Study Desk

No person specially set apart for destruction may be bought back. Such a person must be put to death.

Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the Lord as holy.

You may not pick and choose between good and bad animals, and you may not substitute one for another. But if you do exchange one animal for another, then both the original animal and its substitute will be considered holy and cannot be bought back."

These are the commands that the Lord gave through Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

For the Lord had said to Moses,

Whenever it is time for the Tabernacle to move, the Levites will take it down. And when it is time to stop, they will set it up again. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the Tabernacle must be put to death.

"Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me,

for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the Lord ."

They were assigned the area to the west of the Tabernacle for their camp.

These two clans were responsible to care for the Tabernacle, including the sacred tent with its layers of coverings, the curtain at its entrance,

There were 8,600 males one month old or older among these Kohathite clans. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary,

and they were assigned the area south of the Tabernacle for their camp.

These four clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various articles used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use.

Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, was the chief administrator over all the Levites, with special responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary.

They were assigned the area north of the Tabernacle for their camp. The leader of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail.

These two clans were responsible for the care of the frames supporting the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars, the bases, and all the equipment related to their use.

They were also responsible for the posts of the courtyard and all their bases, pegs, and ropes.

The area in front of the Tabernacle, in the east toward the sunrise, was reserved for the tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final responsibility for the sanctuary on behalf of the people of Israel. Anyone other than a priest or Levite who went too near the sanctuary was to be put to death.

The Levites must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel; I am the Lord . And the Levites' livestock must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the whole nation of Israel."

"Take the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. And take the livestock of the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me; I am the Lord .