Numbers 1-3
Easy-to-Read Version
Moses Counts the Israelites
1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Meeting Tent. This was in the desert of Sinai. It was on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. He said to Moses: 2 “Count all the Israelites. List the name of each man with his family and his family group. 3 You and Aaron must count the men of Israel who are 20 years old or older. (These are all the men who are able to serve in the army of Israel.) List them by their divisions. 4 One man from each tribe will help you. This man will be the leader of his tribe. 5 These are the names of the men who will stand with you and help you:
from the tribe of Reuben—Elizur son of Shedeur;
6 from the tribe of Simeon—Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;
7 from the tribe of Judah—Nahshon son of Amminadab;
8 from the tribe of Issachar—Nethanel son of Zuar;
9 from the tribe of Zebulun—Eliab son of Helon;
10 from the descendants of Joseph:
from the tribe of Ephraim—Elishama son of Ammihud;
from the tribe of Manasseh—Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;
11 from the tribe of Benjamin—Abidan son of Gideoni;
12 from the tribe of Dan—Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
13 from the tribe of Asher—Pagiel son of Ocran;
14 from the tribe of Gad—Eliasaph son of Deuel[a];
15 from the tribe of Naphtali—Ahira son of Enan.”
16 All these men were the leaders of their families. The people also chose them to be leaders of their tribes. 17 Moses and Aaron took the men who had been chosen to be leaders 18 and called all the Israelites together on the first day of the second month. Then the people were listed by their families and their family groups. All the men who were 20 years old or older were listed. 19 Moses did exactly what the Lord commanded—he counted the people while they were in the desert of Sinai.
20 The tribe of Reuben was counted. (Reuben was the firstborn son of Israel.) The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 21 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.
22 The tribe of Simeon was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 23 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.
24 The tribe of Gad was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 25 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.
26 The tribe of Judah was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 27 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.
28 The tribe of Issachar was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 29 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400.
30 The tribe of Zebulun was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 31 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.
32 The tribe of Ephraim was counted. (Ephraim was Joseph’s son.) The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 33 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500.
34 The tribe of Manasseh was counted. (Manasseh was also Joseph’s son.) The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 35 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.
36 The tribe of Benjamin was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 37 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.
38 The tribe of Dan was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 39 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.
40 The tribe of Asher was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 41 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.
42 The tribe of Naphtali was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. 43 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.
44 Moses, Aaron, and the twelve leaders of Israel counted these men. (There was one leader from each tribe.) 45 They counted every man who was 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army. Each man was listed with his family. 46 The total number of men counted was 603,550 men.
47 The families from the tribe of Levi were not counted with the other Israelites. 48 The Lord had told Moses: 49 “Don’t count the men from the tribe of Levi or include them with the other Israelites. 50 Tell the Levites that they are responsible for the Tent of the Agreement. They must take care of that tent and everything that is with it. They must carry the Holy Tent and everything in it. They must make their camp around it and take care of it. 51 Whenever the Holy Tent is moved, the Levites must do it. Whenever the Holy Tent is set up, the Levites must do it. They are the men who will take care of the Holy Tent. Anyone else who tries to take care of the tent must be killed. 52 The Israelites will make their camps in separate divisions. Everyone must camp near their family flag. 53 The Levites will set up their tents so that they surround the Tent of the Agreement. They will serve as guards and keep the people away from the Tent. This will protect the Israelites from the Lord’s anger.”
54 The Lord had given these commandments to Moses. So the Israelites did everything he commanded.
The Camp Arrangement
2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “The Israelites should make their camps around the Meeting Tent. Each division will have its own special flag, and everyone will camp near their group’s flag.
3 “The flag of the camp of Judah will be on the east side, where the sun rises. The people of Judah will camp near its flag. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. 4 There are 74,600 men in his division.
5 “The tribe of Issachar will camp next to the tribe of Judah. The leader of the tribe of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6 There are 54,400 men in his division.
7 “The tribe of Zebulun will also camp next to the tribe of Judah. The leader of the tribe of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. 8 There are 57,400 men in his division.
9 “The total number of men in Judah’s camp is 186,400. All these men are divided into their different tribes. Judah will be the first group to move when the people travel from one place to another.
10 “The flag of Reuben’s camp will be south of the Holy Tent. Each group will camp near its flag. The leader of the tribe of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 There are 46,500 men in this division.
12 “The tribe of Simeon will camp next to the tribe of Reuben. The leader of the tribe of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 There are 59,300 men in this division.
14 “The tribe of Gad will also camp next to the tribe of Reuben. The leader of the tribe of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel.[b] 15 There are 45,650 men in this division.
16 “The total number of men in all the divisions of Reuben’s camp is 151,450. His camp will be the second group to move when the people travel from place to place.
17 “When the people travel, Levi’s camp will move next. The Meeting Tent will be with them between the other camps. The people will make their camps in the same order that they move.
18 “The flag of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side. The division of Ephraim will camp there. The leader of the tribe of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 There are 40,500 men in this division.
20 “The tribe of Manasseh will camp next to Ephraim’s family. The leader of the tribe of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 There are 32,200 men in this division.
22 “The tribe of Benjamin will also camp next to Ephraim’s family. The leader of the tribe of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 There are 35,400 men in this division.
24 “The total number of men in Ephraim’s camp is 108,100. They will be the third family to move when the people travel from one place to another.
25 “The flag of Dan’s camp will be on the north side. The tribes of Dan will camp there. The leader of the tribe of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 There are 62,700 men in this division.
27 “The people from the tribe of Asher will camp next to the tribe of Dan. The leader of the tribe of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. 28 There are 41,500 men in this division.
29 “The tribe of Naphtali will also camp next to the tribe of Dan. The leader of the tribe of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. 30 There are 53,400 men in this division.
31 “There are 157,600 men in Dan’s camp. They will be the last to move when the people travel from place to place. Each group will have its own flag.”
32 So these were the Israelites. They were counted by families. The total number of Israelite men in the camps, counted by divisions, is 603,550. 33 Moses obeyed the Lord and did not count the Levites with the other Israelites.
34 So the Israelites did everything the Lord told Moses. Each group camped under its own flag. And everyone stayed with their own family and family group.
Aaron’s Family, the Priests
3 This is the family history of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked to Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 Aaron had four sons. Nadab was the firstborn son. Then there were Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These sons were the chosen[c] priests. They were given the special work of serving the Lord as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died while serving the Lord. They used fire that the Lord did not allow when they made an offering to him. So Nadab and Abihu died there, in the desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar took their place and served the Lord as priests. This happened while their father Aaron was still alive.
Levites—the Priests’ Helpers
5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Bring all the men from the tribe of Levi. Bring them to Aaron the priest. These men will be his helpers. 7 The Levites will help him when he serves at the Meeting Tent. And they will help all the Israelites when they come to worship at the Holy Tent. 8 The Israelites should protect everything in the Meeting Tent; it is their duty. But the Levites will serve the Israelites by caring for these things. This will be their way of serving at the Holy Tent.
9 “Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. The Levites were chosen from all the Israelites to help Aaron and his sons.
10 “Appoint Aaron and his sons to be priests. They must do their duty and serve as priests. Anyone else who tries to come near the holy things[d] must be killed.”
11 The Lord also said to Moses, 12-13 “I destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt. At that time I chose all the firstborn from every family in Israel to be mine in a special way. That included all the firstborn men and animals. But now I am choosing the Levites to take their place. Now they will be my special servants. I, the Lord, give this command!”
14 The Lord again said to Moses in the desert of Sinai, 15 “Count all the families and family groups in the tribe of Levi. Count every man or boy who is one month old or older.” 16 So Moses obeyed the Lord. He counted them all.
17 Levi had three sons. Their names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 Each son was the leader of several family groups.
The Gershon family groups were Libni and Shimei.
19 The Kohath family groups were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 The Merari family groups were Mahli and Mushi.
These are the families that belonged to Levi’s family group.
