A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month of that year he said, ²“From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men ³twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron must register the troops, ⁴and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe.

⁵“These are the tribes and the names of the leaders who will assist you:

Reuben

Elizur son of Shedeur

⁶

Simeon

Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai

⁷

Judah

Nahshon son of Amminadab

⁸

Issachar

Nethanel son of Zuar

⁹

Zebulun

Eliab son of Helon

¹⁰

Ephraim son of Joseph

Elishama son of Ammihud

Manasseh son of Joseph

Gamaliel son of Pedahzur

¹¹

Benjamin

Abidan son of Gideoni

¹²

Dan

Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai

¹³

Asher

Pagiel son of Ocran

¹⁴

Gad

Eliasaph son of Deuel

¹⁵

Naphtali

Ahira son of Enan

¹⁶These are the chosen leaders of the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.”

¹⁷So Moses and Aaron called together these chosen leaders, ¹⁸and they assembled the whole community of Israel on that very day. All the people were registered according to their ancestry by their clans and families. The men of Israel who were twenty years old or older were listed one by one, ¹⁹just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So Moses recorded their names in the wilderness of Sinai.

^20–21This is the number of men twenty years old or older who were able to go to war, as their names were listed in the records of their clans and families:

Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son)

46,500

^22–23

Simeon

59,300

^24–25

Gad

45,650

^26–27

Judah

74,600

^28–29

Issachar

54,400

^30–31

Zebulun

57,400

^32–33

Ephraim son of Joseph

40,500

^34–35

Manasseh son of Joseph

32,200

^36–37

Benjamin

35,400

^38–39

Dan

62,700

^40–41

Asher

41,500

^42–43

Naphtali

53,400

⁴⁴These were the men registered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, all listed according to their ancestral descent. ⁴⁵They were registered by families—all the men of Israel who were twenty years old or older and able to go to war. ⁴⁶The total number was 603,550.

⁴⁷But this total did not include the Levites. ⁴⁸For the Lord had said to Moses, ⁴⁹“Do not include the tribe of Levi in the registration; do not count them with the rest of the Israelites. ⁵⁰Put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with all its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and all its furnishings as you travel, and they must take care of it and camp around it. ⁵¹Whenever it is time for the Tabernacle to move, the Levites will take it down. And when it is time to stop, they will set it up again. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the Tabernacle must be put to death. ⁵²Each tribe of Israel will camp in a designated area with its own family banner. ⁵³But the Levites will camp around the Tabernacle of the Covenant to protect the community of Israel from the Lord’s anger. The Levites are responsible to stand guard around the Tabernacle.”

⁵⁴So the Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

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