Numbers 26
Christian Standard Bible
The Second Census
26 After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, 2 “Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their ancestral families[a] of those twenty years old or more who can serve in Israel’s army.”(A)
3 So Moses and the priest Eleazar said to them in the plains of Moab(B) by the Jordan across from Jericho, 4 “Take a census of those twenty years old or more, as the Lord had commanded Moses and the Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt.”(C)
5 Reuben(D) was the firstborn of Israel.
Reuben’s descendants:
the Hanochite clan from Hanoch;
the Palluite clan from Pallu;
6 the Hezronite clan from Hezron;
the Carmite clan from Carmi.
7 These were the Reubenite clans,
and their registered men numbered 43,730.
8 The son of Pallu was Eliab.
9 The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram.
(It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the community, who fought against Moses and Aaron; they and Korah’s followers fought against the Lord.(E) 10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, when his followers died and the fire consumed 250 men.(F) They serve as a warning sign. 11 The sons of Korah, however, did not die.)
12 Simeon’s descendants by their clans:
the Nemuelite clan from Nemuel;(G)
the Jaminite clan from Jamin;
the Jachinite clan from Jachin;
13 the Zerahite clan from Zerah;
the Shaulite clan from Shaul.
14 These were the Simeonite clans, numbering 22,200 men.
15 Gad’s descendants by their clans:
the Zephonite clan from Zephon;
the Haggite clan from Haggi;
the Shunite clan from Shuni;
16 the Oznite clan from Ozni;
the Erite clan from Eri;
17 the Arodite clan from Arod;
the Arelite clan from Areli.
18 These were the Gadite clans numbered by their registered men: 40,500.
19 Judah’s sons included Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan.(H) 20 Judah’s descendants by their clans:
the Shelanite clan from Shelah;
the Perezite clan from Perez;(I)
the Zerahite clan from Zerah.
21 The descendants of Perez:
the Hezronite clan from Hezron;
the Hamulite clan from Hamul.
22 These were Judah’s clans numbered by their registered men: 76,500.
23 Issachar’s descendants by their clans:
the Tolaite clan from Tola;
the Punite clan from Puvah;[b](J)
24 the Jashubite clan from Jashub;
the Shimronite clan from Shimron.
25 These were Issachar’s clans numbered by their registered men: 64,300.
26 Zebulun’s descendants by their clans:
the Seredite clan from Sered;
the Elonite clan from Elon;
the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel.
27 These were the Zebulunite clans numbered by their registered men: 60,500.
28 Joseph’s descendants by their clans from Manasseh and Ephraim:
29 Manasseh’s descendants:(K)
the Machirite clan from Machir.
Machir fathered Gilead;
the Gileadite clan from Gilead.
30 These were Gilead’s descendants:
the Iezerite clan from Iezer;
the Helekite clan from Helek;
31 the Asrielite clan from Asriel;
the Shechemite clan from Shechem;
32 the Shemidaite clan from Shemida;
the Hepherite clan from Hepher;
33 Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons—only daughters. The names of Zelophehad’s daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.(L)
34 These were Manasseh’s clans, numbered by their registered men: 52,700.
35 These were Ephraim’s descendants by their clans:
the Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah;
the Becherite clan from Becher;
the Tahanite clan from Tahan.
36 These were Shuthelah’s descendants:
the Eranite clan from Eran.
37 These were the Ephraimite clans numbered by their registered men: 32,500.
These were Joseph’s descendants by their clans.
38 Benjamin’s descendants by their clans:
the Belaite clan from Bela;
the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel;
the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram;
39 the Shuphamite clan from Shupham;[c]
the Huphamite clan from Hupham.
40 Bela’s descendants from Ard and Naaman:
the Ardite clan from Ard;
the Naamite clan from Naaman.
41 These were the Benjaminite clans numbered by their registered men: 45,600.
42 These were Dan’s descendants by their clans:
the Shuhamite clan from Shuham.
These were the clans of Dan by their clans.
43 All the Shuhamite clans numbered by their registered men: 64,400.
44 Asher’s descendants by their clans:
the Imnite clan from Imnah;
the Ishvite clan from Ishvi;
the Beriite clan from Beriah.
45 From Beriah’s descendants:
the Heberite clan from Heber;
the Malchielite clan from Malchiel.
46 And the name of Asher’s daughter was Serah.
47 These were the Asherite clans numbered by their registered men: 53,400.
48 Naphtali’s descendants by their clans:
the Jahzeelite clan from Jahzeel;
the Gunite clan from Guni;
49 the Jezerite clan from Jezer;
the Shillemite clan from Shillem.
50 These were the Naphtali clans numbered by their registered men: 45,400.
51 These registered Israelite men numbered 601,730.
52 The Lord spoke to Moses, 53 “The land is to be divided among them as an inheritance based on the number of names. 54 Increase the inheritance for a large tribe and decrease it for a small one. Each is to be given its inheritance according to those who were registered in it. 55 The land is to be divided by lot; they will receive an inheritance according to the names of their ancestral tribes. 56 Each inheritance will be divided by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.”(M)
57 These were the Levites registered by their clans:
the Gershonite clan from Gershon;
the Kohathite clan from Kohath;
the Merarite clan from Merari.
