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Moses Takes Another Census of Israel

26 After the plague Yahweh said to Moses and Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, “Take a census of the whole community of Israel by households. List those who are at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty.”

So Moses and the priest Eleazar spoke to the Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. They said, “Take a census of those at least 20 years old, as Yahweh commanded Moses.”

These are the Israelites who came from Egypt:

Reuben was Israel’s firstborn. The descendants of Reuben were the family of Hanoch, the family of Pallu, the family of Hezron, and the family of Carmi.

These were the families of Reuben. The total number of men was 43,730.

Eliab was the son[a] of Pallu, and Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. (It was Dathan and Abiram, men chosen by the community, who defied Moses and Aaron’s authority. They joined Korah’s followers when they defied Yahweh’s authority. 10 The ground opened up and swallowed them along with Korah. They and their followers died when the fire consumed the 250 men. This was a warning. 11 But the descendants of Korah didn’t die.)

12 The families descended from Simeon were the family of Nemuel, the family of Jamin, the family of Jakin, 13 the family of Zerah, and the family of Shaul.

14 These were the families of Simeon. The total number of men was 22,200.

15 The families descended from Gad were the family of Zephon, the family of Haggi, the family of Shuni, 16 the family of Ozni, the family of Eri, 17 the family of Arodi,[b] and the family of Areli.

18 These were the families of Gad’s descendants. The total number of men was 40,500.

19 Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan. 20 The families descended from Judah were the family of Shelah, the family of Perez, and the family of Zerah.

21 The descendants of Perez were the family of Hezron and the family of Hamul.

22 These were the families of Judah. The total number of men was 76,500.

23 The families descended from Issachar were the family of Tola, the family of Puah,[c] 24 the family of Jashub, and the family of Shimron.

25 These were the families of Issachar. The total number of men was 64,300.

26 The families descended from Zebulun were the family of Sered, the family of Elon, and the family of Jahleel.

27 These were the families of Zebulun. The total number of men was 60,500.

28 The families descended from Joseph through Manasseh and Ephraim were 29 (from Manasseh) the family of Machir (Machir was the father of Gilead) and the family of Gilead.

30 The descendants of Gilead were the family of Iezer, the family of Helek, 31 the family of Asriel, the family of Shechem, 32 the family of Shemida, and the family of Hepher. 33 (Zelophehad, son of Hepher, had no sons—only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.)

34 These were the families of Manasseh. The total number of men was 52,700.

35 The families descended from Ephraim were the family of Shuthelah, the family of Beker, and the family of Tahan.

36 The descendants of Shuthelah were the family of Eran.

37 These were the families of Ephraim’s descendants. The total number of men was 32,500.

These were the families descended from Joseph.

38 The families descended from Benjamin were the family of Bela, the family of Ashbel, the family of Ahiram, 39 the family of Shupham,[d] and the family of Hupham.

40 The descendants of Bela (through Ard and Naaman) were the family of Ard and the family of Naaman.

41 These were the families descended from Benjamin. The total number of men was 45,600.

42 The family descended from Dan was the family of Shuham.

This was the family descended from Dan. 43 The total number of men in all the family of Shuham was 64,400.

44 The families descended from Asher were the family of Imnah, the family of Ishvi, and the family of Beriah.

45 The descendants Beriah were the family of Heber and the family of Malchiel.

46 (Asher had a daughter named Serah.)

47 These were the families of Asher’s descendants. The total number of men was 53,400.

48 The families descended from Naphtali were the family of Jahzeel, the family of Guni, 49 the family of Jezer, and the family of Shillem.

50 These were the families of Naphtali. The total number of men was 45,400.

51 The total number of Israelite men was 601,730.

52 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 53 “The land these people will possess must be divided using the list of names from the census. 54 Give more land to larger tribes and less land to smaller ones. Use the totals from the census in giving land to each tribe. 55 But the land must be divided by drawing lots. The tribes will receive their land based on the names of their ancestors. 56 Whether the tribes are large or small, the land must be divided by drawing lots.”

57 The families descended from Levi were listed as the family of Gershon, the family of Kohath, and the family of Merari.

58 These were the families of Levi: the Libnite family, the Hebronite family, the Mahlite family, the Mushite family, and the Korahite family.

Kohath was the ancestor of Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born in Egypt. She gave birth to Amram’s children: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu had died because they offered unauthorized fire in Yahweh’s presence.

62 The total number of all the Levite males at least one month old was 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites, because they were given no land of their own.

63 Moses and the priest Eleazar added up the total number of Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. 64 Among them there wasn’t a single one of the Israelites Moses and the priest Aaron had counted in the Desert of Sinai. 65 Yahweh had said, “They must all die in the desert.” The only ones left were Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 26:8 Ancient scribal tradition; Masoretic Text “sons.”
  2. Numbers 26:17 Genesis 46:16, Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac; Masoretic Text “Arod.”
  3. Numbers 26:23 Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac, Latin; Masoretic Text “Puvah.”
  4. Numbers 26:39 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac, Targum, Latin; Masoretic Text “Shephupham.”

