1 No tempo em que o Senhor falou a Moisés no Monte Sinai, eram os seguintes os filhos de Arão: Nadabe, o mais velho, Abiú, Eleazar e Itamar.
3 Eram todos ungidos como sacerdotes e separados para administrar as coisas sagradas no tabernáculo.
4 Contudo Nadabe e Abiú morreram perante o Senhor no deserto de Sinai quando lhe ofereceram fogo estranho que não era sagrado. E como não tinham filhos, ficaram apenas Eleazar e Itamar para assistirem a seu pai, Arão.
5 Então o Senhor disse a Moisés:
6 Convoca a tribo de Levi e apresenta-os a Arão e seus assistentes. Eles deverão seguir as suas instruções e cumprir com os deveres sagrados no tabernáculo a favor do povo de Israel. Ficam a seu cargo todo o material e mobiliário, assim como a manutenção do tabernáculo. Contudo apenas Arão e seus filhos poderão desempenhar as funções de sacerdote. Outra pessoa, seja quem for, que tentar executar essas funções deverá morrer.
11 E disse-lhe mais o Senhor:
12 Separei para mim os levitas em lugar dos filhos mais velhos do povo de Israel. Portanto os levitas são meus em troca de todos os primogénitos. Desde o dia em que matei os filhos mais velhos das famílias do Egipto, separei para mim os primeiros filhos a nascer aos casais israelitas, assim como também aos próprios animais! São meus. Eu sou Jeová.
14 O Senhor falou-lhe de novo na península de Sinai, dizendo: Recenseia a tribo de Levi, indicando o número de pessoas em cada família. Conta cada indivíduo, de sexo masculino, a partir da idade de um mês. Foi o que Moisés fez, sendo estes os nomes dos filhos de Levi e dos seus filhos.
21 Responsabilidade: Estas duas famílias de levitas têm a responsabilidade de cuidar da manutenção do tabernáculo: das suas cobertas, das cortinas da entrada, das que rodeiam o pátio das portas do pátio, do altar, e das cordas para atar todo o tabernáculo, sempre que preciso.
27 Responsabilidades: As responsabilidades destas quatro famílias incidem sobre a arca, a mesa, o candelabro, os altares, os vários utensílios usados no tabernáculo, o véu, e todas as reparações que for necessário fazer em cada uma dessas coisas ota: Eleazar, filho de Arão, será o administrador responsável sobre os chefes dos levitas, com a especial responsabilidade da superintendência geral do santuário.
33 Responsabilidades: Têm de cuidar de toda a estrutura do tabernáculo, das tábuas, das varas, das colinas, das bases, e também de todos os recipientes, assim como de equipamento necessário para o seu uso; e mais ainda das estacas e cordas.
38 A área oriental em relação ao tabernáculo foi reservada para as tendas de Moisés, de Arão e dos filhos, que tinham a responsabilidade superior do tabernáculo, a favor do Israel. Quem não fosse sacerdote nem levita e tentasse aproximar-se do tabernáculo teria de ser executado.
39 Assim, o total dos levitas, segundo a contagem de Moisés e de Arão, de acordo com a ordem do Senhor, foi de 22.000 indivíduos do sexo masculino, a partir de um mês de idade.
40 Então o Senhor disse a Moisés: Recenseia agora os filhos primogénitos dos israelitas a partir de um mês de idade, e faz o registo de cada nome. Quanto aos levitas, esses serão meus - eu sou Jeová - como substitutos dos primogénitos dos israelitas; também me pertencem as primeiras crias do gado do povo.
42 Assim fez Moisés. Tomou o censo dos filhos mais velhos do povo de Israel, tal como o Senhor lhe mandara, achando o total de 22.273.
44 Disse o Senhor a Moisés:
45 Dá-me os levitas em lugar dos primeiros filhos que nascerem aos israelitas, e também o gado dos levitas em lugar dos primeiros nascidos do gado de Israel. Sim, os levitas serão meus. Eu sou Jeová. Quanto aos 273 indivíduos que ultrapassam o número equivalente dos levitas (22.000) hão-de ser resgatados, dando a Arão e aos seus filhos a quantia de cinco moedas por cabeça. Cada moeda tem o valor de dez gramas de prata; conforme o peso do santuário.
49 Dessa forma recebeu Moisés o dinheiro em resgate dos primogénitos israelitas que estavam em excesso relativamente ao número dos levitas. O dinheiro assim colectado atingiu um montante de 13,65 quilos de prata, que Moisés deu a Arão e a seus filhos como o Senhor lhe mandara.
1 Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Yahweh spoke with Moses in mount Sinai.
2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to serve in the priest's office.
4 And Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh, when they offered strange fire before Yahweh, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar served in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father.
5 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
7 And they will keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.
8 And they will keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
9 And you will give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given to him on the behalf of the sons of Israel.
10 And you will appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will keep their priesthood: and the stranger who comes near will be put to death.
11 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
12 And I, look, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of all the firstborn that opens the womb among the sons of Israel; and the Levites will be mine:
13 for all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed to me all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast; they will be mine: I am Yahweh.
14 And Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15 Number the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families: every male from a month old and upward, you will number them.
16 And Moses numbered them according to the word of Yahweh, as it 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 families: Libni and Shimei.
19 And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.
21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
22 Those 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 and five hundred.
23 The families of the Gershonites will encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
24 And the prince of the fathers' house of the Gershonites will be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting will be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting,
26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all its service.
27 And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, 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.
28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand and three hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
29 The families of the sons of Kohath will encamp on the side of the tabernacle southward.
30 And the prince of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites will be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31 And their charge will be the ark, and the table, and the lampstand, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen and its service.
32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest will be prince of the princes of the Levites, [and have] the oversight of those who keep the charge of the sanctuary.
33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.
34 And those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
35 And the prince of the fathers' house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: they will encamp on the side of the tabernacle northward.
36 And the appointed charge of the sons of Merari will be the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its instruments, and its [the tabernacle's] service,
37 and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
38 And those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, will be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the sons of Israel; and the stranger who comes near will be put to death.
39 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Yahweh, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.
40 And Yahweh said to Moses, Number all the firstborn males of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
41 And you will take the Levites for me (I am Yahweh) instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborns among the cattle of the sons of Israel:
42 and Moses numbered, as Yahweh commanded him, all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.
43 And all the firstborn males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.
44 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites will be mine: I am Yahweh.
46 And for the redemption of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, who are over and above [the number of] the Levites,
47 you will take five shekels apiece by the poll; after the shekel of the sanctuary you will take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs):
48 and you will give the money, with which the odd number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons.
49 And Moses took the redemption-money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites;
50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money, a thousand three hundred and threescore and five [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary:
51 and Moses gave the redemption-money to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses.