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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.
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Those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above--of those who were numbered there were seven thousand five hundred.
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The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward.
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And the leader of the fathers' house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.
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The duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting,
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the screen for the door of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords, according to all the work relating to them.
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From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites.
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According to the number of all the males, from a month old and above, there were eight thousand six hundred keeping charge of the sanctuary.
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The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.
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And the leader of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
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Their duty included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the screen, and all the work relating to them.
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And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites, with oversight of those who kept charge of the sanctuary.