21 The families of Libni and Shimei belonged to the family of Gershon. They were the Gershonite family groups. 22 There were 7500 men and boys over one month old in these two family groups. 23 The Gershonite family groups were told to camp in the west. They made their camp behind the Holy Tent. 24 The leader of the family groups of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 In the Meeting Tent, the Gershonites had the job of taking care of the Holy Tent, the outer tent, and the covering. They also took care of the curtain at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 26 They cared for the curtain in the courtyard. And they cared for the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard. This courtyard was around the Holy Tent and the altar. And they cared for the ropes and for everything that was used with the curtains.
27 The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel belonged to the family of Kohath. They were the Kohathite family groups. 28 In this family group there were 8300[e] men and boys a month old or over. The Kohathites were given the job of taking care of the things in the Holy Place. 29 The Kohathite family groups were given the area to the south of the Holy Tent. This was the area where they camped. 30 The leader of the Kohathite family groups was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31 Their job was to take care of the Holy Box, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the dishes of the Holy Place. They also cared for the curtain and all the things that were used with the curtain.
32 The leader over the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. Eleazar was in charge of everyone who took care of the holy things.
33-34 The family groups of Mahli and Mushi belonged to the Merari family. There were 6200 men and boys who were one month old or older in the Mahli family group. 35 The leader of the Merari family group was Zuriel son of Abihail. This family group was given the area to the north of the Holy Tent. This is the area where they camped. 36 The people from the Merari family were given the job of caring for the frames of the Holy Tent. They cared for all the braces, posts, bases, and everything that was used with the frames of the Holy Tent. 37 They also cared for all the posts in the courtyard around the Holy Tent. This included all the bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
38 Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped east of the Holy Tent, in front of the Meeting Tent. They were given the work of caring for the Holy Place. They did this for all the Israelites. Anyone else who came near the Holy Place was to be killed.
39 The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to count all the men and boys one month old or older in Levi’s family group. The total number was 22,000.
Levites Take the Place of the Firstborn
40 The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn men and boys in Israel who are at least one month old. Write their names on a list. 41 I am the Lord. I will take the Levites instead of all the firstborn men and boys of Israel. I will also take the animals from the Levites instead of taking all the firstborn animals from the other people in Israel.”
42 So Moses did what the Lord commanded. He counted all the firstborn children of the Israelites. 43 He listed all the firstborn men and boys who were one month old or older. There were 22,273 names on that list.
44 The Lord also said to Moses, 45 “I, the Lord, give this command: ‘Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn men from the other families of Israel. And I will take the animals of the Levites instead of the animals of the other people. The Levites are mine. 46 There are 22,000 Levites, but there are 22,273 firstborn sons from the other families. This leaves 273 more firstborn sons than Levites. 47 Using the official measure, collect five shekels[f] of silver for each of the 273 people. (The shekel by the official measure weighs 20 gerahs.[g]) Collect that silver from the Israelites. 48 Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as payment for the 273 Israelites.’”
49 There were not enough Levites to take the place of all the men from the other family groups, so Moses gathered the money for them. 50 Moses collected the silver from the firstborn men of the Israelites. He collected 1365 shekels[h] of silver, using the official measure. 51 Moses obeyed the Lord’s command and gave the silver to Aaron and his sons. He did it just as the Lord had told him.
Footnotes
- Numbers 1:14 Deuel Or “Reuel.”
- Numbers 2:14 Deuel Or “Reuel.”
- Numbers 3:3 chosen Or “anointed.” See “anoint” in the Word List.
- Numbers 3:10 tries … holy things Or “tries to serve as a priest.”
- Numbers 3:28 8300 Some copies of the ancient Greek version have “8300.” The Hebrew copies have “8600.” See Num. 3:22, 28, 34, 39.
- Numbers 3:47 five shekels 2 ounces (57.5 g).
- Numbers 3:47 gerahs 1/50 of an ounce (.6 g).
- Numbers 3:50 1365 shekels 35 pounds (15.7 kg).
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Bible Gateway Recommends
