Numbers 1
Lexham English Bible
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[a] of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Take a census of[b] the entire community of the Israelites[c] according to their clans and their families,[d] according to the number of names, every male individually 3 from twenty years old[e] and above, everyone in Israel who is able to go to war. You and Aaron must muster them[f] for their wars. 4 A man from each tribe will be with you, each man the head of his family.[g] 5 And these are the names of the men who will assist you:[h] from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; 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’[i] tribes; they are the heads of Israel’s clans.
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,[j] according to the number of names from those twenty years old[k] and above individually, 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,[l] according to the number of names, every male individually from twenty years old[m] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[n] those who were counted according to the number of their names, every individual male from twenty years old[o] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[p] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[q] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[r] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[s] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[t] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[u] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[v] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[w] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[x] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[y] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[z] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[aa] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[ab] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[ac] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[ad] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[ae] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[af] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[ag] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[ah] according to the number of names, from those twenty years old[ai] and above, everyone who is able to go to war: 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,[aj] with the twelve leaders of Israel, each one from his family.[ak] 45 So all those who were counted from the Israelites[al] according to their families,[am] from those twenty years old[an] and above, everyone in Israel who is able to go to war. 46 All of the ones counted were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. 47 The Levites from their ancestors’[ao] tribe were not mustered[ap] in their midst.
48 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 49 “You will not muster[aq] the tribe of Levi, and you will not take a census of[ar] them in the midst of the Israelites.[as] 50 You will appoint[at] them over the tabernacle of the testimony,[au] 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. 51 And when the tabernacle is set out, the Levites will take it down,[av] and when encamping the tabernacle the Levites will set it up; the stranger[aw] that approaches it will be put to death. 52 The Israelites[ax] will encamp, each in their own camp, and each by their[ay] own banner according to their divisions. 53 But the Levites will encamp around the tabernacle of the testimony,[az] and there will not be wrath on the community of the Israelites;[ba] and the Levites will keep the requirements of the tabernacle of the testimony.”[bb] 54 And the Israelites[bc] did thus; they did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 1:1 Literally “of their coming out”
- Numbers 1:2 Literally “Lift up the head of”
- Numbers 1:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 1:2 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:3 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:3 Or “count them,” or “summon them,” or “enroll them”
- Numbers 1:4 Literally “the house of his father”
- Numbers 1:5 Literally “stand with you”
- Numbers 1:16 Or “fathers’”
- Numbers 1:18 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:18 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:20 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:20 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:22 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:22 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:24 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:24 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:26 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:26 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:28 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:28 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:30 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:30 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:32 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:32 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:34 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:34 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:36 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:36 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:38 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:38 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:40 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:40 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:42 Literally “their fathers”
- Numbers 1:42 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:44 Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 1:44 Literally “the house of his fathers”
- Numbers 1:45 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 1:45 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Numbers 1:45 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 1:47 Or “fathers’”
- Numbers 1:47 Or “counted,” or “summoned,” or “enrolled”
- Numbers 1:49 Or “count,” or “summon,” or “enroll”
- Numbers 1:49 Literally “Lift up the head of”
- Numbers 1:49 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 1:50 Or “count,” or “summon,” or “enroll”
- Numbers 1:50 Other modern translations read “tabernacle of the covenant”
- Numbers 1:51 Literally “lower it”
- Numbers 1:51 Or “outsider”
- Numbers 1:52 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 1:52 Hebrew “his” or “its”
- Numbers 1:53 Other modern translations read “tabernacle of the covenant”
- Numbers 1:53 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 1:53 Other modern translations read “tabernacle of the covenant”
- Numbers 1:54 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
Numbers 1
The Message
Census in the Wilderness of Sinai
1 1-5 God spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai at the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after they had left Egypt. He said, “Number the congregation of the People of Israel by clans and families, writing down the names of every male. You and Aaron are to register, company by company, every man who is twenty years and older who is able to fight in the army. Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you. These are the names of the men who will help you:
from Reuben: Elizur son of Shedeur
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 sons 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 from Naphtali: Ahira son of Enan.”
16 These were the men chosen from the congregation, leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads of Israel’s military divisions.
17-19 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named to help and gathered the whole congregation together on the first day of the second month. The people registered themselves in their tribes according to their ancestral families, putting down the names of those who were twenty years old and older, just as God commanded Moses. He numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
20-21 The line of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by tribes according to their ancestral families. The tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
22-23 The line of Simeon: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
24-25 The line of Gad: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
26-27 The line of Judah: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
28-29 The line of Issachar: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
30-31 The line of Zebulun: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
32-33 The line of Joseph: From son Ephraim the men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
34-35 And from son Manasseh the men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
36-37 The line of Benjamin: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
38-39 The line of Dan: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
40-41 The line of Asher: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
42-43 The line of Naphtali: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
44-46 These are the numbers of those registered by Moses and Aaron, registered with the help of the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his ancestral family. The sum total of the People of Israel twenty years old and over who were able to fight in the army, counted by ancestral family, was 603,550.
47-51 The Levites, however, were not counted by their ancestral family along with the others. God had told Moses, “The tribe of Levi is an exception: Don’t register them. Don’t count the tribe of Levi; don’t include them in the general census of the People of Israel. Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of The Dwelling of The Testimony—over all its furnishings and everything connected with it. Their job is to carry The Dwelling and all its furnishings, maintain it, and camp around it. When it’s time to move The Dwelling, the Levites will take it down, and when it’s time to set it up, the Levites will do it. Anyone else who even goes near it will be put to death.
52-53 “The rest of the People of Israel will set up their tents in companies, every man in his own camp under its own flag. But the Levites will set up camp around The Dwelling of The Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the community of Israel. The Levites are responsible for the security of The Dwelling of The Testimony.”
54 The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.
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