58 These were the Levite family groups:
the Libnite clan,
the Hebronite clan,
the Mahlite clan,
the Mushite clan,
and the Korahite clan.(N)
Kohath was the ancestor of Amram.(O) 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Amram: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were born to Aaron,(P) 61 but Nadab and Abihu died when they presented unauthorized fire before the Lord.(Q) 62 Those registered were 23,000, every male one month old or more; they were not registered among the other Israelites, because no inheritance was given to them among the Israelites.
63 These were the ones registered by Moses and the priest Eleazar when they registered the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 64 But among them there was not one of those who had been registered by Moses and the priest Aaron when they registered the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai.(R) 65 For the Lord had said to them that they would all die in the wilderness. None of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Numbers 26
Contemporary English Version
The Israelites Are Counted a Second Time
26 (A) After the Lord had stopped the deadly disease from killing the Israelites, he said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, 2 “I want you to find out how many Israelites are in each family. Then make a list of every man 20 years and older who is able to serve in Israel's army.”
3 Israel was now camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho. Moses and Eleazar told them 4 what the Lord had said about counting the men 20 years and older, just as Moses and their ancestors had done when they left Egypt.[a]
5-7 There were 43,730 men from the tribe of Reuben, the oldest son of Jacob.[b] These men were from the clans of Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 8 Pallu was the father of Eliab 9 and the grandfather of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the same Dathan and Abiram who had been chosen by the people, but who followed Korah and rebelled against Moses, Aaron, and the Lord. 10 That's when the Lord made the earth open up and swallow Dathan, Abiram, and Korah. At the same time, fire destroyed 250 men as a warning to the other Israelites.[c] 11 But the Korahite clan wasn't destroyed.
12-14 There were 22,200 men from the tribe of Simeon; they were from the clans of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah, and Shaul.
15-18 There were 40,500 men from the tribe of Gad; they were from the clans of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod, and Areli.
19-22 There were 76,500 men from the tribe of Judah; they were from the clans of Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, as well as Hezron and Hamul, whose ancestor was Perez. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan.[d]
23-25 There were 64,300 men from the tribe of Issachar; they were from the clans of Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron.
26-27 There were 60,500 men from the tribe of Zebulun; they were from the clans of Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
28-34 There were 52,700 men from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; they were from the clan of Machir, the clan of Gilead his son, and the clans of his six grandsons: Iezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher. Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but he had five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.[e]
35-37 There were 32,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; they were from the clans of Shuthelah, Becher, Tahan, and Eran the son of Shuthelah.
38-41 There were 45,600 men from the tribe of Benjamin; they were from the clans of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shephupham, Hupham, as well as from Ard and Naaman, the two sons of Bela.
42-43 There were 64,400 men from the tribe of Dan; they were all from the clan of Shuham.
44-47 There were 53,400 men from the tribe of Asher; they were from the clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and from the two clans of Heber and Malchiel, the sons of Beriah. Asher's daughter was Serah.
48-50 There were 45,400 men from the tribe of Naphtali; they were from the clans of Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
51 The total number of Israelite men listed was 601,730.
52 (B) The Lord said to Moses, 53 “Divide the land of Canaan among these tribes, according to the number of people in each one, 54 so the larger tribes have more land than the smaller ones. 55-56 I will show you[f] what land to give each tribe, and they will receive as much land as they need, according to the number of people in it.”
57 The tribe of Levi included the clans of the Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, 58 as well as the clans of Libni, Hebron, Mahli, Mushi, and Korah. Kohath the Levite was the father of Amram, 59 the husband of Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed's three children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. 60 (C) Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 (D) But Nadab and Abihu had died when they offered fire that was unacceptable to the Lord.[g]
62 In the tribe of Levi there were 23,000 men and boys at least a month old. They were not listed with the other tribes, because they would not receive any land in Canaan.
63 Moses and Eleazar counted the Israelites while they were camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. 64 None of the people that Moses and Aaron had counted in the Sinai Desert were still alive, 65 (E) except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. The Lord had said that everyone else would die there in the desert.[h]
Footnotes
- 26.4 just as … Egypt: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 26.5-7 Jacob: The Hebrew text has “Israel,” Jacob's name after God renamed him.
- 26.10 Israelites: See 16.1-35.
- 26.19-22 Judah's sons … Canaan: See Genesis 38.1-10.
- 26.28-34 Zelophehad … Tirzah: See also 27.1-11; 36.1-12.
- 26.55,56 I will show you: The Hebrew text has “Cast lots to find out.” Pieces of wood or stone (called “lots”) were used to find out what the Lord wanted his people to do.
- 26.61 Nadab and Abihu … the Lord: See 3.1-4 and Leviticus 10.1,2.
- 26.64,65 None of the people … the desert: See 14.26-30.
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