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Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
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"Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine,
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because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the Lord."
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Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying:
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"Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and above."
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So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded.
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These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
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And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
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And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
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And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers' houses.
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From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimites; these were the families of the Gershonites.