The Command to Take a Census
1Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month of the second year since they had come out of the land of Egypt. He said, 2“Take a census of the whole congregation of the Israelites, by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of every male, head by head. 3You and Aaron shall number by their divisions everyone in Israel twenty years old or older who can serve in the army. 4With you there shall be one man from each tribe, each the head of his ancestral house. 5These are the names of the men who are to stand with you: from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; 6from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; 7from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab; 8from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar; 9from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon; 10the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur; 11from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni; 12from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai; 13from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran; 14from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel; 15from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.” 16These were the ones summoned from the congregation, leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads of the thousands of Israel. 17So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named, 18and they assembled the whole congregation on the first day of the second month. The people registered themselves by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name from twenty years old and upward, head by head, 19just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
The Count of the Twelve Tribes
20The descendants of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, head by head, every male twenty years old or older who could serve in the army — 21those registered from the tribe of Reuben numbered forty-six thousand, five hundred. 22The descendants of Simeon — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, those registered, counted by name, head by head, every male twenty years old or older who could serve in the army — 23those registered from the tribe of Simeon numbered fifty-nine thousand, three hundred. 24The descendants of Gad — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 25those registered from the tribe of Gad numbered forty-five thousand, six hundred and fifty. 26The descendants of Judah — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 27those registered from the tribe of Judah numbered seventy-four thousand, six hundred. 28The descendants of Issachar — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 29those registered from the tribe of Issachar numbered fifty-four thousand, four hundred. 30The descendants of Zebulun — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 31those registered from the tribe of Zebulun numbered fifty-seven thousand, four hundred. 32The descendants of Joseph — of the descendants of Ephraim, their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 33those registered from the tribe of Ephraim numbered forty thousand, five hundred. 34The descendants of Manasseh — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 35those registered from the tribe of Manasseh numbered thirty-two thousand, two hundred. 36The descendants of Benjamin — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 37those registered from the tribe of Benjamin numbered thirty-five thousand, four hundred. 38The descendants of Dan — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 39those registered from the tribe of Dan numbered sixty-two thousand, seven hundred. 40The descendants of Asher — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 41those registered from the tribe of Asher numbered forty-one thousand, five hundred. 42The descendants of Naphtali — their lineage, by their clans and ancestral houses, counted by name, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who could serve in the army — 43those registered from the tribe of Naphtali numbered fifty-three thousand, four hundred. 44These are the ones counted, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, together with the twelve leaders of Israel, one man for each ancestral house. 45So all the Israelites who were counted by their ancestral houses, from twenty years old and upward, everyone in Israel who could serve in the army — 46all those counted numbered six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.
The Levites Set Apart
47But the Levites were not counted among them by their ancestral tribe. 48Yahweh had spoken to Moses. He said, 49“Only the tribe of Levi you are not to number, and you are not to take a census of them among the Israelites. 50Instead, appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, over all its furnishings, and over everything that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, they are to attend to it, and they are to camp around the tabernacle. 51Whenever the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. Any outsider who comes near shall be put to death. 52The Israelites shall camp each in his own camp, each by his own standard, according to their divisions. 53But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of the Israelites. The Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.” 54The Israelites did this; they did just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
