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Numbers 2-3
New American Standard Bible

Arrangement of the Camps

2 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “(A)The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own [a]flag, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting [b]at a distance. 3 Now those who camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the flag of the camp of Judah, by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Judah: (B)Nahshon the son of Amminadab, 4 and his army, their [c]numbered men: 74,600. 5 Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar; and the leader of the sons of Issachar: (C)Nethanel the son of Zuar, 6 and his army, their numbered men: 54,400. 7 Then follows the tribe of Zebulun; and the leader of the sons of Zebulun: (D)Eliab the son of Helon, 8 and his army, his numbered men: 57,400. 9 The total of the numbered men of the camp of Judah: 186,400, by their armies. (E)They shall set out first.

10 “On the south side shall be the flag of the camp of Reuben by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Reuben: (F)Elizur the son of Shedeur, 11 and his army, their numbered men: 46,500. 12 And those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the leader of the sons of Simeon: (G)Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, 13 and his army, their numbered men: 59,300. 14 Then follows the tribe of Gad; and the leader of the sons of Gad: (H)Eliasaph the son of [d]Deuel, 15 and his army, their numbered men: 45,650. 16 The total of the numbered men of the camp of Reuben: 151,450 by their armies. And (I)they shall set out second.

17 “(J)Then the tent of meeting shall set out with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; just as they camp, so they shall set out, every man in his place by their flags.

18 “On the west side shall be the flag of the camp of (K)Ephraim by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Ephraim: (L)Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19 and his army, their numbered men: 40,500. 20 Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh; and the leader of the sons of Manasseh: (M)Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, 21 and his army, their numbered men, 32,200. 22 Then follows the tribe of (N)Benjamin; and the leader of the sons of Benjamin: (O)Abidan the son of Gideoni, 23 and his army, their numbered men, 35,400. 24 The total of the numbered men of the camp of Ephraim: 108,100, by their armies. And (P)they shall set out third.

25 “On the north side shall be the flag of the camp of Dan by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Dan: (Q)Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26 and his army, their numbered men: 62,700. 27 Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the leader of the sons of Asher: (R)Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28 and his army, their numbered men: 41,500. 29 Then follows the tribe of (S)Naphtali; and the leader of the sons of Naphtali: (T)Ahira the son of Enan, 30 and his army, their numbered men: 53,400. 31 The total of the numbered men of the camp of Dan was 157,600. (U)They shall set out last by their flags.”

32 These are the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households; the total of the numbered men of the camps by their armies, (V)603,550. 33 (W)The Levites, however, were not counted among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 34 So the sons of Israel did all this; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their flags, and so they set out, everyone by his family according to his father’s household.

Levite Priesthood Established

3 (X)Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 (Y)These then are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the (Z)anointed priests, whom he [e]ordained to serve as priests. 4 (AA)But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the Lord when they offered [f]strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests [g]in the lifetime of their father Aaron.

5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “(AB)Bring the tribe of Levi forward and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7 They shall perform the duties for [h]him and for the whole congregation in front of the tent of meeting, to do the (AC)service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall also take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 So you shall (AD)assign the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are exclusively assigned to him from the sons of Israel. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that (AE)they may [i]keep their priesthood, but (AF)the [j]layman who comes near shall be put to death.”

11 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Now, behold, I (AG)have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every (AH)firstborn, the firstborn of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. 13 For (AI)all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I fatally struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from the human firstborn to animals. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.”

14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses (AJ)in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “[k](AK)Count the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall count.” 16 So Moses counted them according to the [l]word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded. 17 (AL)These, then, are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the (AM)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 counting of every male from a month old and upward, their numbered men were 7,500. 23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the [m]tabernacle westward, 24 and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites: Eliasaph the son of Lael.

Duties of the Levites

25 Now (AN)the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting included the tabernacle and (AO)the tent, its covering, and (AP)the curtain for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26 and (AQ)the curtains of the courtyard, (AR)the curtain for the entrance of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its ropes, according to all the service [n]concerning them.

