BEMIḎBAR 3 (Numbers 3)

1 And these are the generations of Aharon and Mosheh when 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke with Mosheh on Mount Sinai.

2 And these are the names of the sons of Aharon: Naḏaḇ, the first-born, and Aḇihu, El’azar, and Ithamar.

3 These are the names of the sons of Aharon, the anointed kohenim, whom he ordained to act as kohenim.

4 And Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu had died before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 when they brought strange fire before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 in the Wilderness of Sinai. And they had no children. So El’azar and Ithamar acted as kohenim in the presence of Aharon their father.

5 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke to Mosheh, saying,

6 “Bring the tribe of Lĕwi near, and put them before Aharon the kohĕn, and they shall serve him,

7 and shall guard his duty and the duty of all the congregation before the Tent of Appointment, to do the service of the Mishkan.

8 “And they shall guard all the furnishings of the Tent of Appointment, and the duty of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to do the service of the Mishkan.

9 “And you shall give the Lĕwites to Aharon and his sons. They are the given ones, given to him from among the children of Yisra’ĕl.

10 “And appoint Aharon and his sons, and they shall guard their kehunnah. And the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

11 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke to Mosheh, saying,

12 “Now look, I Myself have taken the Lĕwites from among the children of Yisra’ĕl instead of every first-born who opens the womb among the children of Yisra’ĕl. And the Lĕwites shall be Mine,

13 because all the first-born are Mine. On the day that I struck all the first-born in the land of Mitsrayim, I qadosh to Myself all the first-born in Yisra’ĕl, both man and beast. They are Mine, I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.”

14 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke to Mosheh in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15 “Register the children of Lĕwi by their fathers’ houses, by their clans. Register every male from a month old and above.”

16 So Mosheh registered them according to the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, as he had been commanded.

17 And these were the sons of Lĕwi by their names: Gĕreshon, and Qehath, and Merari.

18 And these are the names of the sons of Gĕreshon by their clans: Liḇni and Shim’i.

19 And the sons of Qehath by their clans: Amram and Yitshar, Ḥeḇron and Uzzi’ĕl.

20 And the sons of Merari by their clans: Maḥli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Lĕwites by their fathers’ houses.

21 From Gĕreshon came the clan of the Liḇnites and the clan of the Shim’ites. These were the clans of the Gĕreshonites.

22 Their registered ones, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, their registered ones were seven thousand five hundred.

23 The clans of the Gĕreshonites were to camp westward, behind the Mishkan,

24 and the leader of the fathers’ house of the Gĕreshonites: Elyasaph, son of La’ĕl.

25 And the duty of the children of Gĕreshon in the Tent of Appointment was the Mishkan, and the Tent with its covering, and the covering of the door of the Tent of Appointment,

26 and the screens of the courtyard and the covering of the door of the courtyard, which is around the Mishkan and the altar, and their cords, according to all its service.

27 And from Qehath came the clan of the Amramites, and the clan of the Yitsharites, and the clan of the Ḥeḇronites, and the clan of the Uzzi’ĕlites. These were the clans of the Qehathites.

28 In number, all the males, from a month old and above, were eight thousand six hundred, guarding the duty of the qodesh place.

29 The clans of the children of Qehath were to camp on the south side of the Mishkan.

30 And the leader of the fathers’ house of the clans of the Qehathites was Elitsaphan, son of Uzzi’ĕl.

31 And their duty was the ark, and the table, and the lampstand, and the altars, and the utensils of the qodesh place used in the service, and the covering, and all its service.

32 And El’azar, son of Aharon the kohĕn, was to be chief over the leaders of the Lĕwites, with oversight of those who guard the duty of the qodesh place.

33 From Merari came the clan of the Maḥlites and the clan of the Mushites. These were the clans of Merari.

34 And the number of their registered ones, all the males from a month old and above, were six thousand two hundred.

35 And the leader of the fathers’ house of the clans of Merari was Tsuri’ĕl, son of Aḇḥayil. These were to camp on the north side of the Mishkan.

36 And the appointed duty of the children of Merari was the boards of the Mishkan, and its bars, and its columns, and its sockets, and its utensils, and all its service,

37 and the columns of the courtyard all around, with their sockets, and their pegs, and their cords.

38 And those who were to camp before the Mishkan on the east, before the Tent of Appointment, were Mosheh and Aharon, and his sons, guarding the duty of the Miqdash, and the duty of the children of Yisra’ĕl. But the stranger who came near was to be put to death.

39 All the registered ones of the Lĕwites, whom Mosheh and Aharon registered at the command of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, by their clans, all the males from a month old and above, were twenty-two thousand.

40 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Mosheh, “Register all the first-born males of the children of Yisra’ĕl from a month old and above, and take the number of their names.

41 “And you shall take the Lĕwites for Me – I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 – instead of all the first-born among the children of Yisra’ĕl, and the livestock of the Lĕwites instead of all the first-born among the livestock of the children of Yisra’ĕl.”

42 And Mosheh registered all the first-born among the children of Yisra’ĕl as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had commanded him.

43 And all the first-born males, by the number of names, from one month old and above of their registered ones, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

44 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke to Mosheh, saying,

45 “Take the Lĕwites instead of all the first-born among the children of Yisra’ĕl, and the livestock of the Lĕwites instead of their livestock. And the Lĕwites shall be Mine, I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

46 “And for the ransom of the two hundred and seventy-three of the first-born of the children of Yisra’ĕl, who are more than the number of the Lĕwites,

47 you shall take five sheqels for each one, head by head – take it by the sheqel of the qodesh place, the sheqel of twenty gĕrahs.

48 “And you shall give the silver, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aharon and his sons.”

49 And Mosheh took the ransom silver from those who were over and above those who were ransomed by the Lĕwites.

50 From the first-born of the children of Yisra’ĕl he took the silver, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five pieces, according to the sheqel of the qodesh place.

51 And Mosheh gave their ransom silver to Aharon, and to his sons, according to the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had commanded Mosheh.