UST NUM Chapter 3

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3 Here is the list of those who had descended from Aaron and Moses 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 These are the men whom Moses appointed and ordained to minister as 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 desert wilderness around Sinai. Nadab and Abihu did not have any sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests with their father Aaron instead.

5 Yahweh told Moses, 6 “Summon the men who descended from Levi and order them to stand in front of Aaron the priest. They must help him. 7 They are responsible to help Aaron and work for the whole Israelite community at the sacred tent by doing the work associated with the sacred tent. 8 They must also take care of all the things in the sacred tent and work for the Israelites by doing the work associated with the sacred tent. 9 Moses, assign those who descended from Levi to serve Aaron and those who descend from him. Out of all the Israelites, I have assigned exclusively those who descended from Levi to serve Aaron and his family . 10 Assign Aaron and those who descend from him to do the priestly work. If anyone who is not a Levite approaches the sacred tent, the Levites must execute that person.”

11 Yahweh also told Moses, 12 “Note that I indeed have appointed those who descend from Levi out of all the Israelites to serve me instead of appointing the oldest male from every Israelite family. So those who descend from Levi are mine 13 because every firstborn male is mine. I consecrated the oldest male of every Israelite family and the oldest male offspring of all their farm animals when I killed every oldest male in Egypt. They are mine. I am Yahweh.”

14 Yahweh told Moses in the desert wilderness around Sinai, 15 “Count all the males who descended from Levi and are at least one month old. Count them by their ancestral families and tribal groups.” 16 So Moses counted all the males who descended from 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 three tribal groups of those who descended from Levi by their ancestral families. 21 The tribal groups that descended from Libni and Shimei were those that descended from Gershon. These were the two tribal groups that descended from Gershon. 22 Moses counted 7,500 males in total who were at least one month old and had descended from Gershon. 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 two tribal groups that descended from Gershon. 25 At the sacred tent, those who descended from Gershon were responsible to take care of the sacred tent, including the tent itself, what covered it, the curtains at its entrance, 26 the curtains that hang on the fence around the courtyard, the curtains at the entrance of the courtyard that surrounds the sacred tent and the altar, and all the braided cords that they used with these items. 27 The tribal groups that descended from Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel were those that descended from Kohath. These were the four tribal groups that descended from Kohath. 28 8,600 males in total were at least one month old and had descended from Kohath. They were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place. 29 The four tribal groups that descended from Kohath’s sons set up their tents on the southern side of the sacred tent. 30 Uzziel’s son Elizaphan led the four tribal groups that descended from Kohath. 31 Those who descended from Kohath were responsible to take care of the sacred chest, the table, the lampstands, the altar, the items in the Holy Place that they needed to minister, the curtain that covered the entrance of the Holy Place, and everything that they used with these items. 32 Aaron the priest’s son Eleazar led those who led those who descended from Levi. He was in charge of those who were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place. 33 The tribal groups that descended from Mahli and Mushi were those that descended from Merari. These were the two tribal groups that descended from Merari. 34 Moses counted 6,200 males in total who were at least one month old and had descended from Merari. 35 Abihail’s son Zuriel led the two tribal groups that descended from Merari. The two tribal groups set up their tents on the northern side of the sacred tent. 36 Those who descended from Merari were in charge of taking care of the sacred tent’s wooden frame boards, poles, posts, silver bases, all its items, and everything that they used with these items. 37 They were also in charge of taking care of the posts, bases, bronze pins, and braided cords that were parts of the fence surrounding the courtyard. 38 Moses, Aaron, and those who descended from him set up their tents at the sacred tent on its eastern side, close to the sacred tent. They were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place. In this way, they worked for the Israelites. If anyone who was not a Levite approached the sacred tent, the Levites were to execute that person. 39 Moses and Aaron counted 22,000 males in total who were at least one month old and had descended from Levi. Moses and Aaron counted them by their tribal groups as Yahweh had ordered them to do.

40 Yahweh told Moses, “Count all the oldest males who are at least one month old in every Israelite family. List them by name. 41 I am Yahweh. Reserve those who descended from Levi to serve me in place of the oldest males of every Israelite family. Reserve for me also the farm animals of those who descended from Levi in place of every Israelite farm animal’s oldest offspring.” 42 So Moses counted the oldest males in every Israelite family. He did what Yahweh had ordered him to do. 43 Moses counted by name all 22,273 of the oldest males who are at least one month old in every Israelite family.

44 Yahweh told Moses, 45 “Reserve those who descended from Levi in place of the oldest males of every Israelite family. Reserve for me also the farm animals of those who descended from Levi in place of every Israelite farm animal’s oldest offspring. I am Yahweh. Those who descended from Levi are mine. 46 As for the money the Israelites must pay because there are 273 more firstborn Israelite males than there are males who descended from Levi, 47 collect exactly five pieces of silver for each of the 273 additional firstborn males. (Use the official standard for the weight of silver that priests stored in the sacred tent, which is about 11 grams.) 48 Give those pieces of silver to Aaron and his sons. Those pieces will pay for the 273 firstborn Israelite males who were more than the males of those who descended from Levi.” 49 Moses collected the pieces of silver as payment from the 273 firstborn Israelite males who were in addition to those for whom the Levites substituted. 50 Moses collected from the oldest males of every Israelite family a total of 1,365 pieces of silver according to the official standard for the weight of silver that priests stored in the sacred tent. 51 Then Moses gave those 1,365 pieces of silver as payment to Aaron and his sons. He did exactly what Yahweh ordered him to do.

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