| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. | 1This is the family line of Aaron and Moses as it was recorded when the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: |
| 2These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. | 2The names of Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. |
| 3These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. | 3These sons of Aaron were anointed and ordained to minister as priests. |
| 4Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron. | 4But Nadab and Abihu died in the LORD’s presence in the wilderness of Sinai when they burned before the LORD the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. Since they had no sons, this left only Eleazar and Ithamar to serve as priests with their father, Aaron. |
| 5Then the LORD said to Moses, | 5Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 6“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. | 6“Call forward the tribe of Levi, and present them to Aaron the priest to serve as his assistants. |
| 7They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. | 7They will serve Aaron and the whole community, performing their sacred duties in and around the Tabernacle. |
| 8They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle. | 8They will also maintain all the furnishings of the sacred tent, serving in the Tabernacle on behalf of all the Israelites. |
| 9Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites. | 9Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They have been given from among all the people of Israel to serve as their assistants. |
| 10So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.” | 10Appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the sanctuary must be put to death.” |
| 11Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 11And the LORD said to Moses, |
| 12“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me, | 12“Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me, |
| 13for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.” | 13for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the LORD.” Registration of the Levites |
| 14Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying, | 14The LORD spoke again to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. He said, |
| 15“Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.” | 15“Record the names of the members of the tribe of Levi by their families and clans. List every male who is one month old or older.” |
| 16So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded. | 16So Moses listed them, just as the LORD had commanded. |
| 17These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. | 17Levi had three sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. |
| 18These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. | 18The clans descended from Gershon were named after two of his descendants, Libni and Shimei. |
| 19The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. | 19The clans descended from Kohath were named after four of his descendants, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. |
| 20And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families. | 20The clans descended from Merari were named after two of his descendants, Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, listed according to their family groups. |
| 21From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans. | 21The descendants of Gershon were composed of the clans descended from Libni and Shimei. |
| 22The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500. | 22There were 7,500 males one month old or older among these Gershonite clans. |
| 23The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle, | 23They were assigned the area to the west of the Tabernacle for their camp. |
| 24and the leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. | 24The leader of the Gershonite clans was Eliasaph son of Lael. |
| 25The duties of the Gershonites at the Tent of Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its covering, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, | 25These two clans were responsible to care for the Tabernacle, including the sacred tent with its layers of coverings, the curtain at its entrance, |
| 26the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, and the cords—all the service for these items. | 26the curtains of the courtyard that surrounded the Tabernacle and altar, the curtain at the courtyard entrance, the ropes, and all the equipment related to their use. |
| 27From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites. | 27The descendants of Kohath were composed of the clans descended from Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. |
| 28The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. They were responsible for the duties of the sanctuary. | 28There were 8,600 males one month old or older among these Kohathite clans. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary, |
| 29The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, | 29and they were assigned the area south of the Tabernacle for their camp. |
| 30and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. | 30The leader of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. |
| 31Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items. | 31These four clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various articles used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use. |
| 32The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary. | 32Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, was the chief administrator over all the Levites, with special responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary. |
| 33From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans. | 33The descendants of Merari were composed of the clans descended from Mahli and Mushi. |
| 34The number of all the males a month old or more was 6,200. | 34There were 6,200 males one month old or older among these Merarite clans. |
| 35The leader of the families of the Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. | 35They were assigned the area north of the Tabernacle for their camp. The leader of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail. |
| 36The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items, | 36These two clans were responsible for the care of the frames supporting the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars, the bases, and all the equipment related to their use. |
| 37as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes. | 37They were also responsible for the posts of the courtyard and all their bases, pegs, and ropes. |
| 38Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death. | 38The area in front of the Tabernacle, in the east toward the sunrise, was reserved for the tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final responsibility for the sanctuary on behalf of the people of Israel. Anyone other than a priest or Levite who went too near the sanctuary was to be put to death. |
| 39The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s command, including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000. | 39When Moses and Aaron counted the Levite clans at the LORD’s command, the total number was 22,000 males one month old or older. Redeeming the Firstborn Sons |
| 40Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites a month old or more, and list their names. | 40Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now count all the firstborn sons in Israel who are one month old or older, and make a list of their names. |
| 41You are to take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.” | 41The Levites must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel; I am the LORD. And the Levites’ livestock must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the whole nation of Israel.” |
| 42So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him. | 42So Moses counted the firstborn sons of the people of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded. |
| 43The total number of the firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273. | 43The number of firstborn sons who were one month old or older was 22,273. |
| 44Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 44Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 45“Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites belong to Me; I am the LORD. | 45“Take the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. And take the livestock of the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me; I am the LORD. |
| 46To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites, | 46There are 273 more firstborn sons of Israel than there are Levites. To redeem these extra firstborn sons, |
| 47you are to collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs. | 47collect five pieces of silver for each of them (each piece weighing the same as the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs). |
| 48Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the excess among the Israelites.” | 48Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the extra firstborn sons.” |
| 49So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites. | 49So Moses collected the silver for redeeming the firstborn sons of Israel who exceeded the number of Levites. |
| 50He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. | 50He collected 1,365 pieces of silver on behalf of these firstborn sons of Israel (each piece weighing the same as the sanctuary shekel). |
| 51And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the word of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him. | 51And Moses gave the silver for the redemption to Aaron and his sons, just as the LORD had commanded. |
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