The Men of Israel Are Counted
1The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting. It happened in the Desert of Sinai. The Lord spoke to him on the first day of the second month. It was the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. The Lord said, 2“Count all the men of Israel. Make a list of them by their tribes and families. List every man by name. List them one by one. 3Count all the men able to serve in the army. They must be 20 years old or more. I want you and Aaron to make a list of them group by group. 4One man from each tribe must help you. Those who help must be the heads of their families.
5“Here are the names of the men who must help you.
“From the tribe of Reuben will come Elizur, the son of Shedeur.
6From the tribe of Simeon will come Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.
7From the tribe of Judah will come Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.
8From the tribe of Issachar will come Nethanel, the son of Zuar.
9From the tribe of Zebulun will come Eliab, the son of Helon.
10From the tribe of Ephraim will come Elishama, the son of Ammihud.
From the tribe of Manasseh will come Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur.
Ephraim and Manasseh are Joseph’s two sons.
11From the tribe of Benjamin will come Abidan, the son of Gideoni.
12From the tribe of Dan will come Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai.
13From the tribe of Asher will come Pagiel, the son of Okran.
14From the tribe of Gad will come Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.
15From the tribe of Naphtali will come Ahira, the son of Enan.”
16These were the men appointed from the community. They were the leaders of the tribes of their people. They were the heads of the major families in Israel.
17Moses and Aaron went and got the men whose names had been given to them. 18Then Moses and Aaron gathered all the men of Israel together. It was the first day of the second month. The people wrote down the tribe and family they belonged to. The men 20 years old or more were listed by name. They were listed one by one. 19Everything was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So Moses counted them in the Desert of Sinai.
20Here is the number of men from the tribe of Reuben. He is Israel’s oldest son.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed one by one. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 21The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.
22Here is the number of men from the tribe of Simeon.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed one by one. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 23The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.
24Here is the number of men from the tribe of Gad.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 25The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.
26Here is the number of men from the tribe of Judah.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 27The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.
28Here is the number of men from the tribe of Issachar.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 29The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400.
30Here is the number of men from the tribe of Zebulun.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 31The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.
32Here is the number of men from the tribe of Ephraim. He is the son of Joseph.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 33The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500.
34Here is the number of men from the tribe of Manasseh. He is the son of Joseph.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 35The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.
36Here is the number of men from the tribe of Benjamin.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 37The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.
38Here is the number of men from the tribe of Dan.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 39The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.
40Here is the number of men from the tribe of Asher.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 41The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.
42Here is the number of men from the tribe of Naphtali.
All the men able to serve in the army were counted. They were 20 years old or more. They were listed by name. They were listed according to the records of their tribes and families. 43The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.
44These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron. The 12 leaders of Israel helped them. There was one leader from each tribe. 45The men who were counted were able to serve in Israel’s army. All of them were 20 years old or more. They were counted family by family. 46The total number of men was 603,550.
47But the families of the tribe of Levi were not counted along with the others. 48The Lord had spoken to Moses. He had said, 49“You must not count the men from the tribe of Levi. Do not include them when you list the other men of Israel. 50Instead, put the Levites in charge of the holy tent. That is where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. The Levites will be in charge of everything that belongs to the holy tent. They must carry the tent and everything that belongs to it. They must take care of it. They must set up camp around it. 51When the holy tent must be moved, the Levites must take it down. And when the tent must be set up, the Levites must do it. Anyone else who approaches it must be put to death. 52The Israelites must set up their tents by military groups. All of them must be in their own camps under their own flags. 53But the Levites must set up their tents around the holy tent. That’s where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. Then I will not be angry with the community of Israel. The Levites will be responsible for taking care of the tent.”
54The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
The census
1The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: 2‘Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. 3You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army. 4One man from each tribe, each of them the head of his family, is to help you.
5‘These are the names of the men who are to assist you:
‘from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;
6from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;
7from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;
8from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;
9from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;
10from the sons of Joseph:
from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud;
from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;
11from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;
12from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
13from Asher, Pagiel son of Okran;
14from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;
15from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.’
16These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel.
17Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified, 18and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people registered their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one, 19as the Lord commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai:
20From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. 21The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.
22From the descendants of Simeon:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. 23The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.
24From the descendants of Gad:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 25The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.
26From the descendants of Judah:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 27The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.
28From the descendants of Issachar:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 29The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400.
30From the descendants of Zebulun:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 31The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.
32From the sons of Joseph:
From the descendants of Ephraim:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 33The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500.
34From the descendants of Manasseh:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 35The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.
36From the descendants of Benjamin:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 37The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.
38From the descendants of Dan:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 39The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.
40From the descendants of Asher:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 41The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.
42From the descendants of Naphtali:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. 43The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.
44These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. 45All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. 46The total number was 603,550.
47The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others. 48The Lord had said to Moses: 49‘You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. 50Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant law – over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and camp round it. 51Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death. 52The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard. 53The Levites, however, are to set up their tents round the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.’
54The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.
