Chapter 1

The Census of Israel’s Warriors

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on athe first of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

2 “aTake a 1census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head

3 from atwenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall 1number them by their armies.

4 “With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, aeach one head of his father’s household.

5 “These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you: aof Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;

6 of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;

7 of Judah, aNahshon the son of Amminadab;

8 of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;

9 of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;

10 of the sons of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;

11 of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;

12 of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;

13 of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran;

14 of Gad, Eliasaph the son of aDeuel;

15 of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.

16 “These are they who were acalled of the congregation, the leaders of their fathers’ tribes; they were the bheads of 1divisions of Israel.”

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

18 and they assembled all the congregation together on the afirst of the second month. Then they registered by bancestry in their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, head by head,

19 just as athe Lord had commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.

20 aNow the sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

21 their numbered men of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.

22 aOf the sons of Simeon, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, their numbered men, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, bwhoever was able to go out to war,

23 their numbered men of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.

24 aOf the sons of Gad, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

25 their numbered men of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.

26 aOf the sons of Judah, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

27 their numbered men of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.

28 aOf the sons of Issachar, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

29 their numbered men of the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.

30 aOf the sons of Zebulun, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

31 their numbered men of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.

32 aOf the sons of Joseph, namely, of the sons of Ephraim, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

33 their numbered men of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.

34 aOf the sons of Manasseh, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

35 their numbered men of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.

36 aOf the sons of Benjamin, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

37 their numbered men of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.

38 aOf the sons of Dan, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

39 their numbered men of the tribe of Dan were 62,700.

40 aOf the sons of Asher, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

41 their numbered men of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.

42 aOf the sons of Naphtali, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

43 their numbered men of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.

44 These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each of whom was of his father’s household.

45 So all the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war in Israel,

46 even all the numbered men were a603,550.

Levites Exempted

47 aThe Levites, however, were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe.

48 For the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying,

49 “Only the tribe of Levi ayou shall not number, nor shall you take their 1census among the sons of Israel.

50 “But you shall aappoint the Levites over the 1tabernacle 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; they shall also camp around the 1tabernacle.

51 “aSo when the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But bthe 1layman who comes near shall be put to death.

52 “aThe sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own standard, according to their armies.

53 “aBut the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be bno wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel. cSo the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.”

54 Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all which the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did.