32. Eleazar son of Aaron was the head of the Levite leaders, and he made sure that the work at the sacred tent was done.
33. The two Merari clans were the Mahlites and the Mushites,
34. and they had six thousand two hundred men and boys at least one month old.
35. The Merarites were to camp on the north side of the sacred tent, under the leadership of Zuriel son of Abihail.
36-37. Their duties included taking care of the tent frames and the pieces that held the tent up: the bars, the posts, the stands, and its other equipment. They were also in charge of the posts that supported the courtyard, as well as their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merari clans were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.
38. Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to camp in front of the sacred tent, on the east side, and to make sure that the Israelites worshipped in the proper way. Anyone else who tried to do the work of Moses and Aaron was to be put to death.
39. So Moses and Aaron obeyed the Lord and counted the Levites by their clans. The total number of Levites at least one month old was twenty-two thousand.
40. The Lord said to Moses, “Make a list and count the firstborn sons at least one month old in each of the Israelite families.
41. They belong to me, but I will accept the Levites as substitutes for them, and I will accept the Levites' livestock as substitutes for the Israelites' firstborn livestock.”
42. Moses obeyed the Lord and counted the firstborn sons;
43. there were 22,273 of them.
44. Then the Lord said,
45. “The Levites will belong to me and will take the place of the firstborn sons; their livestock will take the place of the Israelites' firstborn livestock.
46. But since there are more firstborn sons than Levites, the extra two hundred and seventy-three men and boys must be bought back from me.
47. For each one, you are to collect five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards.
48. This money must then be given to Aaron and his sons.”
49. Moses collected the silver from the extra two hundred and seventy-three firstborn men and boys,
50. and it amounted to one thousand three hundred and sixty-five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards.