Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



After the plague was over, the LORD told Moses and Aaron the priest's son Eleazar, "Take a census of the entire community of Israel from the age of 20 years and above, according to each ancestral tribe, counting everyone who is able to go out to war in Israel." Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to them in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River in Jericho. read more.
They counted every male Israeli who had come out of Egypt and who was 20 years old and above, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. From Reuben, Israel's firstborn, the descendants of Reuben included from Hanoch, the family of the descendants of Hanoch; from Pallu, the family of the descendants of Pallu; from Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Carmi, the family of the descendants of Carmi. These families of the descendants of Reuben numbered 43,730. Now Pallu's son was Eliab. The descendants of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were removed from the community because they joined the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, as did Korah's company when they rebelled against the LORD. The ground had opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with Korah. Also, that group died when the fire devoured 250 men as a warning sign, but Korah's direct descendants didn't die. The descendants of Simeon, listed according to their families, included: From Nemuel, the family of the descendants of Nemuel; from Jamin, the family of the descendants of Jamin; from Jachin, the family of the descendants of Jachin; from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah; and from Shaul, the family of the descendants of Shaul. These families of the descendants of Simeon numbered 22,200. The descendants of Gad, listed according to their families, included: From Zephon, the family of the descendants of Zephon; from Haggi, the family of the descendants of Haggi; from Shuni, the family of the descendants of Shuni; from Ozni, the family of the descendants of Ozni; from Eri, the family of the descendants of Eri; from Arod, the family of the descendants of Arod; and from Areli, the family of the descendants of Areli. These families of the descendants of Gad numbered 40,500. The descendants of Judah originally included Er and Onan, though Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The descendants of Judah, listed according to their families, included: From Shelah, the family of the descendants of Shelah; from Perez, the family of the descendants of Perez; and from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah. The descendants of Perez included: From Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Hamul, the family of the descendants of Hamul. These families of Judah numbered 76,500. The tribe of Issachar, listed according to their families, included: From Tola, the family of the descendants of Tola; from Puvah, the family of the descendants of Puvah; from Jashub, the family of the descendants of Jashub; and from Shimron, the family of the descendants of Shimron. These families of Issachar numbered 64,300. The tribe of Zebulun, listed according to their families, included: From Sered, the family of the descendants of Sered; from Elon, the family of the descendants of Elon; and from Jahleel, the family of the descendants of Jahleel. These families of the descendants of Zebulun numbered 60,500. The tribe of Joseph, listed according to their families, included Manasseh and Ephraim. The descendants of Manasseh included: From Machir, the family of the descendants of Machir. (Machir was the father of Gilead.) From Gilead, the family of the Gileadites included: From Iezer, the family of the descendants of Iezer; from Helek, the family of the descendants of Helek; from Asriel, the family of the descendants of Asriel; from Shechem, the family of the descendants of Shechem; from Shemida, the family of the descendants of Shemida; and from Hepher, the family of the descendants of Hepher. Hepher's son Zelophehad had no sons, but the names of Zelophehad's daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. These families of Manasseh numbered 52,700. The descendants of Ephraim, listed according to their families, included: From Shuthelah, the family of the descendants of Shuthelah; from Becher, the family of the descendants of Becher; and from Tahan, the family of the descendants of Tahan. The descendants of Shuthelah included from Eran, the family of the descendants of Eran. These families of Ephraim numbered 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph, listed according to their families. The tribe of Benjamin, listed according to their families, included: From Bela, the family of the descendants of Bela; from Ashbel, the family of the descendants of Ashbel; from Ahiram, the family of the descendants of Ahiram; from Shephupham, the family of the descendants of Shephupham; and from Hupham, the family of the descendants of Hupham. The descendants of Bela were Ard and Naaman: From Ard, the family of the descendants of Ard; and from Naaman, the family of the descendants of Naaman. These descendants of Benjamin's families numbered 45,600. The tribe of Dan, listed according to their families, included the families of the descendants of Shuham. All the families of the Shuhamites numbered 64,400. The tribe of Asher, listed according to their families, included: From Imnah, the family of the descendants of Imnah; from Ishvi, the family of the descendants of Ishvi; and from Beriah, the family of the descendants of Beriah. The descendants of Beriah included: From Heber, the family of the descendants of Heber; and from Malchiel, the family of the descendants of Malchiel. (The name of Asher's daughter was Serah.) These descendants of Asher numbered 53,400. The tribe of Naphtali, listed according to their families, included: From Jahzeel, the family of the descendants of Jahzeel; from Guni, the family of the descendants of Guni; from Jezer, the family of the descendants of Jezer; and from Shillem, the family of the descendants of Shillem. These families of Naphtali numbered 45,400. The total of those numbered among the Israelis was 601,730. Then the LORD told Moses, "The land is to be divided for an inheritance according to the total number of these names. The more there are in number, you are to increase their inheritance, and the less there are in number, you are to decrease their inheritance. You are to provide an inheritance to each based on the size of their family, but the land is to be divided by lot, inheriting according to the names of their ancestor's tribe. Depending on the lot, the portion of their inheritance is to be divided between those with more members and those with fewer members." Those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi, listed according to their families, included: From Gershon, the family of the descendants of Gershon; from Kohath, the family of the descendants of Kohath; and from Merari, the family of the descendants of Merari. These were the families of Levi: The family of the descendants of Libni, the family of the descendants of Hebron, the family of the descendants of Mahli, the family of the descendants of Musha, and the family of the descendants of Korah. Now Kohath had a son named Amram. Amram's wife was Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire in the LORD's presence. All of those individuals numbered 23,000. No male from the age of a month and above was numbered among the Israelis because no inheritance was to be assigned to them among the Israelis.


