The Census Tax

11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 (A)“When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give (B)a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel[a] according to the (C)shekel of the sanctuary (the (D)shekel is twenty gerahs),[b] (E)half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than (F)the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall (G)give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to (H)remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:13 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  2. Exodus 30:13 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram

Census and compensation

11 The Lord spoke to Moses: 12 When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each of them should pay compensation for their life to the Lord when they are counted. Then no plague will descend on them when they are counted. 13 Every one who is counted should pay a half shekel according to the official shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs). The half shekel is a gift offering to the Lord. 14 Every one who is counted, from 20 years old and above, should present a gift offering to the Lord. 15 When you bring this gift offering to the Lord to pay compensation for your lives, the rich shouldn’t give more and the poor shouldn’t give less than the half shekel. 16 Take the compensation money from the Israelites and use it to support the service of the meeting tent. It will serve for the Israelites as a reminder in the Lord’s presence of the compensation paid for your lives.

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