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The Holy Bible

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The Book of Numbers

Numbers Chapter 1

  

The Census of Israel

1
THE

Lord spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai, on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt. He said,  2  “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and their ancestral houses, listing the names of every male, one by one.  3  You and Aaron are to register those who are twenty years old or more by their military divisionseveryone who is able to go to war in Israel.  4  A man from each tribe is to be with you, each the head of his ancestral house.  5  These are the names of the men who are to assist you:

from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;
6 from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;
7 from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;
8 from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;
9 from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;
10 from the sons of Joseph:
from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur; 11 from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;
12 from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
13 from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;
14 from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;
15 from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

16  These were the men appointed from the community; they are the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.

17  Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name,  18  and they assembled the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people reported their ancestry and were registered by their clans and their ancestral houses, and one by one, the men twenty years old or more were listed by name,  19  as the Lord commanded Moses. So he registered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

20 From the descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  21  those registered from the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.

22 From the descendants of Simeon: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  23  those registered from the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.

24 From the descendants of Gad: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  25  those registered from the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.

26 From the descendants of Judah: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  27  those registered from the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.

28 From the descendants of Issachar: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  29  those registered from the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.

30 From the descendants of Zebulun: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  31  those registered from the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.

32 From the descendants of Joseph:
From the descendants of Ephraim: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  33  those registered from the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

34 From the descendants of Manasseh: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  35  those registered from the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.

36 From the descendants of Benjamin: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  37  those registered from the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

38 From the descendants of Dan: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  39  those registered from the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.

40 From the descendants of Asher: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  41  those registered from the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

42 From the descendants of Naphtali: Every male twenty years old or more listed individually by name who could serve in the army, according to the records of their clans and their ancestral houses:  43  those registered from the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.

44  These are the men who were registered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his ancestral house.  45  All the Israelites twenty years old or more who could serve in Israel’s army were registered by their ancestral houses.  46  The total number registered was 603,550.

47  But the Levites were not registered by their ancestral tribe along with the others,  48  for the Lord had said to Moses:  49  “You are not to register the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites.  50  Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony, and all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they are to take care of it and camp around it.  51  Whenever the tabernacle is about to be moved, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. Anyone else who is unauthorized and goes near it must be put to death.

52  “The Israelites are to set up their tents by their own military divisions, each man in his own camp under his own banner.  53  The Levites, however, are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony so that no wrath will fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to protect and take care of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

54  The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.