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

Offerings for the Tent

11 The Lord told Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelis to register them, each is to give a ransom for himself[a] to the Lord when they’re registered so there won’t be a plague among them when they’re registered. 13 This is what everyone who is registered[b] is to give: half a shekel[c] according to the shekel[d] of the sanctuary (the shekel[e] weighs 20 gerahs), half a shekel[f] as a contribution to the Lord. 14 All who are registered, 20 years of age and older, are to give a contribution to the Lord. 15 The rich person is not to give more,[g] nor is the poor person to give less[h] than the half shekel,[i] when you give a contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves.[j] 16 You are to take the atonement money from the Israelis and give it for the service of the Tent of Meeting, and it is to be a memorial for the Israelis in the Lord’s presence to make atonement for yourselves.”[k]

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:12 Or his life
  2. Exodus 30:13 Lit. the one who passes over to those who have been registered
  3. Exodus 30:13 I.e., a unit of weight measurement equal to about 16 barley grains; about 0.025 ounces or 0.5 grams; cf. Num 3:47; Num 18:16
  4. Exodus 30:13 I.e., a unit of weight measurement equal to about 16 barley grains; about 0.025 ounces or 0.5 grams; cf. Num 3:47; Num 18:16
  5. Exodus 30:13 I.e., a unit of weight measurement equal to about 16 barley grains; about 0.025 ounces or 0.5 grams; cf. Num 3:47; Num 18:16
  6. Exodus 30:13 I.e., a unit of weight measurement equal to about 16 barley grains; about 0.025 ounces or 0.5 grams; cf. Num 3:47; Num 18:16
  7. Exodus 30:15 Lit. increase from
  8. Exodus 30:15 Lit. decrease from
  9. Exodus 30:15 I.e., a unit of weight measurement equal to about 16 barley grains; about 0.025 ounces or 0.5 grams; cf. Num 3:47; Num 18:16
  10. Exodus 30:15 Or for your lives
  11. Exodus 30:16 Or for your lives