Numbers 3:1-10

Expanded Bible

Aaron’s Family, the Priests

3 ·This is the family history [^LThese are the generations; Gen. 2:4] of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked to Moses on Mount Sinai.

² ·Aaron had four sons [^LThese are the names of the sons of Aaron]: Nadab, the ·oldest [firstborn], Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³ These were the names of Aaron’s sons, who were appointed to serve as priests. ⁴ But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the Lord when they offered ·the wrong kind of [^Lstrange; ^Can inappropriate performance of a ritual] fire before the Lord in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai [Lev. 10]. They had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi and ·present them to [^Lmake them stand before] Aaron the priest to ·help [minister to; assist] him. ⁷ They will ·help [take care of] him and all the ·Israelites [community; assembly; congregation] at the Meeting Tent, doing the work in the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. ⁸ The Levites must take care of everything in the Meeting Tent and serve the people of Israel by doing the work in the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. ⁹ Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; of all the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel], the Levites are given completely to him. ¹⁰ Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests, but anyone else who comes near the holy things must be put to death.”