All of those individuals numbered 23,000. No male from the age of a month and above was numbered among the Israelis because no inheritance was to be assigned to them among the Israelis.

That is why the descendants of Levi do not have a portion and an inheritance among their relatives. As for the LORD, he is their inheritance, just as the LORD your God told them.

"Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your city for there is no territorial allotment for him as you have.

You'll eat only in the presence of the LORD your God at the place that he will choose you, your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your cities. Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God in everything you undertake. Be careful not to forget the descendant of Levi while you live in the land.

"But you must not forget the descendant of Levi in your town because there is no tribal allotment for him as there is for you. Every third year, bring all the tithes of your produce of that year and store it in your cities so the descendants of Levi who have no tribal allotment as you do foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come, eat, and be satisfied. That way, the LORD your God shall bless you in everything you do."

"The Levitical priests the whole tribe of Levi will not have a portion or an inheritance within Israel. Instead, they will eat the burnt offerings of the LORD, because that is their inheritance. But they will not have an inheritance among their relatives, because the LORD alone is their inheritance as he promised them." "A portion of what the people offer in sacrifice, whether cattle or sheep, is to be due the priests. They must set aside the shoulder, jowls, and stomach for the priest. read more.
Give them the first gatherings of your grain, wine, and oil, as well as wool from the shearing of your flock. For the LORD your God has chosen them and their descendants from among your tribes to stand and serve in the name of the LORD all their lives." "Any descendant of Levi who wishes to do so may come from any city or part of Israel where he resides to the place that the LORD will choose. There he may serve in the name of the LORD his God. Like his fellow descendants of Levi who stand there in the LORD's presence, he may eat the same share as they do regardless of what he receives from his ancestral estate."

Moses allotted no inheritance solely to the tribe of Levi. As he had mentioned to them, the offerings by fire to the LORD God of Israel are their inheritance.

since Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe across the Jordan River. However, he did not give an inheritance to the descendants of Levi who lived among them,

The descendants of Levi have no allotment among you, since the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance to the east, beyond the Jordan River given to them by Moses the servant of the LORD."

