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Encampment Orders

Later, the Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Every single Israeli[a] is to encamp beneath his standard with the emblem of his ancestral house. The Israelis are to encamp in front of and surrounding the Tent of Meeting.”

Eastern Encampment Order

“The encampment of Judah is to settle east toward the sunrise[b] under their standard. The leader of Judah is to be Amminadab’s son Nahshon. Those in his division number 74,600.[c]

“The tribe of Issachar is to encamp beside Judah.[d] The leader of Issachar is to be Zuar’s son Nethanel. Those in his division number 54,400.[e]

“Next is to be[f] the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of Zebulun is to be Helon’s son Eliab. Those in his division number 57,400. All those numbered by division in the camp of Judah total 186,400. They are to be the first to travel.”

Southern Encampment Order

10 “Toward the south is to be the division of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of Reuben is to be Shedeur’s son Elizur. 11 Those in his division number 46,500.

12 “The tribe of Simeon is to camp beside Reuben.[g] The leader of Simeon is to be Zurishaddai’s son Shelumiel. 13 Those in his division number 59,300.

14 “Next is to be[h] the tribe of Gad. The leader of Gad is to be Deuel’s son Eliasaph. 15 Those in his division number 45,650. 16 All those numbered by division in the camp of Reuben total 151,450. They are to be the second to travel.”

Tribe at the Center

17 “Then the Tent of Meeting is to travel with the camp of the descendants of Levi in the middle of the camps. They are to travel just as they have camped, each as designated[i] under his standard.”

Western Encampment Order

18 “Toward the west[j] is to be the division of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of Ephraim is to be Ammihud’s son Elishama. 19 Those in his division number 40,500.

20 “The tribe of Manasseh is to encamp beside them.[k] The leader of Manasseh is to be Pedahzur’s son Gamaliel. 21 Those in his division number 32,200.

22 “Next is to be[l] the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of Benjamin is to be Gideoni’s son Abidan. 23 Those in his division number 35,400. 24 All those numbered by division in the camp Ephraim total 108,100. They are to be the third to travel.”

Northern Encampment Order

25 “Toward the north is to be the division of the camp of Dan under their standard. The leader of Dan is to be Ammishaddai’s son Ahiezer. 26 Those in his division number 62,700.

27 “The tribe of Asher is to encamp beside them.[m] The leader of Asher is to be Ochran’s son Pagiel. 28 Those in his division number 41,500.

29 “Next is to be[n] the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of Naphtali is to be Enan’s son Ahira. 30 Those in his division number 53,400. 31 All those numbered by division in the camp of Dan total 157,600. They are to be the last to travel under their standards.”

Summary of the Encampment

32 Here is a summary of the census of the Israelis according to the tribes of their ancestral houses: All the divisions in the camps numbered 603,550, 33 but the descendants of Levi were not numbered along with the other Israelis, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 34 So the Israelis did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses; that is, they encamped under their standard as each person traveled with his own tribe and ancestral house.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 2:2 Lit. Each man of the Israelis
  2. Numbers 2:3 Lit. east
  3. Numbers 2:4 Cf. Num 1:27
  4. Numbers 2:5 Lit. him
  5. Numbers 2:6 Cf. Num 1:29
  6. Numbers 2:7 Lit. Then
  7. Numbers 2:12 Lit. him
  8. Numbers 2:14 Lit. Then
  9. Numbers 2:17 Lit. each upon his hand
  10. Numbers 2:18 Lit. the sea
  11. Numbers 2:20 Lit. him
  12. Numbers 2:22 Lit. Then
  13. Numbers 2:27 Lit. him
  14. Numbers 2:29 Lit. Then

The Arrangement of the Camps

Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “The Israelites[a] will encamp each with his standard, with a banner according to their families;[b] they will encamp around the tent of assembly. The ones who encamp on the eastern side, toward the sunrise, will be of the standard of the camp of Judah according to their divisions; and the leader of the descendants of Judah will be Nahshon son of Amminadab, and his division and the ones counted[c] are seventy-four thousand six hundred. And the ones who encamp next to him will be the tribe of Issachar. And the leader of the descendants of Issachar will be Nethanel son of Zuar, and his division are fifty-four thousand four hundred. For the tribe of Zebulun: the leader of the descendants of Zebulun will be Eliab son of Helon, and his division and the ones counted[d] are fifty-seven thousand four hundred. All those counted from the camp of Judah are one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred. They will set out first according to their divisions.

