The Sons of Aaron (Leviticus 10:1–7)
1 DRA These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai. BSB BSB: This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 DRA And these the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar. BSB BSB: These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 DRA These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the functions of priesthood. BSB BSB: These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.
4 DRA Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father. BSB BSB: Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
The Duties of the Levites 5 DRA And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
6 DRA Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron the priest to minister to him, and let them watch, BSB BSB: “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.
7 DRA And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony, BSB BSB: They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle.
8 DRA And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the ministry thereof. BSB BSB: They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.
9 DRA And thou shalt give the Levites for a gift, BSB BSB: Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites.
10 DRA To Aaron and to his sons, to whom they are delivered by the children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of priesthood. The stranger that approacheth to minister, shall be put to death. BSB BSB: So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”
11 DRA And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: BSB BSB: Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12 DRA I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. BSB BSB: “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,
13 DRA For every firstborn is mine: since I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt: I have sanctified to myself whatsoever is firstborn in Israel both of man and beast, they are mine: I am the Lord. BSB BSB: for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.”
The Numbering of the Levites 14 DRA And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying: BSB BSB: Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15 DRA Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and upward. BSB BSB: “Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.”
16 DRA Moses numbered them as the Lord had commanded. BSB BSB: So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.
17 DRA And there were found sons of Levi by their names, Gerson and Caath and Merari. BSB BSB: These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 DRA The sons of Gerson: Lebni and Semei. BSB BSB: These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.
19 DRA The sons of Caath: Amram, and Jesaar, Hebron and Oziel: BSB BSB: The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 DRA The sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi. BSB BSB: And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families.
The Gershonites (Numbers 4:21–28; 1 Chronicles 23:7–11)
21 DRA Of Gerson were two families, the Lebnites, and the Semeites: BSB BSB: From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans.
22 DRA Of which were numbered, people of the male sex from one month and upward, seven thousand five hundred. BSB BSB: The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500.
23 DRA These shall pitch behind the tabernacle on the west, BSB BSB: The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle,
24 DRA Under their prince Eliasaph the son of Lael. BSB BSB: and the leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.
25 DRA And their charge shall be in the tabernacle of the covenant: BSB BSB: The duties of the Gershonites at the Tent of Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its covering, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,
26 DRA The tabernacle itself and the cover thereof, the hanging that is drawn before the doors of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the curtains of the court: the hanging also that is hanged in the entry of the court of the tabernacle, and whatsoever belongeth to the rite of the altar, the cords of the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof. BSB BSB: the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, and the cords—all the service for these items.
The Kohathites (Numbers 4:1–20; 1 Chronicles 23:12–20)
27 DRA Of the kindred of Caath come the families of the Amramites and Jesaarites and Hebronites and Ozielites. These are the families of the Caathites reckoned up by their names: BSB BSB: From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.
28 DRA All of the male sex from one month and upward, eight thousand six hundred: they shall have the guard of the sanctuary, BSB BSB: The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. They were responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.
29 DRA And shall camp on the south side. BSB BSB: The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,
30 DRA And their prince shall be Elisaphan the son of Oziel: BSB BSB: and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
31 DRA And they shall keep the ark, and the table and the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary, wherewith they minister, and the veil, and all the furniture of this kind. BSB BSB: Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.
32 DRA And the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over them that watch for the guard of the sanctuary. BSB BSB: The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.
The Merarites (Numbers 4:29–33; 1 Chronicles 23:21–23)
33 DRA And of Merari are the families of the Moholites, and Musites, reckoned up by their names: BSB BSB: From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.
34 DRA All of the male kind from one month and upward, six thousand two hundred. BSB BSB: The number of all the males a month old or more was 6,200.
35 DRA Their prince Suriel the son of Abihaiel: they shall camp on the north side. BSB BSB: The leader of the families of the Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.
36 DRA Under their custody shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the pillars and their sockets, and all things that pertain to this kind of service: BSB BSB: The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items,
37 DRA And the pillars of the court round about with their sockets, and the pins with their cords. BSB BSB: as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
Moses and Aaron 38 DRA Before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is to say on the east side, shall Moses and Aaron camp, with their sons, having the custody of the sanctuary, in the midst of the children of Israel. What stranger soever cometh unto it, shall be put to death. BSB BSB: Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.
39 DRA All the Levites, that Moses and Aaron numbered according to the precept of the Lord, by their families, of the male kind from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand. BSB BSB: The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s command, including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000.
The Redemption of the Firstborn 40 DRA And the Lord said to Moses: Number the firstborn of the male sex of the children of Israel, from one month and upward, and thou shalt take the sum of them. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites a month old or more, and list their names.
41 DRA And thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the firstborn of the children of Israel, I am the Lord: and their cattle for all the firstborn of the cattle of the children of Israel: BSB BSB: You are to take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.”
42 DRA Moses reckoned up, as the Lord had commanded, the firstborn of the children of Israel: BSB BSB: So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him.
43 DRA And the males by their names, from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three. BSB BSB: The total number of the firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.
44 DRA And the Lord spoke to Moses, saving: BSB BSB: Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
45 DRA Take the Levites for the firstborn of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites for their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord. BSB BSB: “Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites belong to Me; I am the LORD.
46 DRA But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, of the firstborn of the children of Israel, that exceed the number of the Levites, BSB BSB: To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites,
47 DRA Thou shalt take five sides for every head, according to the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols. BSB BSB: you are to collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs.
48 DRA And then shalt give the money to Aaron and his sons, the price of them that are above. BSB BSB: Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the excess among the Israelites.”
49 DRA Moses therefore took the money of them that were above, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites, BSB BSB: So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites.
50 DRA For the firstborn of the children of Israel, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary, BSB BSB: He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
51 DRA And gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word that the Lord had commanded him. BSB BSB: And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the word of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.