27 Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. 28 In the counting 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 south side of the tabernacle, 30 and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Kohathite families: [o]Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Now (AS)their duties included (AT)the ark, (AU)the table, (AV)the lampstand, (AW)the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, the [p]curtain, and all the service [q]concerning them; 32 and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the head of the leaders of Levi, and he had the supervision of those who performed 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 counting of every male from a month old and upward: 6,200. 35 And the leader of the fathers’ households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to (AX)camp on the northward side of the tabernacle. 36 Now the appointment of duties of the sons of Merari included the framework of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its bases, all its equipment, and all the service concerning them, 37 and the pillars around the courtyard with their bases, their pegs, and their ropes.

38 Now those who were to (AY)camp in front of the tabernacle eastward, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but (AZ)the [r]layman coming near was to be put to death. 39 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the [s]command of the Lord by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were (BA)twenty-two thousand.

Firstborn Redeemed

40 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(BB)Count every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and [t]make a list of their names. 41 And you (BC)shall take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.” 42 So Moses counted all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded him; 43 and all the firstborn males, by the number of names from a month old and upward for their numbered men, were (BD)22,273.

44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “(BE)Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites in place of their cattle. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the Lord. 46 (BF)And as [u]a redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess of the number of the Levites, 47 you shall take (BG)five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in (BH)terms of the shekel of the sanctuary ((BI)the shekel is twenty [v]gerahs), 48 and you shall give the money, the redemption price of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were in excess of the number of those redeemed by the Levites; 50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. 51 Then Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, at the [w]command of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 2:2 Or division, and so throughout the ch
  2. Numbers 2:2 Or facing it
  3. Numbers 2:4 Lit mustered, and so throughout the ch
  4. Numbers 2:14 Many mss (cf. 1:14); some ancient versions Reuel
  5. Numbers 3:3 Lit filled their hand
  6. Numbers 3:4 I.e., prohibited
  7. Numbers 3:4 Lit before the face
  8. Numbers 3:7 Lit him and the duties of the whole congregation
  9. Numbers 3:10 Or perform
  10. Numbers 3:10 Lit stranger
  11. Numbers 3:15 Lit muster, and so throughout the ch
  12. Numbers 3:16 Lit mouth
  13. Numbers 3:23 Lit dwelling place, and so throughout the ch
  14. Numbers 3:26 Lit of it
  15. Numbers 3:30 In Ex 6:22, Elzaphan
  16. Numbers 3:31 I.e., the veil between the Holy Place and Most Holy Place
  17. Numbers 3:31 Lit of it
  18. Numbers 3:38 Lit stranger
  19. Numbers 3:39 Lit mouth
  20. Numbers 3:40 Lit take up the number
  21. Numbers 3:46 Or ransom
  22. Numbers 3:47 A gerah is about 0.025 oz. or 0.7 gm
  23. Numbers 3:51 Lit mouth
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Numbers 2-3
New International Version

The Arrangement of the Tribal Camps

2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard(A) and holding the banners of their family.”

3 On the east, toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.(B) 4 His division numbers 74,600.

5 The tribe of Issachar(C) will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar.(D) 6 His division numbers 54,400.

7 The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon.(E) 8 His division numbers 57,400.

9 All the men assigned to the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. They will set out first.(F)

10 On the south(G) will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur.(H) 11 His division numbers 46,500.

12 The tribe of Simeon(I) will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.(J) 13 His division numbers 59,300.

14 The tribe of Gad(K) will be next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel.[a](L) 15 His division numbers 45,650.

16 All the men assigned to the camp of Reuben,(M) according to their divisions, number 151,450. They will set out second.

17 Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites(N) will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard.

18 On the west(O) will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim(P) under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud.(Q) 19 His division numbers 40,500.

20 The tribe of Manasseh(R) will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.(S) 21 His division numbers 32,200.

22 The tribe of Benjamin(T) will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni.(U) 23 His division numbers 35,400.

24 All the men assigned to the camp of Ephraim,(V) according to their divisions, number 108,100. They will set out third.(W)

25 On the north(X) will be the divisions of the camp of Dan under their standard.(Y) The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.(Z) 26 His division numbers 62,700.

27 The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Okran.(AA) 28 His division numbers 41,500.

29 The tribe of Naphtali(AB) will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan.(AC) 30 His division numbers 53,400.

31 All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last,(AD) under their standards.

32 These are the Israelites, counted according to their families.(AE) All the men in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550.(AF) 33 The Levites, however, were not counted(AG) along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.

34 So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family.

The Levites

3 This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses(AH) at the time the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.(AI)

2 The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn(AJ) and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.(AK) 3 Those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests,(AL) who were ordained to serve as priests. 4 Nadab and Abihu, however, died before the Lord(AM) when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai.(AN) They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar(AO) served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.(AP)

5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi(AQ) and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.(AR) 7 They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community(AS) at the tent of meeting by doing the work(AT) of the tabernacle. 8 They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. 9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons;(AU) they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.[b] 10 Appoint Aaron(AV) and his sons to serve as priests;(AW) anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”(AX)

11 The Lord also said to Moses, 12 “I have taken the Levites(AY) from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring(AZ) of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine,(BA) 13 for all the firstborn are mine.(BB) When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”(BC)

14 The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,(BD) 15 “Count(BE) the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.”(BF) 16 So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

17 These were the names of the sons of Levi:(BG)

Gershon,(BH) Kohath(BI) and Merari.(BJ)

18 These were the names of the Gershonite clans:

Libni and Shimei.(BK)

19 The Kohathite clans:

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(BL)

20 The Merarite clans:(BM)

Mahli and Mushi.(BN)

These were the Levite clans, according to their families.

21 To Gershon(BO) belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites;(BP) these were the Gershonite clans. 22 The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500. 23 The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle.(BQ) 24 The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 At the tent of meeting the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle(BR) and tent, its coverings,(BS) the curtain at the entrance(BT) to the tent of meeting,(BU) 26 the curtains of the courtyard(BV), the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar,(BW) and the ropes(BX)—and everything(BY) related to their use.

27 To Kohath(BZ) belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites;(CA) these were the Kohathite(CB) clans. 28 The number of all the males a month old or more(CC) was 8,600.[c] The Kohathites were responsible(CD) for the care of the sanctuary.(CE) 29 The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side(CF) of the tabernacle. 30 The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan(CG) son of Uzziel. 31 They were responsible for the care of the ark,(CH) the table,(CI) the lampstand,(CJ) the altars,(CK) the articles(CL) of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain,(CM) and everything related to their use.(CN) 32 The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar(CO) son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible(CP) for the care of the sanctuary.(CQ)

33 To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites;(CR) these were the Merarite clans.(CS) 34 The number of all the males a month old or more(CT) who were counted was 6,200. 35 The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.(CU) 36 The Merarites were appointed(CV) to take care of the frames of the tabernacle,(CW) its crossbars,(CX) posts,(CY) bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use,(CZ) 37 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard(DA) with their bases, tent pegs(DB) and ropes.

38 Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east(DC) of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting.(DD) They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary(DE) on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.(DF)

39 The total number of Levites counted(DG) at the Lord’s command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.(DH)

40 The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more(DI) and make a list of their names.(DJ) 41 Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites,(DK) and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.”(DL)

42 So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. 43 The total number of firstborn males a month old or more,(DM) listed by name, was 22,273.(DN)

44 The Lord also said to Moses, 45 “Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine.(DO) I am the Lord.(DP) 46 To redeem(DQ) the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, 47 collect five shekels[d](DR) for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel,(DS) which weighs twenty gerahs.(DT) 48 Give the money for the redemption(DU) of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.”(DV)

49 So Moses collected the redemption money(DW) from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the Israelites(DX) he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels,[e](DY) according to the sanctuary shekel. 51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 2:14 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Vulgate (see also 1:14); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Reuel
  2. Numbers 3:9 Most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also 8:16) to me
  3. Numbers 3:28 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts 8,300
  4. Numbers 3:47 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams
  5. Numbers 3:50 That is, about 35 pounds or about 16 kilograms
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