^33 (A)The Levites, however, were not numbered among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses ^(A)in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, ¹⁵ “^[a](B)Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number.” ¹⁶ So Moses numbered them according to the ^[b]word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded. ^17 (C)These then are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. ¹⁸ These are the names of the ^(D)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’ households.

²¹ Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites. ²² Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men were 7,500. ²³ The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the ^[c]tabernacle westward, ²⁴ and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

Duties of the Priests

²⁵ Now ^(E)the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and ^(F)the tent, its covering, and ^(G)the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, ²⁶ and ^(H)the hangings of the court, and ^(I)the screen for the doorway of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords, according to all the service ^[d]concerning them.

²⁷ 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 were the families of the Kohathites. ²⁸ In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary. ²⁹ The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle, ³⁰ and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Kohathite families was ^[e]Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. ³¹ Now ^(J)their duties involved ^(K)the ark, ^(L)the table, ^(M)the lampstand, ^(N)the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service ^[f]concerning them; ³² and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary.

³³ Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. ³⁴ Their numbered men in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200. ³⁵ The leader of the fathers’ households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to ^(O)camp on the northward side of the tabernacle. ³⁶ Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its equipment, and the service concerning them, ³⁷ and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords.

³⁸ Now those who were to ^(P)camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but ^(Q)the ^[g]layman coming near was to be put to death. ³⁹ All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the ^[h]command of the Lord by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were ^(R)22,000.

⁴⁹ According to the ^[a]commandment of the Lord ^[b]through Moses, they ^(A)were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying; thus these were his numbered men, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

^57 (A)These are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. ⁵⁸ These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. ^(B)Kohath ^[a]became the father of Amram. ⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife ^(C)was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. ^60 (D)To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ^61 (E)But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord. ⁶² Those who were numbered of them were ^(F)23,000, every male from a month old and upward, for ^(G)they were not numbered among the sons of Israel ^(H)since no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel.

⁶³ These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. ^64 (I)But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.