God Commands Moses to Take a Census

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tent of assembly, on the first of the month, in the second year ⌞after they came out⌟¹ of the land of Egypt, saying,

1. Literally “of their coming out”

² “⌞Take a census of⌟¹ the entire community of the ⌞Israelites⌟² according to their clans and ⌞their families⌟,³ according to the number of names, every male individually

1. Literally “Lift up the head of”
2. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
3. Literally “the house of their fathers”

³ from ⌞twenty years old⌟¹ and above, everyone in Israel who is able to go to war. You and Aaron must muster them² for their wars.

1. Literally “a son of twenty years”
2. Or “count them,” or “summon them,” or “enroll them”

⁴ A man from each tribe will be with you, each man the head of ⌞his family⌟.¹

1. Literally “the house of his father”

⁵ And these are the names of the men who will ⌞assist you⌟:¹ from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

1. Literally “stand with you”

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 descendants 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 and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

¹⁶ These are the ones summoned from the community, the leaders of their ancestors’¹ tribes; they are the heads of Israel’s clans.

1. Or “fathers’ ”

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

¹⁸ and they summoned the entire community on the first day of the second month. And they registered themselves among their clans according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above individually,

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

¹⁹ just as Yahweh commanded Moses. And he counted them in the desert of Sinai.

²⁰ The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, every male individually from ⌞twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

²² From the descendants of Simeon, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ those who were counted according to the number of their names, every individual male from ⌞twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

²⁴ From the descendants of Gad, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

²⁶ From the descendants of Judah, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

²⁸ From the descendants of Issachar, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

³⁰ From the descendants of Zebulun, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

³² From the descendants of Joseph: from the descendants of Ephraim, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

³⁴ From the descendants of Manasseh, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

³⁶ From the descendants of Benjamin, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

³⁸ From the descendants of Dan, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

⁴⁰ From the descendants of Asher, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

⁴² From the descendants of Naphtali, their genealogies according to their clans, according to ⌞their families⌟,¹ according to the number of names, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟² and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

1. Literally “their fathers”
2. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

⁴⁴ These are the ones counted whom Moses and Aaron mustered,¹ with the twelve leaders of Israel, each one from ⌞his family⌟.²

1. Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
2. Literally “the house of his fathers”

⁴⁵ So all those who were counted from the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ according to ⌞their families⌟,² from ⌞those twenty years old⌟³ and above, everyone in Israel who is able to go to war.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Literally “the house of their fathers”
3. Literally “a son of twenty years”

⁴⁶ All of the ones counted were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.

⁴⁷ The Levites from their ancestors’¹ tribe were not mustered² in their midst.

1. Or “fathers’ ”
2. Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”

⁴⁸ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

⁴⁹ “You will not muster¹ the tribe of Levi, and you will not ⌞take a census of⌟² them in the midst of the ⌞Israelites⌟.³

1. Or “count,” or “summon,” or “enroll”
2. Literally “Lift up the head of”
3. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

⁵⁰ You will ⌞appoint⌟¹ them over the tabernacle of the testimony,² over all its vessels, and over all that belongs to it. They will carry the tabernacle and all its vessels, and they will care for it; and they will camp around the tabernacle.

1. Or “count,” or “summon,” or “enroll”
2. Other modern translations read “tabernacle of the covenant”

⁵¹ And when the tabernacle is set out, the Levites will ⌞take it down⌟,¹ and when encamping the tabernacle the Levites will set it up; the stranger² that approaches it will be put to death.

1. Literally “lower it”
2. Or “outsider”

⁵² The ⌞Israelites⌟¹ will encamp, each in their own camp, and each by their² own banner according to their divisions.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Hebrew “his” or “its”

⁵³ But the Levites will encamp around the tabernacle of the testimony,¹ and there will not be wrath on the community of the ⌞Israelites⌟;² and the Levites will keep the requirements of the tabernacle of the testimony.”³

1. Other modern translations read “tabernacle of the covenant”
2. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
3. Other modern translations read “tabernacle of the covenant”

⁵⁴ And the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ did thus; they did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses.