The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai, on the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel’s departure from the land of Egypt:

You and Aaron are to register those who are 20 years old or more by their military divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army.

A man from each tribe is to be with you, each one the head of his ancestral house.

These are the names of the men who are to assist you:

Elizur son of Shedeur from Reuben;

and they assembled the whole community on the first day of the second month. They recorded their ancestry by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting one by one the names of those 20 years old or more,

The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting one by one the names of every male 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Simeon: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, those registered counting one by one the names of every male 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Gad: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Judah: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Issachar: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Zebulun: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Joseph:

The descendants of Ephraim: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Manasseh: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Benjamin: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Dan: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Asher: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

The descendants of Naphtali: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army,

“Do not register or take a census of the tribe of Levi with the other Israelites.

Appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They are to transport the tabernacle and all its articles, take care of it, and camp around it.

Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever it is to stop at a campsite, the Levites are to set it up. Any unauthorized person who comes near it must be put to death.

“The Israelites are to camp by their military divisions, each man with his encampment and under his banner.

The Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the Israelite community.”

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron:

“The Israelites are to camp under their respective banners beside the flags of their ancestral houses. They are to camp around the tent of meeting at a distance from it:

The tribe of Issachar will camp next to it. The leader of the Issacharites is Nethanel son of Zuar.

The total number in their military divisions who belong to Judah’s encampment is 186,400; they will move out first.

The tribe of Simeon will camp next to it. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

The total number in their military divisions who belong to Reuben’s encampment is 151,450; they will move out second.

The tent of meeting is to move out with the Levites’ camp, which is in the middle of the camps. They are to move out just as they camp, each in his place, with their banners.

The tribe of Manasseh will be next to it. The leader of the Manassites is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

The total in their military divisions who belong to Ephraim’s encampment number 108,100; they will move out third.

The tribe of Asher will camp next to it. The leader of the Asherites is Pagiel son of Ochran.

The total number who belong to Dan’s encampment is 157,600; they are to move out last, with their banners.”

These are the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

The Lord spoke to Moses:

“Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.

They are to perform duties for him and the entire community before the tent of meeting by attending to the service of the tabernacle.

They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and perform duties for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.

Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been assigned exclusively to him from the Israelites.

You are to appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out their priestly responsibilities, but any unauthorized person who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”

The Lord spoke to Moses:

“See, I have taken the Levites from the Israelites in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,

because every firstborn belongs to Me. At the time I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated every firstborn in Israel to Myself, both man and animal. They are Mine; I am Yahweh.”

The Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai:

“Register the Levites by their ancestral houses and their clans. You are to register every male one month old or more.”

So Moses registered them in obedience to the Lord as he had been commanded:

The Gershonites’ duties at the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting,

the hangings of the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the tent ropes—all the work relating to these.

Their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sanctuary utensils that were used with these, and the screen—and all the work relating to them.

The assigned duties of Merari’s descendants involved the tabernacle’s supports, crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and all the work related to these,

in addition to the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.

Moses, Aaron, and his sons, who performed the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites, camped in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise. Any unauthorized person who came near it was to be put to death.

You are to take the Levites for Me—I am Yahweh—in place of every firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites’ cattle in place of every firstborn among the Israelites’ cattle.”

The Lord spoke to Moses again:

“Take the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites’ cattle in place of their cattle. The Levites belong to Me; I am Yahweh.

collect five shekels for each person, according to the standard sanctuary shekel—20 gerahs to the shekel.

Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are in excess among the Israelites.”

He gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the Lord, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron:

men from 30 years old to 50 years old—everyone who is qualified to do work at the tent of meeting.

Whenever the camp is about to move on, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the screening veil, and cover the ark of the testimony with it.

They are to place over this a covering made of manatee skin, spread a solid blue cloth on top, and insert its poles.

“They are to spread a blue cloth over the table of the Presence and place the plates and cups on it, as well as the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The regular bread offering is to be on it.

They are to spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover them with a covering made of manatee skin, and insert the poles in the table.

“They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand used for light, with its lamps, snuffers, and firepans, as well as its jars of oil by which they service it.

“They are to spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with a covering made of manatee skin, and insert its poles.

They are to take all the serving utensils they use in the sanctuary, place them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering made of manatee skin, and put them on a carrying frame.

“They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it,

and place all the equipment on it that they use in serving: the firepans, meat forks, shovels, and basins—all the equipment of the altar. They are to spread a covering made of manatee skin over it and insert its poles.

“Aaron and his sons are to finish covering the holy objects and all their equipment whenever the camp is to move on. The Kohathites will come and carry them, but they are not to touch the holy objects or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the tent of meeting.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron:

“Do not allow the Kohathite tribal clans to be wiped out from the Levites.

Do this for them so that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons are to go in and assign each man his task and transportation duty.

The Kohathites are not to go in and look at the holy objects, even for a moment, or they will die.”

The Lord spoke to Moses:

Register men from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who is qualified to perform service, to do work at the tent of meeting.

They are to transport the tabernacle curtains, the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering made of manatee skin on top of it, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting,

the hangings of the courtyard, the screen for the entrance at the gate of the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, along with their ropes and all the equipment for their service. They will carry out everything that needs to be done with these items.

“All the service of the Gershonites, all their transportation duties and all their other work, is to be done at the command of Aaron and his sons; you are to assign to them all that they are responsible to carry.

“As for the Merarites, you are to register them by their clans and their ancestral houses.

Register men from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who is qualified to do the work of the tent of meeting.

This is what they are responsible to carry as the whole of their service at the tent of meeting: the supports of the tabernacle, with its crossbars, posts, and bases,

the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes, including all their equipment and all the work related to them. You are to assign by name the items that they are responsible to carry.

men from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified for work at the tent of meeting.

men from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified for work at the tent of meeting.

those from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified for work at the tent of meeting.

from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified to do the work of serving at the tent of meeting and transporting it.

At the Lord’s command they were registered under the direction of Moses, each one according to his work and transportation duty, and his assignment was as the Lord commanded Moses.

“Command the Israelites to send away anyone from the camp who is afflicted with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, or anyone who is defiled because of a corpse.

The Lord spoke to Moses:

The person is to confess the sin he has committed. He is to pay full compensation, add a fifth of its value to it, and give it to the individual he has wronged.

But if that individual has no relative to receive compensation, the compensation goes to the Lord for the priest, along with the atonement ram by which the priest will make atonement for the guilty person.

Every holy contribution the Israelites present to the priest will be his.

Each one’s holy contribution is his to give; what each one gives to the priest will be his.”

The Lord spoke to Moses:

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If any man’s wife goes astray, is unfaithful to him,

and sleeps with another, but it is concealed from her husband, and she is undetected, even though she has defiled herself, since there is no witness against her, and she wasn’t caught in the act;

then the man is to bring his wife to the priest. He is also to bring an offering for her of two quarts of barley flour. He is not to pour oil over it or put frankincense on it because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering for remembrance that brings sin to mind.

“The priest is to bring her forward and have her stand before the Lord.

Then the priest is to take holy water in a clay bowl, and take some of the dust from the tabernacle floor and put it in the water.