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
GOD’S WORD Translation
Moses Takes Another Census of Israel
26 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, 2 “Take a census of the whole community of Israel by households. List those who are at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty.”
3 So Moses and the priest Eleazar spoke to the Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. They said, 4 “Take a census of those at least 20 years old, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
These are the Israelites who came from Egypt:
5 Reuben was Israel’s firstborn. The descendants of Reuben were the family of Hanoch, the family of Pallu, 6 the family of Hezron, and the family of Carmi.
7 These were the families of Reuben. The total number of men was 43,730.
8 Eliab was the son [a] of Pallu, 9 and Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. (It was Dathan and Abiram, men chosen by the community, who defied Moses and Aaron’s authority. They joined Korah’s followers when they defied the Lord’s authority. 10 The ground opened up and swallowed them along with Korah. They and their followers died when the fire consumed the 250 men. This was a warning. 11 But the descendants of Korah didn’t die.)
12 The families descended from Simeon were the family of Nemuel, the family of Jamin, the family of Jakin, 13 the family of Zerah, and the family of Shaul.
14 These were the families of Simeon. The total number of men was 22,200.
15 The families descended from Gad were the family of Zephon, the family of Haggi, the family of Shuni, 16 the family of Ozni, the family of Eri, 17 the family of Arodi,[b] and the family of Areli.
18 These were the families of Gad’s descendants. The total number of men was 40,500.
19 Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan. 20 The families descended from Judah were the family of Shelah, the family of Perez, and the family of Zerah.
21 The descendants of Perez were the family of Hezron and the family of Hamul.
22 These were the families of Judah. The total number of men was 76,500.
23 The families descended from Issachar were the family of Tola, the family of Puah,[c] 24 the family of Jashub, and the family of Shimron.
25 These were the families of Issachar. The total number of men was 64,300.
26 The families descended from Zebulun were the family of Sered, the family of Elon, and the family of Jahleel.
27 These were the families of Zebulun. The total number of men was 60,500.
28 The families descended from Joseph ⌞through⌟ Manasseh and Ephraim were 29 (from Manasseh) the family of Machir (Machir was the father of Gilead) and the family of Gilead.
30 The descendants of Gilead were the family of Iezer, the family of Helek, 31 the family of Asriel, the family of Shechem, 32 the family of Shemida, and the family of Hepher. 33 (Zelophehad, son of Hepher, had no sons—only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.)
34 These were the families of Manasseh. The total number of men was 52,700.
35 The families descended from Ephraim were the family of Shuthelah, the family of Beker, and the family of Tahan.
36 The descendants of Shuthelah were the family of Eran.
37 These were the families of Ephraim’s descendants. The total number of men was 32,500.
These were the families descended from Joseph.
38 The families descended from Benjamin were the family of Bela, the family of Ashbel, the family of Ahiram, 39 the family of Shupham,[d] and the family of Hupham.
40 The descendants of Bela (⌞through⌟ Ard and Naaman) were the family of Ard and the family of Naaman.
41 These were the families descended from Benjamin. The total number of men was 45,600.
42 The family descended from Dan was the family of Shuham.
This was the family descended from Dan. 43 The total number of men in all the family of Shuham was 64,400.
44 The families descended from Asher were the family of Imnah, the family of Ishvi, and the family of Beriah.
45 The descendants Beriah were the family of Heber and the family of Malchiel.
46 (Asher had a daughter named Serah.)
47 These were the families of Asher’s descendants. The total number of men was 53,400.
48 The families descended from Naphtali were the family of Jahzeel, the family of Guni, 49 the family of Jezer, and the family of Shillem.
50 These were the families of Naphtali. The total number of men was 45,400.
51 The total number of Israelite men was 601,730.
52 Then the Lord said to Moses, 53 “The land these people will possess must be divided using the list of names ⌞from the census⌟. 54 Give more land to larger tribes and less land to smaller ones. Use the totals ⌞from the census⌟ in giving land to each tribe. 55 But the land must be divided by drawing lots. The tribes will receive their land based on the names of their ancestors. 56 Whether the tribes are large or small, the land must be divided by drawing lots.”
57 The families descended from Levi were listed as the family of Gershon, the family of Kohath, and the family of Merari.
58 These were the families of Levi: the Libnite family, the Hebronite family, the Mahlite family, the Mushite family, and the Korahite family.
Kohath was the ancestor of Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born in Egypt. She gave birth to Amram’s children: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu had died because they offered unauthorized fire in the Lord’s presence.
62 The total number of all the ⌞Levite⌟ males at least one month old was 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites, because they were given no land of their own.
63 Moses and the priest Eleazar added up the total number of Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. 64 Among them there wasn’t a single one of the Israelites Moses and the priest Aaron had counted in the Desert of Sinai. 65 The Lord had said, “They must all die in the desert.” The only ones left were Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).
Footnotes
- 26:8 Ancient scribal tradition; Masoretic Text “sons.”
- 26:17 Genesis 46:16, Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac; Masoretic Text “Arod.”
- 26:23 Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac, Latin; Masoretic Text “Puvah.”
- 26:39 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac, Targum, Latin; Masoretic Text “Shephupham.”
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