Aaron's Sons
3 1 This is the family line of Aaron and Moses, when our Father spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests whom Moses ordained to serve as priests. 4 Nadab and Abihu died before our Father in the wilderness of Sinai when they offered unauthorized fire before him; they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests before Aaron their father.
5 Then our Father said to Moses:
6 Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, to serve him. 7 They shall keep his duties and those of the whole community before the tent of meeting, performing the tabernacle's service. 8 They shall guard all the tent of meeting's equipment and the Israelites' duty, doing the tabernacle's service. 9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are given entirely to him from among Israel's people. 10 Appoint Aaron and his sons to guard their priesthood; any outsider who comes near must die.
11 Then our Father said to Moses:
12 Look, I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of every firstborn that opens the womb among the Israelites. The Levites are mine, a a v12 The Levites take the place of Israel's firstborn sons, who were originally set apart for God when he struck down Egypt's firstborn at the Exodus (see Exodus 13:2). 13 Every firstborn is mine. The day I struck down every firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel—both man and animal. They will be mine. I am your Father.
14 Then our Father spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai:
15 Count Levi's sons by fathers' houses and clans; count every male a month old and up.
16 So Moses counted them at the word of our Father, just as he had been commanded.
17 These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. 19 The sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 Merari's sons by clan: Mahli and Mushi. These are the Levite clans by fathers' houses.
21 From Gershon: the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan—these are the Gershonite clans. 22 The number of males counted, a month old or older, was seven thousand five hundred.
23 The clans of the Gershonites camped behind the tabernacle on the west. 24 The leader of the fathers' house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 Gershon's sons at the tent of meeting cared for the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, and the entrance screen of the tent of meeting. 26 the courtyard's curtains and its entrance screen, surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and its cords for all its service.
27 From Kohath came the Amramite clan, the Izharite clan, the Hebronite clan, and the Uzzielite clan; these are the clans of the Kohathites. 28 Males a month old and up numbered eight thousand six hundred, in charge of the sanctuary.
29 The clans of the sons of Kohath camped on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 The leader of the fathers' house of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31 They cared for the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sanctuary vessels used in service, the screen, and all its work. 32 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest was chief leader of the Levites, in charge of those guarding the sanctuary.
33 From Merari: the Mahlite clan and the Mushite clan — these are Merari's clans. 34 The number of males counted, a month old or older, was six thousand two hundred.
35 Leader of Merarite clans' ancestral house: Zuriel son of Abihail; they camped on the tabernacle's north side. 36 Merari's sons were charged with the tabernacle's frames, crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and all its service, 37 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, pegs, and cords.
38 Camped east of the tabernacle, in front of the tent of meeting toward sunrise, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, who kept charge of the sanctuary for the Israelites; any outsider who approached was to be put to death. 39 All the Levites whom Moses and Aaron counted at our Father's command, by their clans, every male a month old and up: twenty-two thousand.
Redeeming the Firstborn
40 Then our Father said to Moses, "Count every firstborn male of Israel a month old or older, and record the number of their names." 41 Take the Levites for me — I am your Father — in place of every firstborn among the people of Israel, and the Levites' livestock in place of every firstborn among Israel's livestock.
42 So Moses counted every firstborn among the people of Israel, just as our Father had commanded him. 43 All firstborn males, a month or older, listed by name: twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.
44 Then our Father spoke to Moses:
45 Take the Levites instead of every firstborn among Israel's people, and the Levites' livestock instead of theirs. The Levites will be mine. I am your Father. 46 To redeem the two hundred seventy-three firstborn Israelites exceeding the Levites' count, 47 Collect about 2 ounces per person, by sanctuary standard (each shekel about half an ounce of silver). 48 Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the extra firstborn sons.
49 So Moses collected the redemption money from the firstborn sons who exceeded the number of the Levites; 50 From Israel's firstborn sons he took 1,360 — about 2 ounces, by the sanctuary standard. 51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, by our Father's word, just as our Father commanded Moses.
