Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, ‘Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.’ So he was named Levi.

Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.

Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.

On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males.

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.’

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.”

The sons of Leah:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.

The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

‘Simeon and Levi are brothers –
their swords are weapons of violence.

“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons of violence are their swords.

Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman,

Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.

Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, ‘What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you.

Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years.

The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.

These were the clans of Levi according to their records.

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations.

Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.

These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.

Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their clans.

So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.’ And all the Levites rallied to him.

then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.

The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.

And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.

These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law, which were recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.

These are the records of the tabernacle the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

‘“The Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the Levitical towns, which they possess.

As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites may redeem at any time the houses in the cities they possess.

So the property of the Levites is redeemable – that is, a house sold in any town they hold – and is to be returned in the Jubilee, because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites.

And if one of the Levites exercises his right of redemption, then the house that was sold in a city they possess shall be released in the jubilee. For the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the people of Israel.

The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others.

But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe.

‘You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites.

“Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel.

Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant law – over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and camp round it.

But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle.

Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.

When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.

The Levites, however, are to set up their tents round the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.’

But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”

Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they set up camp, each in their own place under their standard.

“Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.

The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.

But the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

‘Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.

“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.

And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel.

‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine,

“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,

‘Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.’

“List the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you shall list.”

These were the names of the sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

The Merarite clans:
Mahli and Mushi.

These were the Levite clans, according to their families.

And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses.

The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.

And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary.

The total number of Levites counted at the Lord’s command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.

All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the Lord, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.’

And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.”

‘Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the Lord.

“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.

To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites,

And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites,

So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites.

So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites.

‘Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families.

“Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,

‘See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the Levites.

“Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites,

So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families.

All those who were listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel listed, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,

‘Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man’s work requires.’

“Accept these from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.”

So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites.

So Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.

‘Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.

“Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them.

Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community.

And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel.

You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them.

When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites,

Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.

and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord.

‘Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.

Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites.

Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the Lord.

In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.

“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

‘After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting.

And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering.

And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel.

and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel.

From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.’

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people of Israel to the Levites. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the people of Israel did to them.

The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them.

And the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.

After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.

And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

‘This applies to the Levites: men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting,

“This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting.

They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.’

They minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.”

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites – Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth – became insolent

Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.

and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!’

put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”

Moses also said to Korah, ‘Now listen, you Levites!

And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:

He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.

and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also?