Census of a New Generation

26 [a]Then it came about after the (A)plague, [b]that the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, (B)Take a [c]census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ households, whoever is able to go to war in Israel.” So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them (C)in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, Take a census of the people from twenty years old and upward, as the Lord has commanded Moses.”

Now the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were as follows:

Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. These are the families of the Reubenites, and those who were counted of them were (D)43,730. The son of Pallu: Eliab. The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were (E)called by the congregation, who fought against Moses and against Aaron in the group of Korah, when they fought against the Lord, 10 and (F)the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that group died, (G)when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning sign. 11 (H)The sons of Korah, however, did not die.

12 The sons of Simeon by their families: of [d]Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of [e]Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; 13 of [f]Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. 14 These are the families of the Simeonites, (I)22,200 in number.

15 The sons of Gad by their families: of [g]Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; 16 of [h]Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; 17 of [i]Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites. 18 These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered of them, (J)40,500.

19 The (K)sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20 The (L)sons of Judah by their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites. 21 The sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. 22 These are the families of Judah by those who were numbered of them, (M)76,500.

23 The (N)sons of Issachar by their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of [j]Puvah, the family of the Punites; 24 of [k]Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 25 These are the families of Issachar by those who were numbered of them, (O)64,300.

26 The (P)sons of Zebulun by their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. 27 These are the families of the Zebulunites by those who were numbered of them, (Q)60,500.

28 The (R)sons of Joseph by their families: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and (S)Machir fathered Gilead: of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. 30 These are the sons of Gilead: of [l]Iezer, the family of the (T)Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites; 31 and of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; 32 and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, only daughters; and (U)the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were (V)52,700.

35 These are the sons of Ephraim by their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of [m]Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36 These are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37 These are the families of the sons of Ephraim by those who were numbered of them, (W)32,500. These are the sons of Joseph by their families.

38 The sons of Benjamin by their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of [n]Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; 39 of [o]Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of [p]Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 40 The sons of Bela were [q]Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. 41 These are the sons of Benjamin by their families; and those who were numbered of them were (X)45,600.

42 These are the sons of Dan by their families: of [r]Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan by their families. 43 All the families of the Shuhamites, by those who were numbered of them, were (Y)64,400.

44 The (Z)sons of Asher by their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. 45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. 46 And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47 These are the families of the sons of Asher by those who were numbered of them, (AA)53,400.

48 The (AB)sons of Naphtali by their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; 49 of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of (AC)Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 50 These are the families of Naphtali by their families; and those who were numbered of them were (AD)45,400.

51 These are the ones who were numbered of the sons of Israel, (AE)601,730.

52 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 53 [s]Among these the land shall be divided as an inheritance according to the number of names. 54 (AF)To a larger group you shall increase their inheritance, and to a smaller group you shall decrease their inheritance; each shall be given their inheritance corresponding to the total of those who were numbered of them. 55 But the land shall be (AG)divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. 56 Corresponding to the selection by lot, their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller groups.”

57 (AH)These are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. 58 These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, and the family of the Korahites. (AI)Kohath fathered Amram. 59 And the name of Amram’s wife (AJ)was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 (AK)And to Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 (AL)But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered [t]strange fire before the Lord. 62 Those who were numbered of them were (AM)twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and upward, for (AN)they were not numbered among the sons of Israel (AO)since no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel.

63 These are the ones who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64 (AP)But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said [u]of them, “(AQ)They shall certainly die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them, (AR)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 26:1 Ch 25:19 in Heb
  2. Numbers 26:1 Ch 26:1 in Heb
  3. Numbers 26:2 Lit sum
  4. Numbers 26:12 In Gen 46:10 and Ex 6:15, Jemuel
  5. Numbers 26:12 In 1 Chr 4:24, Jarib
  6. Numbers 26:13 In Gen 46:10, Zohar
  7. Numbers 26:15 In Gen 46:16, Ziphion
  8. Numbers 26:16 In Gen 46:16, Ezbon
  9. Numbers 26:17 In Gen 46:16, Arodi
  10. Numbers 26:23 In Gen 46:13, Puvvah; in 1 Chr 7:1, Puah
  11. Numbers 26:24 In Gen 46:13, Iob
  12. Numbers 26:30 In Josh 17:2, Abiezer
  13. Numbers 26:35 In 1 Chr 7:20, Bered
  14. Numbers 26:38 In Gen 46:21, Ehi; in 1 Chr 8:1, Aharah
  15. Numbers 26:39 In Gen 46:21, Muppim; in 1 Chr 7:12, Shuppim
  16. Numbers 26:39 In Gen 46:21, Huppim
  17. Numbers 26:40 In 1 Chr 8:3, Addar
  18. Numbers 26:42 In Gen 46:23, Hushim
  19. Numbers 26:53 Lit To
  20. Numbers 26:61 I.e., prohibited
  21. Numbers 26:65 Or to