Beginning
The People of Israel Are Counted
1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Meeting Tent [C the Tabernacle; Ex. 25–31] in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai. This was on the first day of the second month in the second year after the Israelites left Egypt [Ex. 12:50–51; C one year later]. He said to Moses: 2 “You and Aaron must ·count [take a census of; L lift the head of] all the ·people of Israel [community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] by ·families [clans] and family groups, listing the name of each ·man [male]. 3 You and Aaron must count every man twenty years old or older who will serve in the army of Israel, and list them by their divisions [C like a military registration]. 4 One man from each tribe, the leader of his family, will help you. 5 These are the names of the men who will help you:
from the tribe of Reuben—Elizur son of Shedeur;
6 from the tribe of Simeon—Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;
7 from the tribe of Judah—Nahshon son of Amminadab;
8 from the tribe of Issachar—Nethanel son of Zuar;
9 from the tribe of Zebulun—Eliab son of Helon;
10 from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph—Elishama son of Ammihud;
from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph—Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;
11 from the tribe of Benjamin—Abidan son of Gideoni;
12 from the tribe of Dan—Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
13 from the tribe of Asher—Pagiel son of Ocran;
14 from the tribe of Gad—Eliasaph son of Deuel;
15 from the tribe of Naphtali—Ahira son of Enan.”
16 These were the men chosen from the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] to be leaders of their tribes, the heads of Israel’s family groups.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men ·who had been picked [L whose names had been designated] 18 and ·called [assembled] all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] of Israel together on the first day of the second month. Then the people ·were listed [registered their genealogies] by their ·families [clans] and family groups, and all the ·men [males] who were twenty years old or older were listed by name. 19 Moses did exactly what the Lord had commanded and ·listed [enrolled] the people while they were in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai.
20 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Reuben, the first son born to Israel [C Jacob; Gen. 35:23; 46:8; 49:3], ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 21 The tribe of Reuben totaled 46,500 men.
22 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Simeon ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 23 The tribe of Simeon totaled 59,300 men.
24 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Gad ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 25 The tribe of Gad totaled 45,650 men.
26 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Judah ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 27 The tribe of Judah totaled 74,600 men.
28 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Issachar ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 29 The tribe of Issachar totaled 54,400 men.
30 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Zebulun ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 31 The tribe of Zebulun totaled 57,400 men.
32 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Ephraim, a son of Joseph, ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 33 The tribe of Ephraim totaled 40,500 men.
34 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Manasseh, also a son of Joseph, ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 35 The tribe of Manasseh totaled 32,200 men.
36 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Benjamin ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 37 The tribe of Benjamin totaled 35,400 men.
38 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Dan ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 39 The tribe of Dan totaled 62,700 men.
40 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Asher ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 41 The tribe of Asher totaled 41,500 men.
42 The ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Naphtali ·was counted [L according to their records/lineage]; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their ·families [clans] and family groups. 43 The tribe of Naphtali totaled 53,400 men.
44 Moses, Aaron, and the twelve leaders of Israel, one from each of the family groups, counted these men. 45 Every man of Israel twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army was counted and listed with his family group. 46 The total number of men was 603,550.
47 The families groups from the tribe of Levi were not ·listed [counted] with the others, because 48 the Lord had told Moses: 49 “Do not count the tribe of Levi or ·include [take a census of; L lift the head of] them with the other Israelites. 50 Instead put the Levites in charge of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; L Testimony; C the Ten Commandments were in the Ark in the Tabernacle; Ex. 25:10] and everything that is with it [Ex. 32:26–29]. They must carry the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and everything in it, and they must take care of it and make their camp around it. 51 Any time the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] ·is moved [sets out], the Levites must take it down, and any time it is ·set up [pitched], the Levites must do it. Anyone else who goes near the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] will be put to death. 52 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] will make their camps in separate divisions, each family near its ·flag [standard]. 53 But the Levites must make their camp around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant; 1:50] so that I will not be angry with the ·Israelites [community/ congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel]. The Levites will take care of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant; 1:50].”
54 So the Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Camp Arrangement
2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] should make their camps around the Meeting Tent, but they should not camp too close to it. They should camp under their ·family flag [standard] and ·banners [ensign].”
3 The camp of Judah will ·be [camp] on the east side, where the sun rises, and they will camp by divisions there under their ·flag [banner]. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. 4 There are 74,600 men in his division.
5 Next to them the tribe of Issachar will camp. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6 There are 54,400 men in his division.
7 Next is the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. 8 There are 57,400 men in his division.
9 There are a total of 186,400 men in the camps of Judah and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the first to march out of camp.
10 The divisions of the camp of Reuben will be on the south side, where they will camp under their ·flag [banner]. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 There are 46,500 men in his division.
12 Next to them the tribe of Simeon will camp. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 There are 59,300 men in his division.
14 Next is the tribe of Gad. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. 15 There are 45,650 men in his division.
16 There are a total of 151,450 men in the camps of Reuben and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the second group to march out of camp.
17 When the camp of the Levites march out with the Meeting Tent, they will be in the middle of the other camps. The tribes will march out in the same order as they camp, each in its place under its ·flag [banner].
18 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side, where they will camp under their ·flag [banner]. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 There are 40,500 men in his division.
20 Next to them the tribe of Manasseh will camp. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 There are 32,200 men in his division.
22 Next is the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 There are 35,400 men in his division.
24 There are a total of 108,100 men in the camps of Ephraim and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the third group to march out of camp.
25 The divisions of the camp of Dan will be on the north side, where they will camp under their ·flag [banner]. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 There are 62,700 men in his division.
27 Next to them the tribe of Asher will camp. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. 28 There are 41,500 men in his division.
29 Next is the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. 30 There are 53,400 men in his division.
31 There are 157,600 men in the camps of Dan and its neighbors. They will be the last to march out of camp, and they will travel under their own ·flag [banner].
32 These are the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] who were counted by families groups. The total number in the camps, counted by divisions, is 603,550. 33 Moses obeyed the Lord and did not count the Levites among the other ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel.
34 So the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] obeyed everything the Lord commanded Moses. They camped under their ·flags [banners] and marched out by ·families [clans] and family groups.
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