Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 This is the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.
1
Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Yahweh spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.
2 Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
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These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 They were anointed and ordained as priests,
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These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
4 but Nadab and Abihu were killed when they offered unholy fire to the Lord in the Sinai Desert. They had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during Aaron's lifetime.
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Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh, when they offered strange fire before Yahweh, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father.
5 The Lord said to Moses,
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
6 "Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest.
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"Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
7 They shall do the work required for the Tent of my presence and perform duties for the priests and for the whole community.
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They shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.
8 They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites.
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They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
9 The only responsibility the Levites have is to serve Aaron and his sons.
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You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.
10 You shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; anyone else who tries to do so shall be put to death."
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You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death."
11 The Lord said to Moses,
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
12 "The Levites are now to be mine. When I killed all the first-born of the Egyptians, I consecrated as my own the oldest son of each Israelite family and the first-born of every animal. Now, instead of having the first-born sons of Israel as my own, I have the Levites; they will belong to me. I am the Lord."
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"Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine:
14 In the Sinai Desert the Lord commanded Moses
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Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15 to register the Levites by clans and families, enrolling every male a month old or older,
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"Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shall you number."
16 and Moses did so.
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Moses numbered them according to the word of Yahweh, as he was commanded.
17 Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, who were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. Gershon had two sons: Libni and Shimei; Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and Merari had two sons: Mahli and Mushi. They were the ancestors of the families that bear their names.
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These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
21 The clan of Gershon was composed of the families of Libni and Shimei.
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Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
22 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 7,500.
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Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those who were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.
23 This clan was to camp on the west behind the Tent,
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The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
24 with Eliasaph son of Lael as chief of the clan.
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The prince of the fathers' house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25 They were responsible for the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the curtain for the entrance,
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The charge of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,
26 the curtains for the court which is around the Tent and the altar, and the curtain for the entrance of the court. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.
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and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.
27 The clan of Kohath was composed of the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
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Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
28 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 8,600.
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According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
29 This clan was to camp on the south side of the Tent,
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The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle.
30 with Elizaphan son of Uzziel as chief of the clan.
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The prince of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31 They were responsible for the Covenant Box, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils the priests use in the Holy Place, and the curtain at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.
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Their charge shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service.
32 The chief of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was in charge of those who carried out the duties in the Holy Place.
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Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the charge of the sanctuary.
33 The clan of Merari was composed of the families of Mahli and Mushi.
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Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari.
34 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 6,200.
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Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.
35 This clan was to camp on the north side of the Tent, with Zuriel son of Abihail as chief of the clan.
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The prince of the fathers' house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle.
36 They were assigned responsibility for the frames for the Tent, its bars, posts, bases, and all its fittings. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.
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The appointed charge of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle's boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service,
37 They were also responsible for the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes for the outer court.
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the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords.
38 Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp in front of the Tent on the east. They were responsible for carrying out the services performed in the Holy Place for the people of Israel. Anyone else who tried to do so was to be put to death.
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Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.
39 The total number of all the Levite males one month old or older that Moses enrolled by clans at the command of the Lord, was 22,000.
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All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Yahweh, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
40 The Lord said to Moses, "All of Israel's first-born sons belong to me. So register by name every first-born male Israelite, one month old or older. But in place of them I claim all the Levites as mine! I am the Lord! I also claim the livestock of the Levites in place of all the first-born of the livestock."
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Yahweh said to Moses, "Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
42 Moses obeyed, and registered all the first-born males
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Moses numbered, as Yahweh commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
43 one month old or older; the total was 22,273.
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All the firstborn males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.
44 The Lord said to Moses,
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
45 "Now dedicate the Levites as mine in place of all the first-born Israelite sons, and dedicate the livestock of the Levites in place of the first-born of the Israelites' livestock.
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"Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine. I am Yahweh.
46 Since the first-born Israelite sons outnumber the Levites by 273, you must buy back the extra sons.
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For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who exceed the number of the Levites,
47 For each one pay five pieces of silver, according to the official standard,
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you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs):
48 and give this money to Aaron and his sons."
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and you shall give the money, with which the remainder of them is redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons."
49 Moses obeyed and took
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Moses took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the Levites;
50 the 1,365 pieces of silver
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from the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
51 and gave them to Aaron and his sons.
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and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.