Chapter 3
1 Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day
that HaShem spoke with Moses in mount Sinai.
2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the
first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests that
were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
4 And Nadab and Abihu died before HaShem, when they offered
strange fire before HaShem, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no
children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the
presence of Aaron their father.
5 And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:
6 'Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron
the priest, that they may minister unto him.
7 And 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 And they shall keep all the furniture of the tent of
meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the
tabernacle.
9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons;
they are wholly given unto him from the children of Israel.
10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, that they may
keep their priesthood; and the common man that draweth nigh shall be put to
death.'
11 And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:
12 'And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the
children of Israel instead of every first-born that openeth the womb among the
children of Israel; and the Levites shall be Mine;
13 for all the first-born are Mine: on the day that I smote
all the first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the first-born in
Israel, both man and beast, Mine they shall be: I am HaShem.'
14 And HaShem spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai,
saying:
15 'Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by
their families; every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.'
16 And Moses numbered them according to the word of HaShem,
as he was commanded.
17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon,
and Kohath, and Merari.
18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their
families: Libni and Shimei.
19 And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar,
Hebron and Uzziel.
20 And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi.
These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.
21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family
of the Shimeites; these are the families of the Gershonites.
22 Those 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.
23 The families of the Gershonites were to pitch behind the
tabernacle westward;
24 the prince of the fathers' house of the Gershonites being
Eliasaph the son of Lael,
25 and the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of
meeting the tabernacle, and the Tent, the covering thereof, and the screen for
the door of the tent of meeting,
26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door
of the court--which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar, round about--and the
cords of it, even whatsoever pertaineth to the service thereof.
27 And 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 according to the number of all the males, from a month old
and upward, eight thousand and six hundred, keepers of the charge of the
sanctuary.
29 The families of the sons of Kohath were to pitch on the
side of the tabernacle southward;
30 the prince of the fathers' house of the families of the
Kohathites being Elizaphan the son of Uzziel,
31 and their charge the ark, and the table, and the
candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith the
priests minister, and the screen, and all that pertaineth to the service
thereof;
32 Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest being prince of the
princes of the Levites, and having the oversight of them that keep the charge of
the sanctuary.
33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family
of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.
34 And 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;
35 the prince of the fathers' house of the families of Merari
being Zuriel the son of Abihail; they were to pitch on the side of the
tabernacle northward;
36 the appointed charge of the sons of Merari being the
boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the
sockets thereof, and all the instruments thereof, and all that pertaineth to the
service thereof;
37 and the pillars of the court round about, and their
sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
38 And those that were to pitch before the tabernacle
eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron
and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, even the charge for the
children of Israel; and the common man that drew nigh was to be put to death.
39 All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and
Aaron numbered at the commandment of HaShem, by their families, all the males
from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.
40 And HaShem said unto Moses: 'Number all the first-born
males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number
of their names.
41 And thou shalt take the Levites for Me, even HaShem,
instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of
the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of
Israel.'
42 And Moses numbered, as HaShem commanded him, all the
first-born among the children of Israel.
43 And all the first-born males according to 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.
44 And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:
45 'Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the
children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and
the Levites shall be Mine, even HaShem'S.
46 And as for the redemption of the two hundred and three
score and thirteen of the first-born of the children of Israel, that are over
and above the number of the Levites,
47 thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll; after the
shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them--the shekel is twenty gerahs.
48 And thou shalt give the money wherewith they that remain
over of them are redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons.'
49 And Moses took the redemption-money from them that were
over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites;
50 from the first-born of the children of Israel took he the
money: a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the
shekel of the sanctuary.
51 And Moses gave the redemption-money unto Aaron and to his
sons, according to the word of HaShem, as HaShem commanded Moses.
Sources: Portions copyright © 1997 by Benyamin Pilant, All Rights Reserved
JPS Electronic Edition, based on the 1917 JPS translation, Copyright © 1998 by Larry Nelson, All Rights Reserved
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