11. Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
12. "Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So 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 sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord."
14. Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15. "Number the sons of Levi by their fathers' households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number."
16. So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded.
17. These then are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.
18. These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei;
19. and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel;
20. and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' households.
21. Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites.
22. Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men were 7,500.
23. The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward,
24. and the leader of the fathers' households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25. Now the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting,
26. and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords, according to all the service concerning them.
27. Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites and the family of the Izharites and the family of the Hebronites and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites.
28. In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary.
29. The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle,