The tribe of Manasseh will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni.

On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan under their standard. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Okran.

The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan.

These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All the men in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550.

The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.

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

This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.

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.

Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.

Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”

“I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine,

for all the firstborn are mine. 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.”

Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names.

Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.”

So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him.

“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. I am the Lord.

To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites,

Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.”

From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

“This is the work of the Kohathites at the tent of meeting: the care of the most holy things.

When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and put it over the ark of the covenant law.

“Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it.