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.
5. The Lord said to Moses,
6. “Bring all the men from the tribe of Levi. Bring them to Aaron the priest. These men will be his helpers.
7. The Levites will help him when he serves at the Meeting Tent. And they will help all the Israelites when they come to worship at the Holy Tent.
8. The Israelites should protect everything in the Meeting Tent; it is their duty. But the Levites will serve the Israelites by caring for these things. This will be their way of serving at the Holy Tent.
9. “Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. The Levites were chosen from all the Israelites to help Aaron and his sons.
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.
35. The leader of the Merari family group was Zuriel son of Abihail. This family group was given the area to the north of the Holy Tent. This is the area where they camped.
36. The people from the Merari family were given the job of caring for the frames of the Holy Tent. They cared for all the braces, posts, bases, and everything that was used with the frames of the Holy Tent.
37. They also cared for all the posts in the courtyard around the Holy Tent. This included all the bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
38. Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped east of the Holy Tent, in front of the Meeting Tent. They were given the work of caring for the Holy Place. They did this for all the Israelites. Anyone else who came near the Holy Place was to be killed.
39. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to count all the men and boys one month old or older in Levi’s family group. The total number was 22,000.
40. The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn men and boys in Israel who are at least one month old. Write their names on a list.
41. I am the Lord. I will take the Levites instead of all the firstborn men and boys of Israel. I will also take the animals from the Levites instead of taking all the firstborn animals from the other people in Israel.”
42. So Moses did what the Lord commanded. He counted all the firstborn children of the Israelites.
43. He listed all the firstborn men and boys who were one month old or older. There were 22,273 names on that list.
44. The Lord also said to Moses,