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Numbers 1-3
English Standard Version
Numbers 1-3
English Standard Version
A Census of Israel's Warriors
1 The Lord spoke to Moses (A)in the wilderness of Sinai, (B)in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 (C)“Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, (D)by fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. 3 (E)From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, (F)company by company. 4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers. 5 And these are the names of the men who shall assist you. From Reuben, (G)Elizur the son of Shedeur; 6 from Simeon, (H)Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7 from Judah, (I)Nahshon the son of Amminadab; 8 from Issachar, (J)Nethanel the son of Zuar; 9 from Zebulun, (K)Eliab the son of Helon; 10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim, (L)Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, (M)Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 11 from Benjamin, (N)Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12 from Dan, (O)Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13 from Asher, (P)Pagiel the son of Ochran; 14 from Gad, Eliasaph the son of (Q)Deuel; 15 from Naphtali, (R)Ahira the son of Enan.” 16 These were the ones (S)chosen from the congregation, (T)the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men (U)who had been named, 18 and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head, 19 as the Lord commanded Moses. So he listed them in the wilderness of Sinai.
20 The people of (V)Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 21 those listed of the tribe of Reuben were (W)46,500.
22 Of the people of Simeon, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, those of them who were listed, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 23 those listed of the tribe of Simeon were (X)59,300.
24 Of the people of Gad, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 25 those listed of the tribe of Gad were (Y)45,650.
26 Of the people of Judah, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 27 those listed of the tribe of Judah were (Z)74,600.
28 Of the people of Issachar, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 29 those listed of the tribe of Issachar were (AA)54,400.
30 Of the people of Zebulun, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 31 those listed of the tribe of Zebulun were (AB)57,400.
32 Of the people of Joseph, namely, of the people of Ephraim, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 33 those listed of the tribe of Ephraim were (AC)40,500.
34 Of the people of Manasseh, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 35 those listed of the tribe of Manasseh were (AD)32,200.
36 Of the people of Benjamin, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 37 those listed of the tribe of Benjamin were (AE)35,400.
38 Of the people of Dan, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 39 those listed of the tribe of Dan were (AF)62,700.
40 Of the people of Asher, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 41 those listed of the tribe of Asher were (AG)41,500.
42 Of the people of Naphtali, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 43 those listed of the tribe of Naphtali were (AH)53,400.
44 (AI)These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers' house. 45 So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel— 46 all those listed were (AJ)603,550.
Levites Exempted
47 But (AK)the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe. 48 For the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel. 50 (AL)But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it (AM)and shall camp around the tabernacle. 51 (AN)When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. (AO)And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death. 52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and (AP)each man by his own standard. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no (AQ)wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. (AR)And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.” 54 Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses.
Arrangement of the Camp
2 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 (AS)“The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side. 3 Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being (AT)Nahshon the son of Amminadab, 4 his company as listed being 74,600. 5 Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, the chief of the people of Issachar being Nethanel the son of Zuar, 6 his company as listed being 54,400. 7 Then the tribe of Zebulun, the chief of the people of Zebulun being Eliab the son of Helon, 8 his company as listed being 57,400. 9 All those listed of the camp of Judah, by their companies, were 186,400. (AU)They shall set out first on the march.
10 “On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur, 11 his company as listed being 46,500. 12 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, the chief of the people of Simeon being Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, 13 his company as listed being 59,300. 14 Then the tribe of Gad, the chief of the people of Gad being Eliasaph the son of (AV)Reuel, 15 his company as listed being 45,650. 16 All those listed of the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450. (AW)They shall set out second.
17 (AX)“Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.
18 “On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, the chief of the people of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19 his company as listed being 40,500. 20 And next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, the chief of the people of Manasseh being Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, 21 his company as listed being 32,200. 22 Then the tribe of Benjamin, the chief of the people of Benjamin being Abidan the son of Gideoni, 23 his company as listed being 35,400. 24 All those listed of the camp of Ephraim, by their companies, were 108,100. (AY)They shall set out third on the march.
25 “On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, the chief of the people of Dan being Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26 his company as listed being 62,700. 27 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, the chief of the people of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28 his company as listed being 41,500. 29 Then the tribe of Naphtali, the chief of the people of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan, 30 his company as listed being 53,400. 31 All those listed of the camp of Dan were 157,600. (AZ)They shall set out last, standard by standard.”
32 These are the people of Israel as listed by their fathers' houses. All those listed in the camps by their companies were (BA)603,550. 33 But (BB)the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.
34 Thus did the people of Israel. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, (BC)so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his fathers' house.
The Sons of Aaron
3 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: (BD)Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, (BE)the anointed priests, (BF)whom he ordained to serve as priests. 4 (BG)But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.
Duties of the Levites
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 (BH)“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. 7 They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, (BI)as they minister at the tabernacle. 8 They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. 9 And (BJ)you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are (BK)wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. 10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and (BL)they shall guard their priesthood. But if (BM)any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, (BN)I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, 13 for (BO)all the firstborn are mine. (BP)On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.”
14 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “List the sons of Levi, by fathers' houses and by clans; (BQ)every male from a month old and upward you shall list.” 16 So Moses listed them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17 (BR)And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: (BS)Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their clans: (BT)Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their clans: (BU)Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers' houses.
