Now this is the history of the generations of Harun and Musa in the day that Allah spoke with Musa in Mount Sinai. 2These are the names of the sons of Harun: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3These are the names of the sons of Harun, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 4Nadab and Abihu died before Allah, when they offered strange fire before Allah, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Harun their father.
5Allah spoke to Musa, saying, 6“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Harun the priest, that they may minister to him. 7They shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of Bani-Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9You shall give the Levites to Harun and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of Bani-Israel. 10You shall appoint Harun and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.“
11Allah spoke to Musa, saying, 12“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among Bani-Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among Bani-Israel; and the Levites shall be mine: 13for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be mine. I am Allah.“
14Allah spoke to Musa in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15“Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families: every male from a month old and upward you shall number.“
16Musa numbered them according to the word of Allah, as he was commanded.
17These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
18These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
19The sons of Kohath by their families: Imran, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi.
These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.
21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
22Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those who were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.
23The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
24The prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph Ibn Lael. 25The charge of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting, 26and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.
27Of Kohath was the family of the Imranites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites. 28According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
29The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan Ibn Uzziel. 31Their charge shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service. 32Eleazar Ibn Harun the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the charge of the sanctuary.
33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari. 34Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.
35The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel Ibn Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36The appointed charge of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service, 37the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords. 38Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Musa, and Harun and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of Bani-Israel. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death. 39All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Musa and Harun numbered at the commandment of Allah, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
40Allah said to Musa, “Number all the firstborn males of Bani-Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41You shall take the Levites for me instead of all the firstborn among Bani-Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of Bani-Israel. I am Allah.“
42Musa numbered, as Allah commanded him, all the firstborn among Bani-Israel. 43All the firstborn males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.
44Allah spoke to Musa, saying, 45“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among Bani-Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine. I am Allah. 46For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of Bani-Israel, who exceed the number of the Levites, 47you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs): 48and you shall give the money, with which the remainder of them is redeemed, to Harun and to his sons.“
49Musa took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the Levites; 50from the firstborn of Bani-Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 51and Musa gave the redemption money to Harun and to his sons, according to the word of Allah, as Allah commanded Musa.