The People of Israel Are Counted

1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Meeting Tent [^Cthe 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; ^Cone year later]. He said to Moses: ² “You and Aaron must ·count [take a census of; ^Llift the head of] all the ·people of Israel [community/congregation/assembly of the sons/^Tchildren 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 [^Clike 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 [^Lwhose 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Reuben, the first son born to Israel [^CJacob; Gen. 35:23; 46:8; 49:3], ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Simeon ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Gad ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Judah ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Issachar ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Zebulun ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Ephraim, a son of Joseph, ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Manasseh, also a son of Joseph, ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Benjamin ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Dan ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Asher ·was counted [^Laccording 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 [^Lsons; descendants] of Naphtali ·was counted [^Laccording 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; ^Llift 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; ^LTestimony; ^Cthe 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 [^Lsons/^Tchildren 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/^Tchildren 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.