25 On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi,(A) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and killed every male.

Read full chapter

25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,(A) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon(B) and Levi,(C) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords(D) and attacked the unsuspecting city,(E) killing every male.(F)

Read full chapter

25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

Read full chapter

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me,(A) making me odious to the inhabitants of the land,(B) the Canaanites and the Perizzites.(C) We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”(D)

Read full chapter

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble(A) on me by making me obnoxious(B) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.(C) We are few in number,(D) and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

Read full chapter

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

Read full chapter

Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their knives are vicious weapons.(A)
May I never enter their council;
may I never join their assembly.
For in their anger they kill men,
and on a whim they hamstring oxen.
Their anger is cursed, for it is strong,
and their fury, for it is cruel!
I will disperse them throughout Jacob
and scatter them throughout Israel.(B)

Read full chapter

“Simeon(A) and Levi(B) are brothers—
    their swords[a] are weapons of violence.(C)
Let me not enter their council,
    let me not join their assembly,(D)
for they have killed men in their anger(E)
    and hamstrung(F) oxen as they pleased.
Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
    and their fury,(G) so cruel!(H)
I will scatter them in Jacob
    and disperse them in Israel.(I)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Read full chapter

26 And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. 27 He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”(A) 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people. 29 Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated[a] to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”(B)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 32:29 Text emended; MT reads “Today dedicate yourselves; LXX, Vg read “Today you have dedicated yourselves

26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”(A) 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

Read full chapter

26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Read full chapter

“Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to the priest Aaron to assist him.

Read full chapter

“Bring the tribe of Levi(A) and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.(B)

Read full chapter

Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.

Read full chapter

12 “See, I have taken the Levites from the Israelites in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb.(A) The Levites belong to me, 13 because every firstborn belongs to me. At the time I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt,(B) I consecrated every firstborn in Israel to myself, both man and animal. They are mine; I am the Lord.”(C)

Read full chapter

12 “I have taken the Levites(A) from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring(B) of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine,(C) 13 for all the firstborn are mine.(D) When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”(E)

Read full chapter

12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;

13 Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the Lord.

Read full chapter

Redemption of the Firstborn

40 The Lord told Moses, “Register every firstborn male of the Israelites(A) one month old or more, and list their names. 41 You are to take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—in place of every firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites’ cattle in place of every firstborn among the Israelites’ cattle.” 42 So Moses registered every firstborn among the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. 43 The total number of the firstborn males one month old or more listed by name was 22,273.

Read full chapter

40 The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more(A) and make a list of their names.(B) 41 Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites,(C) and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.”(D)

42 So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. 43 The total number of firstborn males a month old or more,(E) listed by name, was 22,273.(F)

Read full chapter

40 And the Lord said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the Lord) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.

42 And Moses numbered, as the Lord commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

43 And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.

Read full chapter

16 For they have been exclusively assigned to me from the Israelites.(A) I have taken them for myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn.(B) 17 For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to myself(C) on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt. 18 But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites. 19 From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”(D)

Read full chapter

16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn,(A) the first male offspring(B) from every Israelite woman. 17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal,(C) is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself.(D) 18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel.(E) 19 From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons(F) to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites(G) and to make atonement for them(H) so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”

Read full chapter

16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.

17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.

18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.

19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.

Read full chapter

Provision for the Priesthood

18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your ancestral family[a](A) will be responsible for iniquity against the sanctuary. You and your sons will be responsible for iniquity involving your priesthood.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 18:1 Lit the house of your father

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary,(A) and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood.

Read full chapter

18 And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

Read full chapter