Numbers 3; Numbers 4; Mark 3:20-35

Numbers 3

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

2 Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3 They were anointed and ordained as priests,

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.

5 The Lord said to Moses,

6 "Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest.

7 They shall do the work required for the Tent of my presence and perform duties for the priests and for the whole community.

8 They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites.

9 The only responsibility the Levites have is to serve Aaron and his sons.

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."

11 The Lord said to Moses,

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."

14 In the Sinai Desert the Lord commanded Moses

15 to register the Levites by clans and families, enrolling every male a month old or older,

16 and Moses did so.

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.

21 The clan of Gershon was composed of the families of Libni and Shimei.

22 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 7,500.

23 This clan was to camp on the west behind the Tent,

24 with Eliasaph son of Lael as chief of the clan.

25 They were responsible for the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the curtain for the entrance,

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.

27 The clan of Kohath was composed of the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

28 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 8,600.

29 This clan was to camp on the south side of the Tent,

30 with Elizaphan son of Uzziel as chief of the clan.

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.

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.

33 The clan of Merari was composed of the families of Mahli and Mushi.

34 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 6,200.

35 This clan was to camp on the north side of the Tent, with Zuriel son of Abihail as chief of the clan.

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.

37 They were also responsible for the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes for the outer court.

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.

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.

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."

42 Moses obeyed, and registered all the first-born males

43 one month old or older; the total was 22,273.

44 The Lord said to Moses,

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.

46 Since the first-born Israelite sons outnumber the Levites by 273, you must buy back the extra sons.

47 For each one pay five pieces of silver, according to the official standard,

48 and give this money to Aaron and his sons."

49 Moses obeyed and took

50 the 1,365 pieces of silver

51 and gave them to Aaron and his sons.

Numbers 4

1 The Lord told Moses

2 to take a census of the Levite clan of Kohath by subclans and families,

3 and to register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord's presence.

4 Their service involves the most holy things.

5 The Lord gave Moses the following instructions. When it is time to break camp, Aaron and his sons shall enter the Tent, take down the curtain in front of the Covenant Box, and cover the Box with it.

6 They shall put a fine leather cover over it, spread a cloth of solid blue on top, and then insert the carrying poles.

7 They shall spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread offered to the Lord and put on it the dishes, the incense bowls, the offering bowls, and the jars for the wine offering. There shall always be bread on the table.

8 They shall spread a red cloth over all of this, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles.

9 They shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand, with its lamps, tongs, trays, and all the olive oil containers.

10 They shall wrap it and all its equipment in a fine leather cover and place it on a carrying frame.

11 Next they shall spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles.

12 They shall take all the utensils used in the Holy Place, wrap them in a blue cloth, put a fine leather cover over them, and place them on a carrying frame.

13 They shall remove the greasy ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

14 They shall put on it all the equipment used in the service at the altar: fire pans, hooks, shovels, and basins. Then they shall put a fine leather cover over it and insert the carrying poles.

15 When it is time to break camp, the clan of Kohath shall come to carry the sacred objects only after Aaron and his sons have finished covering them and all their equipment. The Kohath clan must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. These are the responsibilities of the Kohath clan whenever the Tent is moved.

16 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall be responsible for the whole Tent and for the oil for the lamps, the incense, the grain offerings, the anointing oil, and everything else in the Tent that has been consecrated to the Lord.

17 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

18 "Do not let the clan of Kohath

19 be killed by coming near these most sacred objects. To prevent this from happening, Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each man his task and tell him what to carry.

20 But if the Kohathites enter the Tent and see the priests preparing the sacred objects for moving, they will die."

21 The Lord told Moses

22 to take a census of the Levite clan of Gershon by subclans and families,

23 and to register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord's presence.

24 They shall be responsible for carrying the following objects:

25 the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the fine leather cover on top of it, the curtain for the entrance,

26 the curtains and ropes for the court that is around the Tent and the altar, the curtains for the entrance of the court, and all the fittings used in setting up these objects. They shall perform all the tasks required for these things.

27 Moses and Aaron shall see to it that the Gershonites perform all the duties and carry everything that Aaron and his sons assign to them.

28 These are the responsibilities of the Gershon clan in the Tent; they shall carry them out under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

29 The Lord told Moses to take a census of the Levite clan of Merari by subclans and families,

30 and to register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord's presence.

31 They shall be responsible for carrying the frames, bars, posts, and bases of the Tent,

32 and the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes of the court around the Tent, with all the fittings used in setting them up. Each man will be responsible for carrying specific items.

33 These are the responsibilities of the Merari clan in their service in the Tent; they shall carry them out under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

34 Following the Lord's command, Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the community took a census of the three Levite clans, Kohath, Gershon, and Merari. They did this by subclans and families and registered all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord's presence, as follows:

49 Each man was registered as the Lord had commanded Moses; and at the command of the Lord given through Moses, each man was assigned responsibility for his task of serving or carrying.

Mark 3:20-35

20 Then Jesus went home. Again such a large crowd gathered that Jesus and his disciples had no time to eat.

21 When his family heard about it, they set out to take charge of him, because people were saying, "He's gone mad!"

22 Some teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem were saying, "He has Beelzebul in him! It is the chief of the demons who gives him the power to drive them out."

23 So Jesus called them to him and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan?

24 If a country divides itself into groups which fight each other, that country will fall apart.

25 If a family divides itself into groups which fight each other, that family will fall apart.

26 So if Satan's kingdom divides into groups, it cannot last, but will fall apart and come to an end.

27 "No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house.

28 "I assure you that people can be forgiven all their sins and all the evil things they may say.

29 But whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, because he has committed an eternal sin."

30 (Jesus said this because some people were saying, "He has an evil spirit in him.")

31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside the house and sent in a message, asking for him.

32 A crowd was sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, and they want you."

33 Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

34 He looked at the people sitting around him and said, "Look! Here are my mother and my brothers!

35 Whoever does what God wants is my brother, my sister, my mother."