21 To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites. 22 Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was[a] 7,500. 23 (BV)The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, 24 with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers' house of the Gershonites. 25 And the (BW)guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved (BX)the tabernacle, (BY)the tent with (BZ)its covering, (CA)the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26 (CB)the hangings of the court, (CC)the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and (CD)its cords—all the service connected with these.
27 To Kohath belonged the clan of the (CE)Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites. 28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary. 29 The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, 30 with (CF)Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers' house of the clans of the Kohathites. 31 And their guard duty involved (CG)the ark, (CH)the table, (CI)the lampstand, (CJ)the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and (CK)the screen; all the service connected with these. 32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary.
33 To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari. 34 Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200. 35 And the chief of the fathers' house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 (CL)And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the (CM)frames of the tabernacle, (CN)the bars, (CO)the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these; 37 also (CP)the pillars around the court, with their bases and (CQ)pegs and (CR)cords.
38 Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, (CS)guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect[b] the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death. 39 All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the Lord, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were (CT)22,000.
Redemption of the Firstborn
40 And the Lord said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. 41 (CU)And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” 42 So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.
44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 (CV)“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord. 46 And (CW)as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47 you shall take (CX)five shekels[c] per head; you shall take them according to (CY)the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs[d]), 48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, (CZ)1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses (DA)gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 3:22 Hebrew their listing was
- Numbers 3:38 Hebrew guard
- Numbers 3:47 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- Numbers 3:47 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram
Numbers 1-3
New International Version
Numbers 1-3
New International Version
The Census
1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting(A) in the Desert of Sinai(B) on the first day of the second month(C) of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt.(D) He said: 2 “Take a census(E) of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families,(F) listing every man by name,(G) one by one. 3 You and Aaron(H) are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more(I) and able to serve in the army.(J) 4 One man from each tribe,(K) each of them the head of his family,(L) is to help you.(M) 5 These are the names(N) of the men who are to assist you:
from Reuben,(O) Elizur son of Shedeur;(P)
6 from Simeon,(Q) Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;(R)
7 from Judah,(S) Nahshon son of Amminadab;(T)
8 from Issachar,(U) Nethanel son of Zuar;(V)
9 from Zebulun,(W) Eliab son of Helon;(X)
10 from the sons of Joseph:
from Ephraim,(Y) Elishama son of Ammihud;(Z)
from Manasseh,(AA) Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;(AB)
11 from Benjamin,(AC) Abidan son of Gideoni;(AD)
12 from Dan,(AE) Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;(AF)
13 from Asher,(AG) Pagiel son of Okran;(AH)
16 These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders(AM) of their ancestral tribes.(AN) They were the heads of the clans of Israel.(AO)
17 Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified, 18 and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month.(AP) The people registered their ancestry(AQ) by their clans and families,(AR) and the men twenty years old or more(AS) were listed by name, one by one, 19 as the Lord commanded Moses. And so he counted(AT) them in the Desert of Sinai:
20 From the descendants of Reuben(AU) the firstborn son(AV) of Israel:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. 21 The number from the tribe of Reuben(AW) was 46,500.
22 From the descendants of Simeon:(AX)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. 23 The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.(AY)
24 From the descendants of Gad:(AZ)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 25 The number from the tribe of Gad(BA) was 45,650.
26 From the descendants of Judah:(BB)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 27 The number from the tribe of Judah(BC) was 74,600.
28 From the descendants of Issachar:(BD)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 29 The number from the tribe of Issachar(BE) was 54,400.(BF)
30 From the descendants of Zebulun:(BG)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 31 The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.(BH)
32 From the sons of Joseph:(BI)
From the descendants of Ephraim:(BJ)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 33 The number from the tribe of Ephraim(BK) was 40,500.
34 From the descendants of Manasseh:(BL)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 35 The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.
36 From the descendants of Benjamin:(BM)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 37 The number from the tribe of Benjamin(BN) was 35,400.
38 From the descendants of Dan:(BO)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 39 The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.(BP)
40 From the descendants of Asher:(BQ)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 41 The number from the tribe of Asher(BR) was 41,500.
42 From the descendants of Naphtali:(BS)
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 43 The number from the tribe of Naphtali(BT) was 53,400.(BU)
44 These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron(BV) and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. 45 All the Israelites twenty years old or more(BW) who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families.(BX) 46 The total number was 603,550.(BY)
47 The ancestral tribe of the Levites,(BZ) however, was not counted(CA) along with the others. 48 The Lord had said to Moses: 49 “You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. 50 Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle(CB) of the covenant law(CC)—over all its furnishings(CD) and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. 51 Whenever the tabernacle(CE) is to move,(CF) the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.(CG) Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.(CH) 52 The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard.(CI) 53 The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle(CJ) of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall(CK) on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.(CL)”
54 The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Arrangement of the Tribal Camps
2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard(CM) and holding the banners of their family.”
3 On the east, toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.(CN) 4 His division numbers 74,600.
5 The tribe of Issachar(CO) will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar.(CP) 6 His division numbers 54,400.
