Catholic Public Domain Version

Numbers 3:34-51 Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)

34. all those of the male gender, from one month and above: six thousand two hundred.

35. Their leader is Suriel the son of Abihaiel. They shall make camp on the north side.

36. Under their care shall be the panels of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the columns with their bases, and all the things which pertain to service of this kind,

37. and the columns of the surrounding atrium with their bases, and the tent pegs with their cords.

38. Moses and Aaron, with their sons, shall make camp before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is, on the east side, holding the custody of the Sanctuary in the midst of the sons of Israel. Whatever foreigner approaches it shall die.

39. All the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by their families according to the precept of the Lord, of the male gender, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand.

40. And the Lord said to Moses: "Number the firstborn of the male sex from the sons of Israel, from one month and above, and you shall take their total.

41. And you shall bring the Levites to me, in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and you shall bring their cattle to me, in place of all the firstborn of the cattle of the sons of Israel. I am the Lord."

42. Moses took a census, just as the Lord had instructed, of the firstborn of the sons of Israel.

43. And the males by their names, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

44. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

45. "Take the Levites, in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites, in place of their cattle, and so the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.

46. But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, which exceed the number of the Levites compared to the number of firstborn of the sons of Israel,

47. you shall take five shekels for each head, by the measure of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

48. And you shall give the money to Aaron and his sons as the price of those that are in excess."

49. Therefore, Moses took the money for those that were in excess, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites

50. in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel: one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according to the weight of the Sanctuary.

51. And he gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word by which the Lord had instructed him.