1. This is the family history of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked to Moses on Mount Sinai.
2. Aaron had four sons. Nadab was the firstborn son. Then there were Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3. These sons were the chosen priests. They were given the special work of serving the Lord as priests.
4. But Nadab and Abihu died while serving the Lord. They used fire that the Lord did not allow when they made an offering to him. So Nadab and Abihu died there, in the desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar took their place and served the Lord as priests. This happened while their father Aaron was still alive.
12-13. “I destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt. At that time I chose all the firstborn from every family in Israel to be mine in a special way. That included all the firstborn men and animals. But now I am choosing the Levites to take their place. Now they will be my special servants. I, the Lord, give this command!”
33-34. The family groups of Mahli and Mushi belonged to the Merari family. There were 6200 men and boys who were one month old or older in the Mahli family group.