The Wilderness Years

In the tribe of the sons of Benjamin the prince was Abidan the son of Gedeon.

And the whole army of fighting men, that were reckoned up, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

All that were numbered in the camp of Ephraim, were a hundred and eight-thousand one hundred by their troops: they shall march in the third place.

On the north side camped the sons of Dan: whose prince was Ahiezar the son of Ammisaddai.

The whole army of his fighting men, that were numbered, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

Beside him they of the tribe of Aser pitched their tents: whose prince was Phegiel the son of Ochran.

The whole army of his fighting men, that were numbered, were forty-one thousand five hundred.

Of the tribe of the sons of Nephtali the prince was Ahira the son of Enan.

The whole army of his fighting men, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

All that were numbered in the camp of Dan, were a hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred: and they shall march last.

This is the number of the children of Israel, of their army divided according to the houses of their kindreds and their troops, six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.

And the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel: for so the Lord had commanded Moses.

And the children of Israel did according to all things that the Lord had commanded. They camped by their troops, and marched by the families and houses of their fathers.

These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai.

And these the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.

These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the functions of priesthood.

Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron the priest to minister to him, and let them watch,

And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony,

And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the ministry thereof.

And thou shalt give the Levites for a gift,

To Aaron and to his sons, to whom they are delivered by the children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of priesthood. The stranger that approacheth to minister, shall be put to death.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.