Numbers 3:14–39 — The census of the Levites

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Readers’ Version

Literal Version

3:14 The census of the Levites

14 ⇔Then in the Sinay wilderness, Yahweh told Mosheh (Moses), 15 “List all the male Levites that are at least one month old. Count them by their families and clans.” 16 So Mosheh listed them exactly as Yahweh had commanded him to, 17 and these were Levi’s sons: Gereshon, Kohat, and Merari. 18 Gereshon’s sons were: Livni and Shimei. 19 Kohat’s sons were: Amram, Yitshar, Hevron, and Uziel. 20 Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi.

Those were the families of the Levites by their clans.

21 Gereshon’s descendants were the Livnim and the Shim’im, so they made up the Gershonim. 22 They had 7,500 males that were at least a month old. 23 The Gershoni clans were to camp on the western side of the sacred tent, 24 and their leader was La’el’s son Elyasaf. 25 Gereshon’s descendants were responsible for the sacred tent, including its covering and the entrance curtain, 26 the courtyard curtains, and the courtyard entrance curtain, that surrounded it. Also the ropes used to hold them.

27 Kohat’s descendants were the Amramim, the Yitshari, the Hevronim, and the Uzielim, so they made up the Kohatites. 28 They had 8,600 males that were at least a month old. They were in charge of the running of the sacred tent. 29 The Kohatite clans were to camp of the southern side of the sacred tent, 30 and their leader was Uziel’s son Elitsafan. 31 They were in charge of the box, the table and the lampstand, the altars and all the utensils used for ministry, the inside curtain and its gear.

32 The man who organised the Levites was Aharon’s (Aaron’s) son, Eleazar the priest. He had oversight over all those who were responsible for the sacred tent.

33 Merari’s descendants were the Mahlim and the Mushim, so they made up the Merarim. 34 They had 6,200 males that were at least a month old, 35 and their leader was Avihayil’s son Tsuriel. They were to camp on the northern side of the sacred tent. 36 They were in charge of all the frames for the sacred tent, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its containers and equipment, 37 as well as the pillars used to make the courtyard with their bases, pegs, and ropes.

38 Mosheh (Moses) and Aharon and his sons set up their tents in front of the entrance on the eastern side of the sacred tent. They were in charge of that tent and the needs of the Israelis. Any stranger who approached had to be executed. 39 Mosheh and Aharon listed 22,000 Levite males that were at least a month old, listing them by their clans as per Yahweh’s instructions.

14 And_ YHWH _he/it _spoke to Mosheh in_the _wilderness _of Şīnay to_say.

15 Enroll DOM the _descendants _of Lēvī to_the _house _of their _ancestors _of_their to_their_clans every _of male from_a _son _of a _month and_upward_upwards you_will _enrol _them.

16 And_ Mosheh _he _enrolled DOM_them on the _mouth _of YHWH just_as he _had _been _commanded.

17 And_ the _sons _of Lēvī _they _were these by_names _of_their Gērəshōn and_Qəhāt and_Mərārī.

18 And_these were_the _names _of the _sons _of Gērəshōn to_their_clans Liⱱnī and_Shimˊī.

19 And_the _sons of _Qəhāt to_their_clans were_ˊAmrām and_Yiʦhār/(Izhar) Ḩeⱱrōn and_ˊUzziy^ʼēl.

20 And_the _sons of _Mərārī to_their_clans were_Maḩlī and_Mūshiy these they were_the _clans _of the _Lēviyyiy to_the _house _of their _ancestors _of_their.

21 Belonged_to_Gērəshōn the _clan _of the _Liⱱnīte[s] and_the _clan _of the _Shimˊīte[s] these they were_the _clans _of the _Gērəshōnite[s].

22 Their _enrolled _of_men by_the_number _of every _of male from_a _son _of a _month and_upward_upwards their _enrolled _of_men were_seven _of thousand(s) and_five hundred(s).

23 The _clans _of the _Gērəshōnite[s] behind the_tabernacle they _will _encamp westward_on.

24 And_the_leader _of the_house _of a _father of_Gērəshōnite[s] was_ʼElyāşāf the _son _of Lā^ʼēl.

25 And_the _duty _of the _descendants _of Gērəshōn in_the _tent _of meeting was_the_tabernacle and_the_tent covering _of_its and_the _screen _of the _entrance _of the _tent _of meeting.

26 And_the _curtains _of the _courtyard and_DOM the _screen _of the _entrance _of the _courtyard which is_at the_tabernacle and_at the_altar all _around and_DOM tent-cords _of_its to_all/each/any/every service _of_its.

27 And_belonged_to_Qəhāt the _clan _of the _ˊAmrāmite[s] and_the _clan _of the _Izharite[s] and_the _clan _of the _Ḩeⱱrōnite[s] and_the _clan _of the _ˊUzziy^ʼēlite[s] these they were_the _clans _of the _Qəhātite[s].

28 By_the_number _of every _of male from_a _son _of a _month and_upward_upwards were_eight _of thousand(s) and_six hundred(s) the _keepers _of the _duty _of the _holy _place.

29 The _clans _of the _descendants _of Qəhāt they _will _encamp at the _side _of the _tabernacle southward_to.

30 And_the_leader _of the_house _of a _father of_the _clans _of of_the _Qəhātite[s] was_ʼElīʦāfān[fn] the _son _of ˊUzziy^ʼēl.

31 And_duty _of_their was_the_box and_the_table and_the_lampstand and_the_altars and_the _equipment(s)_of the _holy _place which they _will _serve (is)_in_them and_the_screen and_all/each/any/every service _of_its.

32 And_the _leader _of the _leaders _of the _Lēviyyiy[s] was_ʼElˊāzār the _son _of ʼAhₐron the_priest/officer the _oversight _of the _keepers _of the _duty _of the _holy _place.

33 Belonged_to_Mərārī the _clan _of the _Maḩlīte[s] and_the _clan _of the _Mūshiyte[s] these they were_the _clans _of the_Mərārīte[s].

34 And_their _enrolled _of_men by_the_number _of every _of male from_a _son _of a _month and_upward_upwards were_six _of thousand(s) and_two _hundred.

35 And_the_leader _of the_house _of a _father of_the _clans _of of_the_Mərārīte[s] was_Tsūrī^ʼēl/(Zuriel) the _son _of ʼAⱱīhayil at the _side _of the _tabernacle they _will _encamp northward_to.

36 And_the _office _of the _duty _of the _descendants _of Mərārī was_the _frames _of the _tabernacle and_bars _of_its and_pillars _of_its and_bases _of_its and_all articles _of_its and_all/each/any/every service _of_its.

37 And_the _pillars _of the _courtyard all _around and_bases _of_their and_their _tent _of_pegs and_tent-cords _of_their.

38 And_those_who_encamped to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before the_tabernacle eastward_on to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before the _tent _of meeting eastward_toward were_Mosheh and_ʼAhₐron and_sons _of_his who _were_keeping the _duty _of the _sanctuary to_the _duty _of the _people _of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) and_the_stranger (the)_approaching he _will _be _put _to _death.

39 All _of the _enrolled_men_of the _Lēviyyiy whom Mosheh and_ʼAhₐron he _enrolled[fn] on the _mouth _of YHWH to_their_clans every _of male from_a _son _of a _month and_upward_upwards were_two and_twenty thousand.

3:30 OSHB note: BHS has been faithful to the Leningrad Codex where there might be a question of the validity of the form and we keep the same form as BHS.

3:39 OSHB note: Puncta extraordinaria a ◌ׄ is used to mark such marks in the text when they are above the line and a ◌ׅ when they are below the line.

OET by section NUM 3:14

The census of the Levites

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