Numbers

CHAPTER 1

The Census. 1In the second year after the Israelites’ departure from the land of Egypt, on the first day of the second month, the LORD said to Moses at the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai: 2^* Take a census of the whole community of the Israelites,^a by clans and ancestral houses, registering by name each male individually. 3You and Aaron shall enroll in companies all the men in Israel of twenty years or more who are fit for military service.

Moses’ Assistants. 4With you there shall be a man from each tribe, each the head of his ancestral house. 5^b These are the names of those who are to assist you:

from Reuben: Elizur, son of Shedeur;

6from Simeon: Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai;

7from Judah:^c Nahshon, son of Amminadab;

8from Issachar: Nethanel, son of Zuar;

9from Zebulun: Eliab, son of Helon;

10for the descendants of Joseph: from Ephraim: Elishama, son of Ammihud; and from Manasseh: Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur;

11from Benjamin: Abidan, son of Gideoni;

12from Dan: Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai;

13from Asher: Pagiel, son of Ochran;

14from Gad: Eliasaph, son of Reuel;

15from Naphtali: Ahira, son of Enan.

16^d These were the elect of the community, leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads of the clans of Israel. 17So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, 18and assembled the whole community on the first day of the second month. Every man of twenty years or more then registered individually his name and lineage according to clan and ancestral house, 19as the LORD had commanded Moses. So he enrolled them in the wilderness of Sinai.

Count of the Twelve Tribes. 20Of the descendants of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, registered individually by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 21those enrolled from the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.

22Of the descendants of Simeon, registered individually by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 23those enrolled from the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

24Of the descendants of Gad, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 25those enrolled from the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.

26Of the descendants of Judah, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 27those enrolled from the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.

28Of the descendants of Issachar, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 29those enrolled from the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred.

30Of the descendants of Zebulun, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 31those enrolled from the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

32Of the descendants of Joseph:

Of the descendants of Ephraim, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 33those enrolled from the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred.

34Of the descendants of Manasseh, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 35those enrolled from the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

36Of the descendants of Benjamin, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 37those enrolled from the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

38Of the descendants of Dan, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 39those enrolled from the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

40Of the descendants of Asher, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 41those enrolled from the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.

42Of the descendants of Naphtali, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 43those enrolled from the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

44It was these who were enrolled, each according to his ancestral house, by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel. 45The total enrollment of the Israelites of twenty years or more, according to their ancestral houses, everyone fit for military service in Israel— 46the total enrollment was six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.

Levites Omitted in the Census. 47Now the Levites were not enrolled^e by their ancestral tribe with the others.^* 48For the LORD had told Moses, 49The tribe of Levi alone you shall not enroll nor include in the census along with the other Israelites. 50You are to give the Levites charge of the tabernacle of the covenant with all its equipment and all that belongs to it. It is they who shall carry the tabernacle with all its equipment and who shall be its ministers;^f and they shall camp all around the tabernacle. 51When the tabernacle is to move on, the Levites shall take it down; when the tabernacle is to be pitched, it is the Levites who shall set it up. Any unauthorized person who comes near^* it shall be put to death.^g 52The other Israelites shall camp according to their companies, each in their own divisional camps,^h 53but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the covenant to ensure that God’s wrath will not fall upon the Israelite community. The Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the covenant.ⁱ 54The Israelites complied; they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

* [1:2] All Israel was divided into tribes, each tribe into clans, and each clan into ancestral houses.

* [1:47] The Levites were not enrolled in this census, which was principally for military purposes, but a separate census was made of them. Cf. 3:15–16, 39.

* [1:51] Comes near: here and in 3:10, 38; 17:5; 18:4, 7 the Hebrew word rendered “comes near” is very nearly a technical term for someone who intrudes upon or violates a space set apart as holy and for which they have not been qualified by priesthood.

a. [1:2–3] Nm 14:29; 26:2–51.

b. [1:5–15] Nm 10:14–28.

c. [1:7] Mt 1:4; Lk 3:32–33.

d. [1:16] Ex 18:21, 25.

e. [1:47] Nm 2:33; 3:14–39; 26:57–62.

f. [1:50] Nm 3:7–8; 4:2–49; 1 Chr 6:33.

g. [1:51] Nm 3:10, 38; 18:7; 2 Sm 6:6–7; 1 Chr 13:10.

h. [1:52] Nm 2:2, 34.

i. [1:53] Nm 3:7–8, 38; 8:19; 18:4–5.