¹Now these are the records of Aaron and Moses when the Lᴏʀᴅ spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. ²And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests. ⁴Nadab and Abihu had died before the Lᴏʀᴅ when they offered profane fire before the Lᴏʀᴅ in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father. ⁵And the Lᴏʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying: ⁶“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. ⁷And they shall attend to his needs and the needs of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of meeting, to do the work of the tabernacle. ⁸Also they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting, and to the needs of the children of Israel, to do the work of the tabernacle. ⁹And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are given entirely to him from among the children of Israel. ¹⁰So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.” ¹¹Then the Lᴏʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying: ¹²“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, ¹³because 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 Lᴏʀᴅ.” ¹⁴Then the Lᴏʀᴅ spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying: ¹⁵“Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and above.” ¹⁶So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, as he was commanded. ¹⁷These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁸And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁹And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁰And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses. ²¹From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimites; these were the families of the Gershonites. ²²Those 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. ²³The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward. ²⁴And the leader of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. ²⁵The 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, ²⁶the 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. ²⁷From 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. ²⁸According to the number of all the males, from a month old and above, there were eight thousand six hundred keeping charge of the sanctuary. ²⁹The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. ³⁰And the leader of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. ³¹Their 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. ³²And 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. ³³From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. ³⁴And those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, were six thousand two hundred. ³⁵The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. ³⁶And the appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them, ³⁷and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their cords. ³⁸Moreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, keeping charge of the sanctuary, to meet the needs of the children of Israel; but the outsider who came near was to be put to death. ³⁹All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lᴏʀᴅ, by their families, all the males from a month old and above, were twenty-two thousand. ⁴⁰Then the Lᴏʀᴅ said to Moses: “Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. ⁴¹And you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the Lᴏʀᴅ—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.” ⁴²So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the Lᴏʀᴅ commanded him. ⁴³And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three. ⁴⁴Then the Lᴏʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying: ⁴⁵“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the Lᴏʀᴅ. ⁴⁶And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites, ⁴⁷you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs. ⁴⁸And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.” ⁴⁹So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. ⁵⁰From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. ⁵¹And Moses gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, as the Lᴏʀᴅ commanded Moses.

¹A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. ²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. ³Trust in the Lᴏʀᴅ, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ⁴Delight yourself also in the Lᴏʀᴅ, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. ⁵Commit your way to the Lᴏʀᴅ, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. ⁶He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. ⁷Rest in the Lᴏʀᴅ, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. ⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. ⁹For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lᴏʀᴅ, They shall inherit the earth. ¹⁰For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. ¹¹But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. ¹²The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. ¹³The Lᴏʀᴅ laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. ¹⁴The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. ¹⁵Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. ¹⁶A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. ¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lᴏʀᴅ upholds the righteous. ¹⁸The Lᴏʀᴅ knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. ¹⁹They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. ²⁰But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lᴏʀᴅ, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. ²¹The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. ²²For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. ²³The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lᴏʀᴅ, And He delights in his way. ²⁴Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lᴏʀᴅ upholds him with His hand. ²⁵I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. ²⁶He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. ²⁷Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. ²⁸For the Lᴏʀᴅ loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. ²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. ³⁰The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. ³¹The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. ³²The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. ³³The Lᴏʀᴅ will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. ³⁴Wait on the Lᴏʀᴅ, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. ³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. ³⁶Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. ³⁷Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. ³⁸But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. ³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lᴏʀᴅ; He is their strength in the time of trouble. ⁴⁰And the Lᴏʀᴅ shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

¹The song of songs, which is Solomon’s. ²The Shulamite Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— For your love is better than wine. ³Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, Your name is ointment poured forth; Therefore the virgins love you. ⁴Draw me away! The Daughters of Jerusalem We will run after you. The Shulamite The king has brought me into his chambers. The Daughters of Jerusalem We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine. The Shulamite Rightly do they love you. ⁵I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon. ⁶Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept. ⁷(To Her Beloved) Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions? ⁸The Beloved If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents. ⁹I have compared you, my love, To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots. ¹⁰Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with chains of gold. ¹¹The Daughters of Jerusalem We will make you ornaments of gold With studs of silver. ¹²The Shulamite While the king is at his table, My spikenard sends forth its fragrance. ¹³A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts. ¹⁴My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms In the vineyards of En Gedi. ¹⁵The Beloved Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes. ¹⁶The Shulamite Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green. ¹⁷The beams of our houses are cedar, And our rafters of fir.

¹God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. ⁵For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? ⁶But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” ⁷And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.” ⁸But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. ⁹You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” ¹⁰And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. ¹¹They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; ¹²Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.” ¹³But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? ¹⁴Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?