The Census

1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting^(A) in the Desert of Sinai^(B) on the first day of the second month^(C) of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt.^(D) He said: ² “Take a census^(E) of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families,^(F) listing every man by name,^(G) one by one. ³ You and Aaron^(H) are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more^(I) and able to serve in the army.^{(J) 4} One man from each tribe,^(K) each of them the head of his family,^(L) is to help you.^{(M) 5} These are the names^(N) of the men who are to assist you:

¹⁶ These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders^(AM) of their ancestral tribes.^(AN) They were the heads of the clans of Israel.^(AO)

¹⁷ Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified, ¹⁸ and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month.^(AP) The people registered their ancestry^(AQ) by their clans and families,^(AR) and the men twenty years old or more^(AS) were listed by name, one by one, ¹⁹ as the Lord commanded Moses. And so he counted^(AT) them in the Desert of Sinai:

⁴⁴ These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron^(BV) and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. ⁴⁵ All the Israelites twenty years old or more^(BW) who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families.^{(BX) 46} The total number was 603,550.^(BY)

⁴⁷ The ancestral tribe of the Levites,^(BZ) however, was not counted^(CA) along with the others. ⁴⁸ The Lord had said to Moses: ⁴⁹ “You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. ⁵⁰ Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle^(CB) of the covenant law^(CC)—over all its furnishings^(CD) and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. ⁵¹ Whenever the tabernacle^(CE) is to move,^(CF) the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.^(CG) Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.^{(CH) 52} The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard.^{(CI) 53} The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle^(CJ) of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall^(CK) on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.^(CL)”

⁵⁴ The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Arrangement of the Tribal Camps

2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ² “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard^(CM) and holding the banners of their family.”

³⁴ So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family.

Psalm 70^[a](A)

For the director of music. Of David. A petition.

²⁵ After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord^(A) and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.^(B)

Philip and the Ethiopian

²⁶ Now an angel^(C) of the Lord said to Philip,^(D) “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^[a](E) eunuch,^(F) an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,^{(G) 28} and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Spirit told^(H) Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³² This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip began^(J) with that very passage of Scripture^(K) and told him the good news^(L) about Jesus.

³⁶ As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”^{(M) [37] [c] 38} And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away,^(N) and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns^(O) until he reached Caesarea.^(P)