7 The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon.(CQ) 8 His division numbers 57,400.
9 All the men assigned to the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. They will set out first.(CR)
10 On the south(CS) will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur.(CT) 11 His division numbers 46,500.
12 The tribe of Simeon(CU) will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.(CV) 13 His division numbers 59,300.
14 The tribe of Gad(CW) will be next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel.[a](CX) 15 His division numbers 45,650.
16 All the men assigned to the camp of Reuben,(CY) according to their divisions, number 151,450. They will set out second.
17 Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites(CZ) will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard.
18 On the west(DA) will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim(DB) under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud.(DC) 19 His division numbers 40,500.
20 The tribe of Manasseh(DD) will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.(DE) 21 His division numbers 32,200.
22 The tribe of Benjamin(DF) will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni.(DG) 23 His division numbers 35,400.
24 All the men assigned to the camp of Ephraim,(DH) according to their divisions, number 108,100. They will set out third.(DI)
25 On the north(DJ) will be the divisions of the camp of Dan under their standard.(DK) The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.(DL) 26 His division numbers 62,700.
27 The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Okran.(DM) 28 His division numbers 41,500.
29 The tribe of Naphtali(DN) will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan.(DO) 30 His division numbers 53,400.
31 All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last,(DP) under their standards.
32 These are the Israelites, counted according to their families.(DQ) All the men in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550.(DR) 33 The Levites, however, were not counted(DS) along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.
34 So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family.
The Levites
3 This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses(DT) at the time the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.(DU)
2 The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn(DV) and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.(DW) 3 Those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests,(DX) who were ordained to serve as priests. 4 Nadab and Abihu, however, died before the Lord(DY) when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai.(DZ) They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar(EA) served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.(EB)
5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi(EC) and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.(ED) 7 They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community(EE) at the tent of meeting by doing the work(EF) of the tabernacle. 8 They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. 9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons;(EG) they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.[b] 10 Appoint Aaron(EH) and his sons to serve as priests;(EI) anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”(EJ)
11 The Lord also said to Moses, 12 “I have taken the Levites(EK) from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring(EL) of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine,(EM) 13 for all the firstborn are mine.(EN) When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”(EO)
14 The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,(EP) 15 “Count(EQ) the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.”(ER) 16 So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.
17 These were the names of the sons of Levi:(ES)
Gershon,(ET) Kohath(EU) and Merari.(EV)
18 These were the names of the Gershonite clans:
Libni and Shimei.(EW)
19 The Kohathite clans:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(EX)
20 The Merarite clans:(EY)
Mahli and Mushi.(EZ)
These were the Levite clans, according to their families.
21 To Gershon(FA) belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites;(FB) these were the Gershonite clans. 22 The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500. 23 The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle.(FC) 24 The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 At the tent of meeting the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle(FD) and tent, its coverings,(FE) the curtain at the entrance(FF) to the tent of meeting,(FG) 26 the curtains of the courtyard(FH), the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar,(FI) and the ropes(FJ)—and everything(FK) related to their use.
27 To Kohath(FL) belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites;(FM) these were the Kohathite(FN) clans. 28 The number of all the males a month old or more(FO) was 8,600.[c] The Kohathites were responsible(FP) for the care of the sanctuary.(FQ) 29 The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side(FR) of the tabernacle. 30 The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan(FS) son of Uzziel. 31 They were responsible for the care of the ark,(FT) the table,(FU) the lampstand,(FV) the altars,(FW) the articles(FX) of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain,(FY) and everything related to their use.(FZ) 32 The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar(GA) son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible(GB) for the care of the sanctuary.(GC)
33 To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites;(GD) these were the Merarite clans.(GE) 34 The number of all the males a month old or more(GF) who were counted was 6,200. 35 The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.(GG) 36 The Merarites were appointed(GH) to take care of the frames of the tabernacle,(GI) its crossbars,(GJ) posts,(GK) bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use,(GL) 37 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard(GM) with their bases, tent pegs(GN) and ropes.
38 Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east(GO) of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting.(GP) They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary(GQ) on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.(GR)
39 The total number of Levites counted(GS) at the Lord’s command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.(GT)
40 The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more(GU) and make a list of their names.(GV) 41 Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites,(GW) and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.”(GX)
42 So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. 43 The total number of firstborn males a month old or more,(GY) listed by name, was 22,273.(GZ)
44 The Lord also 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 are to be mine.(HA) I am the Lord.(HB) 46 To redeem(HC) the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, 47 collect five shekels[d](HD) for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel,(HE) which weighs twenty gerahs.(HF) 48 Give the money for the redemption(HG) of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.”(HH)
49 So Moses collected the redemption money(HI) from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the Israelites(HJ) he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels,[e](HK) according to the sanctuary shekel. 51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Numbers 2:14 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Vulgate (see also 1:14); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Reuel
- Numbers 3:9 Most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also 8:16) to me
- Numbers 3:28 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts 8,300
- Numbers 3:47 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams
- Numbers 3:50 That is, about 35 pounds or about 16 kilograms
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.