Only the tribe of Levi is not to be numbered among the children of Israel,

Make the tribe of Levi come near, and put them before Aaron the priest, to be his helpers,

Let all the children of Levi be numbered by their families and their fathers' houses; let every male of a month old and over be numbered.

These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

Let the sons of Kohath, from among the sons of Levi, be numbered by their families, in the order of their fathers' houses;

But do this to them, so that life and not death may be theirs when they come near the most holy things; let Aaron and his sons go in and give to every one his work and that which he is to take up;

Say to them, By my life, says the Lord, as certainly as your words have come to my ears, so certainly will I do this to you:

Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Pallu, the son of Reuben, made themselves ready,

And put spices on the fire in them before the Lord tomorrow; then the man marked out by the Lord will be holy: you take overmuch on yourselves, you sons of Levi.

And Moses said to Korah, Give ear now, you sons of Levi:

Letting you, and all your brothers the sons of Levi, come near to him? and would you now be priests?

And let Aaron's name be placed on the rod of Levi: for there is to be one rod for the head of every family.

Now on the day after, Moses went into the Tent of witness; and he saw that Aaron's rod, the rod of the house of Levi, had put out buds, and was covered with buds and flowers and fruit.

Let your brothers, the family of Levi, come near with you, so that they may be joined with you and be your servants: but you and your sons with you are to go in before the ark of witness.

And to the children of Levi I have given as their heritage all the tenths offered in Israel, as payment for the work they do, the work of the Tent of meeting.

And the ass said to Balaam, Am I not your ass upon which you have gone all your life till this day? and have I ever done this to you before? And he said, No.

Then he went on with his story and said, But who may keep his life when God does this?

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. And Kohath was the father of Amram.

Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom he had in Egypt: by Amram she had Moses and Aaron and their sister Miriam.

And the towns which you give the Levites are to be the six safe places to which the taker of life may go in flight; and in addition you are to give them forty-two towns.

Then let certain towns be marked out as safe places to which anyone who takes the life of another in error may go in flight.

In these towns you may be safe from him who has the right of punishment; so that death may not overtake the taker of life till he has been judged by the meeting of the people.

But if a man gives another man a blow with an iron instrument, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

Or if he gives him a blow with a stone in his hand, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

Or if he gave him blows with a wood instrument in his hands, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.

He whose right it is to give punishment for blood, may himself put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.

Or in hate gave him blows with his hand, causing death; he who gave the death-blow is to be put to death; he is a taker of life: he whose right it is to give punishment for blood may put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.

Because he had been ordered to keep inside the safe town till the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the taker of life may come back to the place of his heritage.

Further, no price may be given for the life of one who has taken life and whose right reward is death: he is certainly to be put to death.