Numbers 1–6

1ST CHAPTER

Moses Takes a Census of Israel

¹The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai. It was the first day of the second month in the second year after leaving Egypt. He said, ²“Take a census of the whole community of Israel by families and households. List every man by name ³who is at least 20 years old. You and Aaron must register everyone in Israel who is eligible for military duty. List them by divisions. ⁴One man from each tribe will help you. Each of these men must be the head of a household. 

⁵“Here are the names of the men who will help you: 

Elizur, son of Shedeur, from the tribe of Reuben; 

⁶Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, from the tribe of Simeon; 

⁷Nahshon, son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah; 

⁸Nethanel, son of Zuar, from the tribe of Issachar; 

⁹Eliab, son of Helon, from the tribe of Zebulun; 

¹⁰Elishama, son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Ephraim; 

Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, from the tribe of Manasseh; 

(Ephraim and Manasseh are Joseph’s descendants.) 

¹¹Abidan, son of Gideoni, from the tribe of Benjamin; 

¹²Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, from the tribe of Dan; 

¹³Pagiel, son of Ochran, from the tribe of Asher; 

¹⁴Eliasaph, son of Deuel, from the tribe of Gad; 

¹⁵Ahira, son of Enan, from the tribe of Naphtali.” 

¹⁶These were the men chosen from the community, the leaders of their ancestors’ tribes, and heads of the divisions of Israel. 

¹⁷Moses and Aaron took the men who had been named ¹⁸and assembled the whole community on the first day of the second month. Each man at least 20 years old provided his genealogy by family and household. Then his name was listed. ¹⁹So Moses registered the men of Israel in the Desert of Sinai as the Lord had commanded him. 

²⁰The roster of families and households for the descendants of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn son, listed every man by name who was at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ²¹The total for the tribe of Reuben was 46,500. 

²²The roster of families and households for the descendants of Simeon registered and listed every man by name who was at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ²³The total for the tribe of Simeon was 59,300. 

²⁴The roster of families and households for the descendants of Gad listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ²⁵The total for the tribe of Gad was 45,650. 

²⁶The roster of families and households for the descendants of Judah listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ²⁷The total for the tribe of Judah was 74,600. 

²⁸The roster of families and households for the descendants of Issachar listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ²⁹The total for the tribe of Issachar was 54,400. 

³⁰The roster of families and households for the descendants of Zebulun listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ³¹The total for the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400. 

³²The roster of families and households for the descendants of Joseph—those from Ephraim—listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ³³The total for the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500. 

³⁴The roster of families and households for the descendants of Manasseh listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ³⁵The total for the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200. 

³⁶The roster of families and households for the descendants of Benjamin listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ³⁷The total for the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400. 

³⁸The roster of families and households for the descendants of Dan listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ³⁹The total for the tribe of Dan was 62,700. 

⁴⁰The roster of families and households for the descendants of Asher listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ⁴¹The total for the tribe of Asher was 41,500. 

⁴²The roster of families and households for the descendants of Naphtali listed the men by name who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty. ⁴³The total for the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400. 

⁴⁴Moses, Aaron, and the 12 leaders of Israel, each representing his own family, added up these totals. ⁴⁵So the Israelites were registered by households. The grand total of men who were at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty ⁴⁶was 603,550. 

⁴⁷But the households from the tribe of Levi were not registered along with the other Israelites. ⁴⁸The Lord had said to Moses, ⁴⁹“Don’t register the tribe of Levi or include them in the census with the other Israelites. ⁵⁰Put the Levites in charge of the tent of God’s words, including the equipment for the tent and everything else having to do with the tent. The Levites will carry the tent and all its equipment. They will take care of the tent and camp around it. ⁵¹When the tent has to be moved, the Levites will take it down. When we camp, they will set it up. Anyone else who comes near the tent will be put to death. 

⁵²“The other Israelites will camp with each family in its own area under its own flag. ⁵³The Levites will camp all around the tent of God’s words. In this way ⸤the Lord⸥ won’t be angry with the community of Israel. So the Levites will be in charge of the tent of God’s words.” 

