DUTIES OF THE KOHATHITES

Duties of the Kohathites. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
“Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households,
from thirty years old and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle). This is the work and responsibility of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle): the most holy things.

THE SUBSTITUTE FOR THE FIRST BORN

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of and as a substitute for every firstborn, that is, the first that opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites shall be Mine,
for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine; I am the LORD.”

ARRANGEMENT OF THE CAMP

Arrangement of the Camp. The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
“The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), but at a distance.

A CENSUS OF ISRAEL’S WARRIORS

A Census of Israel’s Warriors. he LORD spoke [by special revelation] to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) on the first day of the second month in the second year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, saying,
“Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head
from twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go out to war. You and Aaron shall number them, army by army.

LAWS ABOUT VOWS

Laws About Vows. Again, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man makes a special vow [consecrating himself or a member of his family], he shall be valued according to your [established system of] valuation of people belonging to the LORD [that is, the priest accepts from the man making the vow a specified amount of money for the temple treasury in place of the actual person].

KINDNESS FOR THE POOR

Kindness for Poor Brothers. ‘Now if your fellow countryman becomes poor and his hand falters with you [that is, he has trouble repaying you for something], then you are to help and sustain him, [with courtesy and consideration] like [you would] a stranger or a temporary resident [without property], so that he may live among you.