UST NUM Chapter 3

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3 Here is a list of the descendants of Aaron and Moses at the time when Yahweh and Moses talked on Mount Sinai. 2 Aaron’s oldest son was Nadab, and his other sons were Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 Those are Aaron's sons, and they were priests. Moses had poured olive oil on them to appoint them as priests, and he had commissioned them to be priests. 4 However, Nadab and Abihu died in front of where Yahweh was present because they presented to him burning coals that he had not authorized. This happened while they were in the desolate area around Sinai. Nadab and Abihu did not have any sons. So, only Eleazar and Ithamar were priests with their father Aaron. 5 Yahweh told Moses, 6 “Summon the descendants of Levi and order them to stand in front of Aaron the priest. They must help Aaron. 7 They must guard Aaron and the whole Israelite community at the sacred tent as they set up and take down the sacred tent. 8 They must guard all the equipment for the sacred tent and the Israelites. They must do that as they set up and take down the sacred tent. 9 Moses, assign the Levites to serve Aaron and his sons. Out of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites exclusively to serve Aaron and his sons. 10 List Aaron and his sons as priests. They must make sure that no one else serves as a priest. If anyone who is not a Levite approaches the sacred tent, someone must execute that person.” 11 Yahweh also told Moses, 12 “Note that it is I who have appointed the Levites out of all the Israelites to serve me. They serve me in place of the oldest male from every Israelite family. So the Levites belong to me. 13 That is because the oldest male from every Israelite family belongs to me. I set apart the oldest male of every Israelite family and the oldest male offspring of all their farm animals when I killed the oldest male from every Egyptian family in Egypt. So, the eldest males belong to me. I am Yahweh.” 14 In the desolate area around Sinai, Yahweh told Moses, 15 “List all the male descendants of Levi who are at least one month old. List them by their ancestral families and tribal groups.” 16 So Moses listed these descendants of Levi. He did exactly what Yahweh ordered him to do. 17 The names of Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 The names of Gershon’s sons by their tribal groups were Libni and Shimei. 19 The names of Kohath’s sons by their tribal groups were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the names of Merari’s sons by their tribal groups were Mahli and Mushi. These were the tribal groups of the Levites by their ancestral families. 21 The two tribal groups that descended from Gershon were the descendants of Libni and the descendants of Shimei. 22 For those two tribal groups, Moses listed 7, 500 men who were at least one month old. 23 The two tribal groups that descended from Gershon set up their tents near the back of the sacred tent on its western side. 24 Lael’s son Eliasaph led the ancestral family that descended from Gershon. 25 At the sacred tent, the descendants of Gershon guarded the inner parts of sacred tent, the outer parts of the sacred tent, what covered this outer part, the curtain at its entrance, 26 the curtains that hang on the fence around the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the sacred tent and the altar, and all the braided cords that they used to set up and take down the curtains. 27 The four tribal groups that descended from Kohath were the descendants of Amram, the descendants of Izhar, the descendants of Hebron, and the descendants of Uzziel. 28 For those four tribal groups, Moses listed 8, 600 men who were at least one month old. They guarded the sacred tent. 29 The four tribal groups that descended from Kohath set up their tents next to the sacred tent on its southern side. 30 Uzziel’s son Elizaphan led the ancestral family that descended from Kohath, which was those four tribal groups. 31 The descendants of Kohath guarded the sacred chest, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the equipment for the sacred tent that the priests use, the curtain that covered the entrance of the Most Holy Place, and everything that they used to set up and take down the curtain. 32 Aaron the priest’s son Eleazar led the men who led the Levites. He was in charge of those who guarded the sacred tent. 33 The two tribal groups that descended from Merari were the descendants of Mahli and the descendants of Mushi. 34 For those two tribal groups, Moses listed 6, 200 men who were at least one month old. 35 Abihail’s son Zuriel led the ancestral family that descended from Merari, which was those two tribal groups. Those two tribal groups set up their tents next to the sacred tent on its northern side. 36 The descendants of Merari were in charge of guarding the sacred tent’s frame boards, poles, posts, bases, and all its equipment, and everything that they used to set up and take down the sacred tent. 37 They were also in charge of guarding the posts, bases, stakes, and braided cords that were parts of the fence surrounding the courtyard. 38 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons set up their tents in front of the entrance to the sacred tent on its eastern side. They guarded the sacred tent, and they guarded the Israelites. If anyone who is not a Levite approaches the sacred tent, someone must execute that person. 39 For the descendants of Levi, Moses and Aaron listed by their tribal groups 22, 000 men who were at least one month old. Moses and Aaron listed them as Yahweh had ordered them to do. 40 Yahweh told Moses, “List all the oldest males from every Israelite family who are at least one month old. Count how many you listed. 41 I am Yahweh. Appoint the Levites to serve me in place of the oldest males from every Israelite family. Appoint for me also the farm animals of the Levites in place of every Israelite family’s farm animal’s oldest male offspring.” 42 So Moses listed the oldest males in every Israelite family. He did what Yahweh had ordered him to do. 43 When Moses listed by name all oldest males from every Israelite family who were at least one month old, there were 22, 273 of them. 44 Then Yahweh told Moses, 45 “In place of the oldest males from every Israelite family, appoint the Levites to serve me. In place of each Israelite family’s farm animal’s oldest male offspring, appoint the farm animals of the Levites to belong to me. I am Yahweh. 46 The Israelites must pay for the 273 more oldest males from Israelite families than there are male Levites. 47 So, collect exactly five pieces of silver for each of the 273 additional firstborn males. Use the same kind of pieces of silver that the priests use in the sacred tent. Each of these piece of silver weighs about 11 grams. 48 Give those pieces of silver to Aaron and his sons. Those pieces will pay for the 273 additional oldest males from Israelite families.” 49 Moses collected those pieces of silver from the 273 oldest males from Israelite families for whom the Levites did not substitute. 50 Moses collected a total of 1, 365 pieces of silver from the oldest males of Israelite families. He collected the same kind of pieces of silver that the priests use in the sacred tent. 51 Then Moses gave those 1, 365 pieces of silver to Aaron and his sons to pay for the additional 273 oldest males from Israelite families. He did exactly what Yahweh ordered him to do.

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