11. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
12. “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine,
13. for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.”
14. And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15. “List the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you shall list.”
16. So Moses listed them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded.
17. And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.
18. And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.
19. And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20. And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses.
21. To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites.
22. Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 7,500.
23. The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west,
24. with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites.
25. And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting,
26. the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these.
27. To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites.
28. According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary.