A Census of the New Generation

26 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and to Elea′zar the son of Aaron, the priest, ² “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go forth to war.” ³ And Moses and Elea′zar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, ⁴ “Take a census of the people,^[a] from twenty years old and upward,” as the Lord commanded Moses. The people of Israel, who came forth out of the land of Egypt, were:

⁵ Reuben, the first-born of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Ha′nochites; of Pallu, the family of the Pal′luites; ⁶ of Hezron, the family of the Hez′ronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. ⁷ These are the families of the Reubenites; and their number was forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty. ⁸ And the sons of Pallu: Eli′ab. ⁹ The sons of Eli′ab: Nem′uel, Dathan, and Abi′ram. These are the Dathan and Abi′ram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord, ¹⁰ and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; and they became a warning. ¹¹ Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah did not die.

¹² The sons of Simeon according to their families: of Nem′uel, the family of the Nem′uelites; of Jamin, the family of the Ja′minites; of Jachin, the family of the Ja′chinites; ¹³ of Zerah, the family of the Zer′ahites; of Shaul, the family of the Sha′ulites. ¹⁴ These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred.

¹⁵ The sons of Gad according to their families: of Zephon, the family of the Ze′phonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; ¹⁶ of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; ¹⁷ of Ar′od, the family of the Ar′odites; of Are′li, the family of the Are′lites. ¹⁸ These are the families of the sons of Gad according to their number, forty thousand five hundred.

¹⁹ The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ And the sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shela′nites; of Perez, the family of the Per′ezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zer′ahites. ²¹ And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hez′ronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamu′lites. ²² These are the families of Judah according to their number, seventy-six thousand five hundred.

²³ The sons of Is′sachar according to their families: of Tola, the family of the To′laites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites; ²⁴ of Jashub, the family of the Jash′ubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shim′ronites. ²⁵ These are the families of Is′sachar according to their number, sixty-four thousand three hundred.

²⁶ The sons of Zeb′ulun, according to their families: of Sered, the family of the Ser′edites; of Elon, the family of the E′lonites; of Jah′leel, the family of the Jah′leelites. ²⁷ These are the families of the Zeb′ulunites according to their number, sixty thousand five hundred.

²⁸ The sons of Joseph according to their families: Manas′seh and E′phraim. ²⁹ The sons of Manas′seh: of Machir, the family of the Ma′chirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gil′eadites. ³⁰ These are the sons of Gilead: of Ie′zer, the family of the Ie′zerites; of Helek, the family of the He′lekites; ³¹ and of As′riel, the family of the As′rielites; and of Shechem, the family of the She′chemites; ³² and of Shemi′da, the family of the Shemi′daites; and of Hepher, the family of the He′pherites. ³³ Now Zeloph′ehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zeloph′ehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ³⁴ These are the families of Manas′seh; and their number was fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

³⁵ These are the sons of E′phraim according to their families: of Shu′thelah, the family of the Shu′thelahites; of Becher, the family of the Bech′erites; of Tahan, the family of the Ta′hanites. ³⁶ And these are the sons of Shu′thelah: of Eran, the family of the E′ranites. ³⁷ These are the families of the sons of E′phraim according to their number, thirty-two thousand five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.

³⁸ The sons of Benjamin according to their families: of Bela, the family of the Be′la-ites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ash′belites; of Ahi′ram, the family of the Ahi′ramites; ³⁹ of Shephu′pham, the family of the Shu′phamites; of Hupham, the family of the Hu′phamites. ⁴⁰ And the sons of Bela were Ard and Na′aman: of Ard, the family of the Ard′ites; of Na′aman, the family of the Na′amites. ⁴¹ These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and their number was forty-five thousand six hundred.

⁴² These are the sons of Dan according to their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shu′hamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families. ⁴³ All the families of the Shu′hamites, according to their number, were sixty-four thousand four hundred.

⁴⁴ The sons of Asher according to their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beri′ah, the family of the Beri′ites. ⁴⁵ Of the sons of Beri′ah: of Heber, the family of the He′berites; of Mal′chi-el, the family of the Mal′chi-elites. ⁴⁶ And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. ⁴⁷ These are the families of the sons of Asher according to their number, fifty-three thousand four hundred.

⁴⁸ The sons of Naph′tali according to their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jah′zeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; ⁴⁹ of Jezer, the family of the Je′zerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shil′lemites. ⁵⁰ These are the families of Naph′tali according to their families; and their number was forty-five thousand four hundred.

⁵¹ This was the number of the people of Israel, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.

⁵² The Lord said to Moses: ⁵³ “To these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. ⁵⁴ To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance according to its numbers. ⁵⁵ But the land shall be divided by lot; according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. ⁵⁶ Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller.”

⁵⁷ These are the Levites as numbered according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Ko′hathites; of Merar′i, the family of the Merar′ites. ⁵⁸ These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the He′bronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Kor′ahites. And Kohath was the father of Amram. ⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife was Joch′ebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister. ⁶⁰ And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abi′hu, Elea′zar and Ith′amar. ⁶¹ But Nadab and Abi′hu died when they offered unholy fire before the Lord. ⁶² And those numbered of them were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and upward; for they were not numbered among the people of Israel, because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.

⁶³ These were those numbered by Moses and Elea′zar the priest, who numbered the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. ⁶⁴ But among these there was not a man of those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had numbered the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” There was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephun′neh and Joshua the son of Nun.

The Inscribed Stones and Altar on Mount Ebal

27 Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep all the commandment which I command you this day. ² And on the day you pass over the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall set up large stones, and plaster them with plaster; ³ and you shall write upon them all the words of this law, when you pass over to enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you. ⁴ And when you have passed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you this day, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. ⁵ And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; you shall lift up no iron tool upon them. ⁶ You shall build an altar to the Lord your God of unhewn^[a] stones; and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God; ⁷ and you shall sacrifice peace offerings, and shall eat there; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. ⁸ And you shall write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”

⁹ And Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you this day.”

Twelve Curses

¹¹ And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, ¹² “When you have passed over the Jordan, these shall stand upon Mount Geri′zim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Is′sachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³ And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zeb′ulun, Dan, and Naph′tali. ¹⁴ And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel with a loud voice:

¹⁵ “‘Cursed be the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

¹⁶ “‘Cursed be he who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

¹⁷ “‘Cursed be he who removes his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

¹⁸ “‘Cursed be he who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

¹⁹ “‘Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁰ “‘Cursed be he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered her who is his father’s.’^[b] And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²¹ “‘Cursed be he who lies with any kind of beast.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²² “‘Cursed be he who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²³ “‘Cursed be he who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁴ “‘Cursed be he who slays his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁵ “‘Cursed be he who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁶ “‘Cursed be he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Praise for God’s Wonderful Works