Numbers

1The LORDspoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

2“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, every male, one by one,

3from twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go out to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall count them by their divisions.

4With you there shall be a man of every tribe, each one head of his fathers’ house.

5These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: Of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur.

6Of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

7Of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

8Of Issachar: Nethanel the son of Zuar.

9Of Zebulun: Eliab the son of Helon.

10Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

11Of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni.

12Of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

13Of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran.

14Of Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

15Of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan.”

16These are those who were called of the congregation, the princesof the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel.

17Moses and Aaron took these men who are mentioned by name.

18They assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they declared their ancestry by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, one by one.

19As the LORD commanded Moses, so he counted them in the wilderness of Sinai.

20The children of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, one by one, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

21those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.

22Of the children of Simeon, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, those who were counted of it, according to the number of the names, one by one, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

23those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

24Of the children of Gad, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

25those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Gad, were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.

26Of the children of Judah, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

27those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Judah, were seventy-four thousand six hundred.

28Of the children of Issachar, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

29those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty-four thousand four hundred.

30Of the children of Zebulun, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

31those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

32Of the children of Joseph: of the children of Ephraim, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

33those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand five hundred.

34Of the children of Manasseh, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

35those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

36Of the children of Benjamin, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

37those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

38Of the children of Dan, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

39those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Dan, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

40Of the children of Asher, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

41those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Asher, were forty-one thousand five hundred.

42Of the children of Naphtali, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:

43those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

44These are those who were counted, whom Moses and Aaron counted, and the twelve men who were princes of Israel, each one for his fathers’ house.

45So all those who were counted of the children of Israel by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war in Israel—

46all those who were counted were six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty.

47But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not counted among them.

48For the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

49“Only the tribe of Levi you shall not count, neither shall you take a census of them among the children of Israel;

50but appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; and they shall take care of it, and shall encamp around it.

51When the tabernacle is to move, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.

52The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, according to their divisions.

53But the Levites shall encamp around the Tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel. The Levites shall be responsible for the Tabernacle of the Testimony.”

54Thus the children of Israel did. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they did.

The First Census of Israel

1On the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai. He said:

2“Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.

3You and Aaron are to number those who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army.

4And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you.

The Leaders of the Tribes

5These are the names of the men who are to assist you: From the tribe of 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, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;

11from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

12from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

13from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;

14from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;

15and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

16These men were appointed from the congregation; they were the leaders of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel.

The Number of Every Tribe

17So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name,

18and on the first day of the second month they assembled the whole congregation and recorded their ancestry by clans and families, counting one by one the names of those twenty years of age or older,

19just as the LORD had commanded Moses. So Moses numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai:

20From the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

21those registered to the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.

22From the sons of Simeon, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

23those registered to the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.

24From the sons of Gad, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

25those registered to the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.

26From the sons of Judah, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

27those registered to the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.

28From the sons of Issachar, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

29those registered to the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.

30From the sons of Zebulun, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

31those registered to the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.

32From the sons of Joseph: From the sons of Ephraim, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

33those registered to the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

34And from the sons of Manasseh, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

35those registered to the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.

36From the sons of Benjamin, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

37those registered to the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

38From the sons of Dan, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

39those registered to the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.

40From the sons of Asher, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

41those registered to the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

42From the sons of Naphtali, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

43those registered to the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.

44These were the men numbered by Moses and Aaron, with the assistance of the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family.

45So all the Israelites twenty years of age or older who could serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families.

46And all those counted totaled 603,550.

The Exemption of the Levites

47The Levites, however, were not numbered along with them by the tribe of their fathers.

48For the LORD had said to Moses:

49“Do not number the tribe of Levi in the census with the other Israelites.

50Instead, you are to appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its articles, care for it, and camp around it.

51Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever it is to be pitched, the Levites are to set it up. Any outsider who goes near it must be put to death.

52The Israelites are to camp by their divisions, each man in his own camp and under his own standard.

53But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are responsible for the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

54Thus the Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.