10 “The standard of the camp of Reuben will be to the south according to their divisions. The leader of the descendants will be Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 And his division and the ones counted[e] are forty-six thousand five hundred. 12 Those encamped next to him will be the tribe of Simeon. The leader of the descendants of Simeon will be Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 And his division and the ones counted[f] are fifty-nine thousand three hundred. 14 For the tribe of Gad: the leader of the descendants of Gad will be Eliasaph son of Reuel. 15 And his division and the ones counted[g] are forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. 16 All those counted[h] from the camp of Reuben are one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty. They will set out second according to their divisions.

17 “The tent of assembly the camp of the Levites will set out in the midst of the camps; they will set out just as they encamped, each according to their standards.[i]

18 “The standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their divisions will be to the west. The leader of the descendants of Ephraim will be Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 And his division and the ones counted[j] are forty thousand five hundred. 20 The tribe of Manasseh will be next to him. The leader of the descendants of the tribe of Manasseh will be Camaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 And his division and the ones counted[k] are thirty-two thousand two hundred. 22 For the tribe of Benjamin: the leader of the descendants of Benjamin will be Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 And his division and the ones counted[l] are thirty-five thousand four hundred. 24 All those counted[m] from the camp of Ephraim are one hundred and eighty thousand one hundred. They will set out third according to their divisions.

25 “The standard of the camp of Dan according to their divisions will be to the west. The leader of the descendants of Dan will be Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 And his division and the ones counted[n] are sixty-two thousand seven hundred. 27 Those encamped next to him will be the tribe of Asher. The leader of the descendants of Asher will be Pagiel son of Ocran. 28 And his division and the ones counted[o] are forty-one thousand five hundred. 29 For the tribe of Naphtali: the leader of the descendants of Naphtali will be Ahira son of Enan. 30 And his division and the ones counted[p] are fifty-three thousand four hundred. 31 All the ones counted[q] from the camp of Dan are one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They will set out last[r] according to their divisions.”

32 These were the ones counted of the Israelites[s] according to their families;[t] all those counted from the camps according to their divisions were six hundred and three thousand five hundred. 33 The Levites were not counted in the midst of the Israelites,[u] just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

34 And the Israelites[v] did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses. They encamped according to their standards, and they[w] set out each one according to their clans[x] among their families.[y]

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 2:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Numbers 2:2 Literally “the house of their fathers”
  3. Numbers 2:4 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  4. Numbers 2:8 Literally “the ones counted of him,” or “the ones mustered of him”
  5. Numbers 2:11 Literally “the ones counted of him,” or “the ones mustered of him”
  6. Numbers 2:13 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  7. Numbers 2:15 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  8. Numbers 2:16 Or “those mustered”
  9. Numbers 2:17 Literally “each man on his hand according to their standards”
  10. Numbers 2:19 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  11. Numbers 2:21 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  12. Numbers 2:23 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  13. Numbers 2:24 Or “those mustered”
  14. Numbers 2:26 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  15. Numbers 2:28 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  16. Numbers 2:30 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  17. Numbers 2:31 Literally “the ones counted of them,” or “the ones mustered of them”
  18. Numbers 2:31 Literally “from behind”
  19. Numbers 2:32 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  20. Numbers 2:32 Literally “the house of their fathers”
  21. Numbers 2:33 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  22. Numbers 2:34 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  23. Numbers 2:34 Hebrew “each one,” or “each man”
  24. Numbers 2:34 Hebrew “his clans”
  25. Numbers 2:34 Literally “the house of his fathers”