These are the settlement locations allotted within their borders to Aaron's descendants in the Kohathite clan since the lot was cast in their favor first. Hebron in the territory of Judah was allotted to them, along with its surrounding suburbs. The fields adjacent to the city and its villages were allotted to Jephunneh's son Caleb. read more.
They allotted these cities of refuge to the descendants of Aaron: Hebron, Libnah with its surrounding suburbs, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its surrounding suburbs, Hilen with its surrounding suburbs, Debir with its surrounding suburbs, Ashan with its surrounding suburbs, and Beth-shemesh with its surrounding suburbs. From the tribe of Benjamin were allotted Geba with its surrounding suburbs, Alemeth with its surrounding suburbs, and Anathoth with its surrounding suburbs. All their towns allotted to their families totaled thirteen. Ten towns were allocated to the rest of the descendants of Kohath by lot out of the family of the tribe, that is, the half-tribe of Manasseh. To the descendants of Gershom according to their families were allotted 13 towns in Bashan from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh. The descendants of Merari were allotted 12 towns according to their families from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. So the people of Israel gave the descendants of Levi the towns with their surrounding suburbs, allocating these towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. A few of the families of Kohath's descendants had towns of their territory allotted from the tribe of Ephraim. They were given these cities of refuge: Shechem with its surrounding suburbs in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its surrounding suburbs, Jokmeam with its surrounding suburbs, Beth-horon with its surrounding suburbs, Aijalon with its surrounding suburbs, Gath-rimmon with its surrounding suburbs, and (from of the half-tribe of Manasseh), Aner with its surrounding suburbs, and Bileam with its surrounding suburbs for the rest of the Kohathite families. From the half-tribe of Manasseh the descendants of Gershom were allotted Golan in Bashan with its surrounding suburbs and Ashtaroth with its surrounding suburbs. From the tribe of Issachar were allotted Kedesh with its surrounding suburbs, Daberath with its surrounding suburbs, Ramoth with its surrounding suburbs, and Anem with its surrounding suburbs. From of the tribe of Asher were allotted Mashal with its surrounding suburbs, Abdon with its surrounding suburbs, Hukok with its surrounding suburbs, and Rehob with its surrounding suburbs. From the tribe of Naphtali were allotted Kedesh in Galilee with its surrounding suburbs, Hammon with its surrounding suburbs, and Kiriathaim with its surrounding suburbs. From the tribe of Zebulun the rest of the descendants of Merari were allotted Rimmono with its surrounding suburbs, and Tabor with its surrounding suburbs, across the Jordan from Jericho, that is, on the east side of the Jordan, from the tribe of Reuben were allotted Bezer in the steppe with its surrounding suburbs, Jahzah with its surrounding suburbs, Kedemoth with its surrounding suburbs, and Mephaath with its surrounding suburbs. From the tribe of Gad were allotted Ramoth in Gilead with its surrounding suburbs, Mahanaim with its surrounding suburbs, Heshbon with its surrounding suburbs, and Jazer with its surrounding suburbs.

Then he addressed the entire community of Israel, "If it seems good to you and something from the Lord our God, let's spread word to all of our relatives who remain throughout the entire land of Israel, including the priests and descendants of Levi in the cities and pasture lands, so they can gather together with us.

They traveled throughout Judah and gathered together the descendants of Levi from all the cities of Judah, along with the Israeli family leaders.

A message came from the LORD for me, and it had this to say: "Son of Man, prophesy against Israel's shepherds. Tell those shepherds, "This is what the Lord GOD says: "Woe to you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves and not the sheep. Shouldn't shepherds feed the sheep? You're eating the best parts, clothing yourselves with the wool, and slaughtering the home-grown sheep without having fed the sheep! read more.
You haven't strengthened the weak, treated the sick, set broken bones, regathered the scattered, or looked for the lost. Instead, you've dominated them with brutal force and ruthlessness. "Since they have no shepherd, they have been scattered around and have become prey for all sorts of wild animals. How scattered they are!


but the descendants of Levi were not numbered along with the other Israelis, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The descendants of Levi were not counted according to their ancestral houses because the LORD had ordered Moses: "Be sure not to number or count the tribe of Levi with the rest of the Israelis.

The LORD also told Moses in the Sinai wilderness, "Number the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral houses and tribes, numbering every male from a month old and above." So Moses numbered them according to the instruction of the LORD, as he had been commanded. read more.
These are Levi's descendants by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. These are names of Gershon's descendants according to their families: Libni and Shimei. These are the names of Kohath's descendants according to their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Merari's descendants according to their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral house. The families of Libni and Shimei were descendants of Gershon. As families of the descendants of Gershon, all the males a month old and above numbered 7,500. The families of the descendants of Gershon encamped behind the tent toward the west. The leader of the tribe and family of Gershon was Lael's son Eliasaph. The duties of the descendants of Gershon at the Tent of Meeting pertained to the tent, the tent covering, the curtain to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the hangings at the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard that surrounded the tent, the altar, and all of the tent cords in use. The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel were descendants of Kohath. As families of the descendants of Kohath, all the males a month old and above numbered 8,600. They were tasked to the care of the sanctuary. The descendants of Kohath encamped beside the tent toward the south. The leader of the tribe and family of Kohath was Uzziel's son Elizaphan. Their duties pertained to the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, and all the curtains in use. The chief of all the leaders of the descendants of Levi was Aaron the priest's son Eleazar. He was assigned to oversee those who were in charge of the services of the sanctuary. The families of Mahli and Mushi were descendants of Merari. As families of Merari, all the males a month old and above numbered 6,200. The leader of the tribe and family of Merari was Abihail's son Zuriel. The descendants of Merari encamped beside the tent toward the north. The duties of the caretakers from the descendants of Merari included the boards of the tent, its bars, crossbars, sockets, all its utensils for their services, the pillars around the courtyard, their sockets, pegs, and tent cords. In front of the tent and east of the Tent of Meeting, Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons encamped facing the east. They were tasked to perform the duties of the sanctuary and care for the needs of the Israelis. Any unauthorized person who approached was to be executed. As the LORD had instructed, everyone counted by Moses and Aaron from the descendants of Levi, according to their tribe, all males from a month old and above numbered 22,000.

"Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the descendants of Levi according to their tribes and ancestral houses from 30 years and older through the age of 50 years, from everyone who can enter the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting.

Those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi, listed according to their families, included: From Gershon, the family of the descendants of Gershon; from Kohath, the family of the descendants of Kohath; and from Merari, the family of the descendants of Merari. These were the families of Levi: The family of the descendants of Libni, the family of the descendants of Hebron, the family of the descendants of Mahli, the family of the descendants of Musha, and the family of the descendants of Korah. Now Kohath had a son named Amram. Amram's wife was Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. read more.
To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire in the LORD's presence. All of those individuals numbered 23,000. No male from the age of a month and above was numbered among the Israelis because no inheritance was to be assigned to them among the Israelis.

descendants of Levi 30 years old and above were counted for a total of 38,000. "24,000 of these," David said, "are to be set in charge of the work of the Temple of the LORD, with 6,000 serving as officers and judges, with 4,000 gatekeepers, and with 4,000 offering praises to the LORD with the musical instruments that I have had crafted."


At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, to stand in the LORD's presence, to serve, and to bless his name until this day.

Then David ordered that the Ark of God was to be carried by no one except the descendants of Levi, because the LORD had chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to serve him forever.

Those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi, listed according to their families, included: From Gershon, the family of the descendants of Gershon; from Kohath, the family of the descendants of Kohath; and from Merari, the family of the descendants of Merari. These were the families of Levi: The family of the descendants of Libni, the family of the descendants of Hebron, the family of the descendants of Mahli, the family of the descendants of Musha, and the family of the descendants of Korah. Now Kohath had a son named Amram. Amram's wife was Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. read more.
To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire in the LORD's presence. All of those individuals numbered 23,000. No male from the age of a month and above was numbered among the Israelis because no inheritance was to be assigned to them among the Israelis.

The descendants of Levi were not counted according to their ancestral houses because the LORD had ordered Moses: "Be sure not to number or count the tribe of Levi with the rest of the Israelis. read more.
Instead, appoint the descendants of Levi over the Tent of Meeting, all the vessels, and everything in it. They are to carry the tent and all the vessels in it. They are to attend to it and camp around it. Whenever the tent is ready for travel, the descendants of Levi are to take it down. When it's time to encamp, the descendants of Levi are to set it up. Any unauthorized person who approaches it is to be executed. Then the Israelis are to encamp around the tent, arranged according to their company and the standard of their army. But the descendants of Levi are to encamp on all sides of the Tent of Meeting so that divine wrath won't fall on the congregation of Israel. The descendants of Levi are to take care of the Tent of Meeting." The Israelis observed everything that the LORD had commanded Moses, doing exactly what they were told.

"Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to Aaron the priest so they may serve him. They are to take care of his needs and the needs of the whole congregation at the Tent of Meeting by performing duties at the tent. They are to take charge of the utensils at the Tent of Meeting and meet the needs of the Israelis by performing duties on behalf of the tent. read more.
Assign the descendants of Levi to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelis. Appoint Aaron and his sons so that they are to take responsibility for their priesthood. Any unauthorized person who approaches it is to be put to death." Later, the LORD told Moses, "I'm taking the descendants of Levi for myself from among the Israelis in place of every first-born who opens the womb. The descendants of Levi belong to me because all the first-born belong to me. When I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated all the first-born in Israel for myself from human beings to livestock. They belong to me, since I am the LORD." The LORD also told Moses in the Sinai wilderness, "Number the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral houses and tribes, numbering every male from a month old and above." So Moses numbered them according to the instruction of the LORD, as he had been commanded.

Is it such an insignificant thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelis to draw you to himself, appointing you to do the work of the tent of the LORD and to stand before the community to minister to them?