Numbers 1-2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
I. Census and Preparation for the Departure from Sinai
Chapter 1
The Census. 1 In the second year after the Israelites’ departure from the land of Egypt, on the first day of the second month, the Lord said to Moses at the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai: 2 [a]Take a census of the whole community of the Israelites,(A) by clans and ancestral houses, registering by name each male individually. 3 You and Aaron shall enroll in companies all the men in Israel of twenty years or more who are fit for military service.
Moses’ Assistants. 4 With you there shall be a man from each tribe, each the head of his ancestral house. 5 (B)These are the names of those who are to assist you:
from Reuben: Elizur, son of Shedeur;
6 from Simeon: Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai;
7 from Judah:(C) Nahshon, son of Amminadab;
8 from Issachar: Nethanel, son of Zuar;
9 from Zebulun: Eliab, son of Helon;
10 for the descendants of Joseph: from Ephraim: Elishama, son of Ammihud; and 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 Ochran;
14 from Gad: Eliasaph, son of Reuel;
15 from Naphtali: Ahira, son of Enan.
16 (D)These were the elect of the community, leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads of the clans of Israel. 17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, 18 and assembled the whole community on the first day of the second month. Every man of twenty years or more then registered individually his name and lineage according to clan and ancestral house, 19 as the Lord had commanded Moses. So he enrolled them in the wilderness of Sinai.
Count of the Twelve Tribes. 20 Of the descendants of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, registered individually by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 21 those enrolled from the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.
22 Of the descendants of Simeon, registered individually by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 23 those enrolled from the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
24 Of the descendants of Gad, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 25 those enrolled from the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
26 Of the descendants of Judah, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 27 those enrolled from the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.
28 Of the descendants of Issachar, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 29 those enrolled from the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
30 Of the descendants of Zebulun, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 31 those enrolled from the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
32 Of the descendants of Joseph:
Of the descendants of Ephraim, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 33 those enrolled from the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred.
34 Of the descendants of Manasseh, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 35 those enrolled from the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
36 Of the descendants of Benjamin, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 37 those enrolled from the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
38 Of the descendants of Dan, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 39 those enrolled from the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
40 Of the descendants of Asher, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 41 those enrolled from the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.
42 Of the descendants of Naphtali, registered by name and lineage according to their clans and ancestral houses, every male of twenty years or more, everyone fit for military service: 43 those enrolled from the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
44 It was these who were enrolled, each according to his ancestral house, by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel. 45 The total enrollment of the Israelites of twenty years or more, according to their ancestral houses, everyone fit for military service in Israel— 46 the total enrollment was six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.
Levites Omitted in the Census. 47 Now the Levites were not enrolled(E) by their ancestral tribe with the others.[b] 48 For the Lord had told Moses, 49 The tribe of Levi alone you shall not enroll nor include in the census along with the other Israelites. 50 You are to give the Levites charge of the tabernacle of the covenant with all its equipment and all that belongs to it. It is they who shall carry the tabernacle with all its equipment and who shall be its ministers;(F) and they shall camp all around the tabernacle. 51 When the tabernacle is to move on, the Levites shall take it down; when the tabernacle is to be pitched, it is the Levites who shall set it up. Any unauthorized person who comes near[c] it shall be put to death.(G) 52 The other Israelites shall camp according to their companies, each in their own divisional camps,(H) 53 but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the covenant to ensure that God’s wrath will not fall upon the Israelite community. The Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the covenant.(I) 54 The Israelites complied; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Chapter 2
Arrangement of the Tribes. 1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 The Israelites shall camp, each in their own divisions, under the ensigns of their ancestral houses.(J) They shall camp at some distance all around the tent of meeting.
3 [d]Encamped on the east side, toward the sunrise, shall be the divisional camp of Judah, arranged in companies. The leader of the Judahites is Nahshon, son of Amminadab, 4 and the enrollment of his company is seventy-four thousand six hundred. 5 Encamped beside it is the tribe of Issachar. The leader of the Issacharites is Nethanel, son of Zuar, 6 and the enrollment of his company is fifty-four thousand four hundred. 7 Also the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the Zebulunites is Eliab, son of Helon, 8 and the enrollment of his company is fifty-seven thousand four hundred. 9 The total enrollment of the camp of Judah by companies is one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred. They shall be first on the march.
10 The divisional camp of Reuben shall be on the south side, by companies. The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur, son of Shedeur, 11 and the enrollment of his company is forty-six thousand five hundred. 12 Encamped beside it is the tribe of Simeon. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, 13 and the enrollment of his company is fifty-nine thousand three hundred. 14 Next is the tribe of Gad. The leader of the Gadites is Eliasaph, son of Reuel, 15 and the enrollment of his company is forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. 16 The total enrollment of the camp of Reuben by companies is one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty. They shall be second on the march.
