Thus Moses tooke the redemption of the that were redeemed, being more then the Leuites:

Of the first borne of the children of Israel tooke he the mony: eue a thousand three hundreth three score and fiue shekels after the shekel of the Sanctuarie.

And Moses gaue the money of them that were redeemed, vnto Aaron and to his sonnes according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

(Leviticus 10:1–7)

Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.

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. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron their father.

The Duties of the Levites

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.

They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.

You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Behold,(a) I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine,

for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine. I am the LORD.”

The Numbering of the Levites

The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

“Count the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”

Moses counted them according to the LORD’s word, as he was commanded.

These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

The sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.

The Gershonites

(Numbers 4:21–28; 1 Chronicles 23:7–11)

Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites. These are the families of the Gershonites.

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.

The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.

Eliasaph the son of Lael shall be the prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites.

The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,

the hangings of the court, 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.

The Kohathites

(Numbers 4:1–20; 1 Chronicles 23:12–20)

Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites.

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.

The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle.

The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, the screen, and all its service.

Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.

The Merarites

(Numbers 4:29–33; 1 Chronicles 23:21–23)

Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari.

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.(b)

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.

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,

the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords.

Moses and Aaron

Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses, with Aaron and his sons, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary for the duty of the children of Israel. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death.

All who were counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the commandment of the LORD, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

The Redemption of the Firstborn

The LORD said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

You shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.”

Moses counted, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

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.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I am the LORD.

For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel who exceed the number of the Levites,

you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; according to the shekel

(c)

of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs (d));

and you shall give the money, with which their remainder is redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons.”

Moses took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the Levites;

from the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels,(e) according to the shekel of the sanctuary;

and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, according to the LORD’s word, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Footnotes

(a)3:12 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

(b)3:34 + 22,000 is the sum rounded to 2 significant digits. The sum of the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites given above is 22,300, but the traditional Hebrew text has the number rounded to 2 significant digits, not 3 significant digits.

(d)3:47 A gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains.

(e)3:50 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 1365 shekels is about 13.65 kilograms or about 30 pounds.