The Sons of Aaron (Leviticus 10:1–7)
1 UDB These are some of the things that happened to Aaron and Moses when Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. BSB BSB: This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 UDB Aaron had four sons. They were Nadab the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. BSB BSB: These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 UDB These are the names of Aaron's sons who were anointed priests and set apart as priests and whom he ordained to serve as priests. BSB BSB: These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.
4 UDB But, while Yahweh was watching, Nadab and Abihu died in the wilderness of Sinai because they burned incense in a manner that was disobedient to what Yahweh had commanded. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar were the only sons of Aaron who were left to be priests, along with their father Aaron. 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 UDB Then Yahweh said to Moses, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
6 UDB "Bring the men of the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron, in order that they may assist him. BSB BSB: “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.
7 UDB They will serve Aaron and all the other Israelite people, while they do their work inside the sacred tent and outside it. 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 UDB They must serve all the Israelite people by taking care of all the things that are inside the sacred tent. 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 UDB Appoint them to help Aaron and his two sons. I have chosen them from all the Israelite people to do that. BSB BSB: Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites.
10 UDB Appoint Aaron and his two sons to do the work that priests do. But anyone else who comes close to the sacred tent to do that work must be executed." 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 UDB Yahweh also told Moses, BSB BSB: Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12 UDB "Note that from all the Israelites I have chosen the men of the tribe of Levi to take the places of all the firstborn sons of the Israelite people. The male descendants of Levi belong to me, 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 UDB because truly all the firstborn males belong to me. That is because on the day that I killed all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt, I spared all the firstborn sons of the Israelites and set them apart for myself. I also set apart the firstborn males of your domestic animals. They belong to me, Yahweh." 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 UDB Yahweh spoke to Moses again in the wilderness of Sinai. He said, BSB BSB: Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15 UDB "Count the male members of the tribe of Levi. Write down their names and the names of their clans and family groups. Count all the males who are at least one month old." BSB BSB: “Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.”
16 UDB So Moses counted them, just as Yahweh commanded. BSB BSB: So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.
17 UDB Levi had three sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. BSB BSB: These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 UDB Gershon had two sons: Libni and Shimei. The clans who were descended from them had the same names as those two sons. BSB BSB: These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.
19 UDB Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The clans who were descended from them had the same names as those four sons. BSB BSB: The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 UDB Merari had two sons: Mahli and Mushi. The clans who were descended from them had the same names as those two sons. Those are the clans who were descended from Levi. 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 UDB The two clans descended from Gershon are those that were descended from his sons Libni and Shimei. BSB BSB: From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans.
22 UDB In those two clans there were 7,500 males who were at least one month old. BSB BSB: The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500.
23 UDB They were told to set up their tents on the west side of the sacred tent. BSB BSB: The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle,
24 UDB The leader of those two clans was Eliasaph son of Lael. BSB BSB: and the leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.
25 UDB Their work was to take care of the sacred tent, including its curtains and coverings and the curtain at its entrance, 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 UDB the curtains that formed the walls around the courtyard that is around the tent and around the altar, the curtains that were at the entrance of the courtyard, and the ropes for fastening the tent. They also did all the work of taking care of the things outside the sacred tent. 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 UDB The clans that were descended from Kohath were those descended from his sons Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 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 UDB In those four clans there were 8,600 males who were at least one month old. The work of the men of the clans was to take care of the things that are inside the sacred tent. 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 UDB They set up their tents on the south side of the sacred tent. BSB BSB: The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,
30 UDB The leader of those four clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. BSB BSB: and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
31 UDB The work of the men of those clans was to take care of the sacred chest, the table on which the priest put the sacred bread, the lampstand, the altars, all the items that the priest used in the sacred tent, and the curtain that is inside the tent. Their work was also to take care of the things inside the tent. 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 UDB Aaron's son Eleazar was the leader of all the male descendants of Levi. He supervised all the work that was done at the sacred tent. 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 UDB The clans that were descended from Merari were those descended from his sons Mahli and Mushi. BSB BSB: From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.
34 UDB In those two clans there were 6,200 males who were at least one month old. BSB BSB: The number of all the males a month old or more was 6,200.
35 UDB They were told to set up their tents on the north side of the sacred tent. The leader of those two clans was Zuriel son of Abihail. 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 UDB The work of the men of those two clans was to take care of the frames that held up the tent, the crossbars, the pillars, and the bases. They also did all the work that was connected with those items. 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 UDB Their work was also to take care of the posts that held up the curtains that formed the walls of the courtyard, and all the bases, tent pegs, and ropes that fastened those curtains. BSB BSB: as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
Moses and Aaron 38 UDB Aaron and Moses and Aaron's sons were told to set up their tents in the area in front of the sacred tent, on the east side. Their work was to supervise the work that would be done in and around the sacred tent, for the benefit of the Israelite people. Only the priests were permitted to do that. Yahweh declared that anyone else who went near the tent to do the work that the priests do must be executed. 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 UDB When Aaron and Moses counted all the males who were at least one month old, who belonged to the clans descended from Levi, the total was 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 UDB Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Now count all the other firstborn males in Israel who are at least one month old, and write down their names. 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 UDB Also, set apart for me the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn males of the other Israelites. And set apart for me the livestock of the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the other Israelite people." 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 UDB So Moses did that. He counted the firstborn males of all the Israelite people, as Yahweh had commanded. BSB BSB: So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him.
43 UDB The total of those who were at least one month old was 22,273. BSB BSB: The total number of the firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.
44 UDB Then Yahweh said to Moses, BSB BSB: Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
45 UDB "Set apart the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn males of the other Israelite people. The descendants of Levi belong to me, Yahweh. 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 UDB There are 273 more firstborn males of the other Israelite people than of the descendants of Levi. BSB BSB: To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites,
47 UDB To pay for these 273 males, collect five pieces of silver for each of them. Each of those pieces of silver must weigh the same as each of the silver pieces that are stored in the sacred tent. Give this silver to Aaron and his sons." BSB BSB: you are to collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs.
49 UDB So Moses did that. He collected the silver from those 273 males. BSB BSB: So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites.
50 UDB The total was 1,365 pieces of silver. Each silver piece weighed the same as each of the silver pieces stored in the sacred tent. BSB BSB: He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
51 UDB Moses gave these silver pieces to Aaron and his sons, as Yahweh had commanded. 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.