Parashat Bamidbar

Census of Fighting Men

1 In the wilderness of Sinai, on the first day of the second month in the second year from the Exodus from the land of Egypt, Adonai spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting saying, ² “Do a head count of all the community of Bnei-Yisrael by their families and their ancestral house, with a total of every male one by one. ³ You and Aaron are to muster by their divisions every son from 20 years and upward available to serve in the army of Israel. ⁴ One man from each tribe, each head of his father’s household, is to assist you.

⁵ “These then are the names of the men who will assist you: from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur. ⁶ From Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. ⁷ From Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab. ⁸ From Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar. ⁹ From Zebulon, Eliab son of Helon. ¹⁰ From the sons of Joseph—from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud, 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 Deuel. ¹⁵ From Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.” ¹⁶ These were those selected from the community, princes of their ancestral tribes. They were heads of the thousands of Israel.

¹⁷ So Moses and Aaron took these men designated by name. ¹⁸ They assembled all the community on the first day of the second month. They declared their lineage according to their families, the households of their forefathers, with the number of the names of those 20 years old and upward being listed individually. ¹⁹ Moses numbered Israel in the wilderness of Sinai just as Adonai had commanded him.