17 Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites shall set out in the midst of the divisions. As they camp, so also they will march, each in place, by their divisions.
18 The divisional camp of Ephraim shall be on the west side, by companies. The leader of the Ephraimites is Elishama, son of Ammihud, 19 and the enrollment of his company is forty thousand five hundred. 20 Beside it shall be the tribe of Manasseh. The leader of the Manassites is Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, 21 and the enrollment of his company is thirty-two thousand two hundred. 22 Also the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the Benjaminites is Abidan, son of Gideoni, 23 and the enrollment of his company is thirty-five thousand four hundred. 24 The total enrollment of the camp of Ephraim by companies is one hundred and eight thousand one hundred. They shall be third on the march.
25 The divisional camp of Dan shall be on the north side, by companies. The leader of the Danites is Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, 26 and the enrollment of his company is sixty-two thousand seven hundred. 27 Encamped beside it shall be the tribe of Asher. The leader of the Asherites is Pagiel, son of Ochran, 28 and the enrollment of his company is forty-one thousand five hundred. 29 Also the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the Naphtalites is Ahira, son of Enan, 30 and the enrollment of his company is fifty-three thousand four hundred. 31 The total enrollment of the camp of Dan is one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They shall be the last on the march, by divisions.
32 (K)These are the enrollments of the Israelites according to their ancestral houses. The total enrollment of the camps by companies is six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. 33 The Levites, however, were not enrolled with the other Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 34 The Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses; both in camp and on the march they were in their own divisions, everyone by clan and according to ancestral house.
Footnotes
- 1:2 All Israel was divided into tribes, each tribe into clans, and each clan into ancestral houses.
- 1:47 The Levites were not enrolled in this census, which was principally for military purposes, but a separate census was made of them. Cf. 3:15–16, 39.
- 1:51 Comes near: here and in 3:10, 38; 17:5; 18:4, 7 the Hebrew word rendered “comes near” is very nearly a technical term for someone who intrudes upon or violates a space set apart as holy and for which they have not been qualified by priesthood.
- 2:3–31 A similar arrangement of the tribes around the central sanctuary in the ideal Israel is given in Ez 48.
Psalm 70
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 70[a]
Prayer for Divine Help
1 For the leader; of David. For remembrance.
2 Graciously rescue me, God!(A)
Come quickly to help me, Lord!(B)
3 Let those who seek my life
be confused and put to shame.(C)
Let those who desire my ruin
turn back in disgrace.
4 Let those who say “Aha!”(D)
turn back in their shame.
5 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you,
Those who long for your help
always say, “God be glorified!”(E)
6 I am miserable and poor.
God, come to me quickly!
You are my help and deliverer.
Lord, do not delay!
Footnotes
- Psalm 70 A lament of a poor and afflicted person (Ps 70:6) who has no resource except God, and who cries out to be saved from the enemy. The Psalm is almost identical to Ps 40:14–17.
Acts 8:25-40
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
25 So when they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and preached the good news to many Samaritan villages.
Philip and the Ethiopian.[a] 26 Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” 27 So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace,[b] that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship,(A) 28 and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.” 30 [c]Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.(B) 32 This was the scripture passage he was reading:(C)
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
33 In (his) humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth.”
34 Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, “I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. 36 (D)As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” [37 ][d] 38 Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing.(E) 40 Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.(F)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 8:26–40 In the account of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, Luke adduces additional evidence to show that the spread of Christianity outside the confines of Judaism itself was in accord with the plan of God. He does not make clear whether the Ethiopian was originally a convert to Judaism or, as is more probable, a “God-fearer” (Acts 10:1), i.e., one who accepted Jewish monotheism and ethic and attended the synagogue but did not consider himself bound by other regulations such as circumcision and observance of the dietary laws. The story of his conversion to Christianity is given a strong supernatural cast by the introduction of an angel (Acts 8:26), instruction from the holy Spirit (Acts 8:29), and the strange removal of Philip from the scene (8:39).
- 8:27 The Candace: Candace is not a proper name here but the title of a Nubian queen.
- 8:30–34 Philip is brought alongside the carriage at the very moment when the Ethiopian is pondering the meaning of Is 53:7–8, a passage that Christianity, from its earliest origins, has applied to Jesus; cf. note on Acts 3:13.
- 8:37 The oldest and best manuscripts of Acts omit this verse, which is a Western text reading: “And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he said in reply, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’”
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.