8. They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
9. You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.
10. You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
11. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
12. “Behold, I have taken the Levites from amongst the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb amongst the children of Israel; and 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 made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine. I am the Lord.”
14. The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15. “Count the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”
16. Moses counted them according to the Lord’s word, as he was commanded.
17. These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18. These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
19. The sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20. 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 counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, even those who were counted of them were seven thousand and five hundred.