⁵⁴The Israelites did everything as the Lord commanded Moses. 

2ND CHAPTER

The Arrangement of Israel’s Camp

¹The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ²“The Israelites will put up their tents with each family under the flag that symbolizes its household. They will put their tents around the tent of meeting, facing it. 

³“On the east side, facing the rising sun, the armies led by Judah will camp under their flag. The leader for the people of Judah is Nahshon, son of Amminadab. ⁴The total number of men in his army is 74,600. 

⁵“Next to them will be the tribe of Issachar. The leader for the people of Issachar is Nethanel, son of Zuar. ⁶The total number of men in his army is 54,400. 

⁷“Then ⸤will be⸥ the tribe of Zebulun. The leader for the people of Zebulun is Eliab, son of Helon. ⁸The total number of men in his army is 57,400. 

⁹“The grand total of all the troops in Judah’s camp is 186,400. They will be the first group to move out. 

¹⁰“On the south side the armies led by Reuben will camp under their flag. The leader for the people of Reuben is Elizur, son of Shedeur. ¹¹The total number of men in his army is 46,500. 

¹²“Next to them will be the tribe of Simeon. The leader for the people of Simeon is Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai. ¹³The total number of men in his army is 59,300. 

¹⁴“Then ⸤will be⸥ the tribe of Gad. The leader for the people of Gad is Eliasaph, son of Deuel. ¹⁵The total number of men in his army is 45,650. 

¹⁶“The grand total of all the troops in Reuben’s camp is 151,450. They will be the second group to move out. 

¹⁷“When the tent of meeting is moved, the Levites will stay in the middle of the groups. The tribes will move out in the same order as they are in the camp, everyone in place under his own flag. 

¹⁸“On the west side the armies led by Ephraim will camp under their flag. The leader for the people of Ephraim is Elishama, son of Ammihud. ¹⁹The total number of men in his army is 40,500. 

²⁰“Next to them will be the tribe of Manasseh. The leader for the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur. ²¹The total number of men in his army is 32,200. 

²²“Then ⸤will be⸥ the tribe of Benjamin. The leader for the people of Benjamin is Abidan, son of Gideoni. ²³The total number of men in his army is 35,400. 

²⁴“The grand total of all the troops in Ephraim’s camp is 108,100. They will be the third group to move out. 

²⁵“On the north side the armies led by Dan will camp under their flag. The leader for the people of Dan is Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶The total number of men in his army is 62,700. 

²⁷“Next to them will be the tribe of Asher. The leader for the people of Asher is Pagiel, son of Ochran. ²⁸The total number of men in his army is 41,500. 

²⁹“Then ⸤will be⸥ the tribe of Naphtali. The leader for the people of Naphtali is Ahira, son of Enan. ³⁰The total number of men in his army is 53,400. 

³¹“The grand total of all the men in Dan’s camp is 157,600. They will be the last group to move out. They will travel under their own flag.” 

³²This is the total number of Israelites, counted by households. The grand total of all the troops in the camps was 603,550. ³³As the Lord had commanded Moses, the Levites were not registered along with the other Israelites. 

³⁴So the Israelites did everything as the Lord had commanded Moses. They set up camp under their flags, and each person traveled with his own family and household. 

3RD CHAPTER

The Tribe of Levi Is Registered and Assigned Duties

¹This is the list of Aaron and Moses’ descendants at the time when the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. 

²The names of Aaron’s sons are Nadab (the firstborn), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³These are the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. ⁴Nadab and Abihu died in the Lord’s presence because they offered unauthorized fire in his presence in the Desert of Sinai. They had no children. So only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron. 

⁵The Lord said to Moses, ⁶“Bring the tribe of Levi, and have them stand in front of the priest Aaron to assist him. ⁷They will work for him and the whole community in front of the tent of meeting, doing what needs to be done for the inner tent. ⁸They will take care of all the furnishings in the tent of meeting and work for the Israelites, doing what needs to be done for the inner tent. ⁹Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. The Levites will be the only Israelites given to them. ¹⁰Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who tries to do the…