Numbers

These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.

1This is the family record of Aaron and Moses. It comes from the time God spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

2And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

2These are the names of Aaron's sons. Nadab was the oldest. Then came Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.

3These were Aaron's sons. They were priests, men chosen to serve God for the people. Oil was poured on them to set them apart for that work.

4And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.

4Nadab and Abihu died in front of the LORD. They had offered fire that God did not ask for. This happened in the desert of Sinai. They had no sons. So only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests while their father Aaron was alive.

NoteThe old wording says Nadab and Abihu offered "strange fire." That does not mean odd or spooky fire. It means fire that God had not told them to bring.

5And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

5The LORD said to Moses,

6Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.

6"Bring the tribe of Levi, one big family group, to Aaron the priest. They will help him do his work."

7And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

7"They will do jobs for Aaron and for all the people. They will work at the holy tent where God meets his people."

8And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

8"They will take care of all the things kept in that tent. They will do this work for all the people of Israel."

9And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

9"Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. Out of all Israel, they are handed over to him alone."

10And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

10"Give Aaron and his sons the work of the priests. Anyone else who comes near must be put to death."

NoteThe old wording says "the stranger that cometh nigh." A stranger here is not a visitor from far away. It means anyone who is not a priest.

11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

11The LORD said to Moses,

12And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;

12"Look, I have taken the Levites out of Israel. I take them in place of every firstborn son. A firstborn son is the first baby boy a mother has. So the Levites belong to me."

NoteThe old wording says "openeth the matrix." That is an old way of saying the first baby a mother gives birth to.

13Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.

13"Every firstborn belongs to me. On the day I struck down every firstborn in Egypt, I set apart Israel's firstborn for myself. That means people and animals too. They are mine. I am the LORD."

14And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

14The LORD spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai. He said,

15Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.

15"Count the sons of Levi, family group by family group. Count every boy who is one month old or older."

16And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

16So Moses counted them, just as the LORD told him to.

17And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

17These were the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

18And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.

18These were the sons of Gershon and their family groups: Libni and Shimei.

19And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

19The sons of Kohath and their family groups were Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.

20The sons of Merari and their family groups were Mahli and Mushi. These were all the family groups of the Levites.

21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.

21From Gershon came the Libnite family and the Shimeite family. These were the Gershonite families.

22Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.

22All their boys one month old or older were counted. There were 7,500 of them.

23The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.

23The Gershonite families camped behind the holy tent, on the west side.

24And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.

24Their leader was Eliasaph son of Lael.

25And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

25The sons of Gershon took care of the holy tent. They looked after the tent, its covering, and the curtain at its door.

26And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

26They also cared for the curtains around the yard. That yard went around the tent and the altar. The altar was a special table where gifts were burned for God. They cared for the yard's door curtain and all its ropes.

27And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.

27From Kohath came the Amramite, Izeharite, Hebronite, and Uzzielite families. These were the Kohathite families.

28In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

28All their boys one month old or older came to 8,600. They took care of the holy place.

29The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

29The Kohathite families camped on the south side of the holy tent.

30And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

30Their leader was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

31And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

31They took care of the ark, the gold box that held God's rules. They also cared for the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the holy dishes and tools. They cared for the curtain too.

32And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

32Eleazar son of Aaron the priest was the head leader of the Levites. He watched over the men who cared for the holy place.

33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.

33From Merari came the Mahlite family and the Mushite family. These were Merari's families.

34And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.

34All their boys one month old or older came to 6,200.

35And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.

35Their leader was Zuriel son of Abihail. They camped on the north side of the holy tent.

36And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,

36The sons of Merari took care of the tent's wooden frames. They also cared for its bars, posts, bases, and all its parts.

37And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

37They also cared for the posts around the yard. That included their bases, their tent pegs, and their ropes.

38But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

38Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons camped in front of the tent, on the east side. They did the holy work for all the people of Israel. Anyone else who came near had to be put to death.

39All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.

39Moses and Aaron counted all the Levites, just as the LORD said. All the boys one month old or older came to 22,000.

40And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

40The LORD said to Moses, "Count every firstborn boy in Israel who is one month old or older. Write down their names."

41And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.

41"Take the Levites for me instead of Israel's firstborn sons. I am the LORD. Take the Levites' animals instead of Israel's firstborn animals."

42And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

42So Moses counted all the firstborn sons of Israel, just as the LORD told him.

43And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.

43All the firstborn boys one month old or older were listed by name. There were 22,273 of them.

44And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

44The LORD said to Moses,

45Take 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 the LORD.

45"Take the Levites instead of Israel's firstborn sons. Take their animals instead of Israel's animals. The Levites are mine. I am the LORD."

46And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;

46"There are 273 more firstborn sons than there are Levites. A price must be paid for those extra ones."

47Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:)

47"Collect five silver shekels for each of them. Weigh the silver the way it is weighed at the holy tent. One shekel there weighs twenty gerahs."

NoteA shekel was a weight of silver, not a coin. A gerah was a much smaller weight, and twenty gerahs made one shekel.

48And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.

48"Give that money to Aaron and his sons. It pays for the extra firstborn sons."

49And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:

49So Moses collected that money. It was for the ones left over after the Levites took the firstborn's place.

50Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

50He took the money from Israel's firstborn sons. It came to 1,365 shekels, weighed the holy tent way.

51And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

51Moses gave the money to Aaron and his sons. He did exactly what the LORD had told him.