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The Census of Israel's Warriors

¹ The LORD spoke by special revelation to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) on ^(C1)the first day of the second month in the second year after the ^(F1)Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, saying,² "^(C1)Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, every male, ^(F1)head by head³ from ^(C1)twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go out to war. You and Aaron shall number them, army by army.⁴ "And with you there shall be a man to assist you from each tribe, ^(C1)each being the head of his father's household.⁵ "These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you: ^(C1)from the tribe of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;⁶ from the tribe of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;⁷ from the tribe of Judah, ^(C1)Nahshon the son of Amminadab;⁸ from the tribe of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;⁹ from the tribe of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;¹⁰ from the sons (descendants) of Joseph: from the tribe of ^(F1)Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from the tribe of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;¹¹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran;¹⁴ from the tribe of Gad, Eliasaph the son of ^(C1)Deuel;¹⁵ from the tribe of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.¹⁶ "These men were the ones ^(C1)called from the congregation, the leaders of their fathers' (ancestors') tribes; ^(C2)they were the heads of thousands the highest ranking officers in Israel."

¹⁷ So Moses and Aaron took these men who were designated by name,¹⁸ and assembled all the congregation on the ^(C1)first day of the second month, and they registered by ^(C2)ancestry in their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head,¹⁹ just as ^(C1)the LORD had commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

^20 (C1)The sons of Reuben, Israel's (Jacob's) firstborn, their generations, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:²¹ those of the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.

^22 (C1)Of the sons of Simeon, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, their numbered men according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, ^(C2)all who were able to go to war:²³ those of the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.

^24 (C1)Of the sons of Gad, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:²⁵ those of the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.

^26 (C1)Of the sons of Judah, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:²⁷ those of the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.

^28 (C1)Of the sons of Issachar, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:²⁹ those of the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.

^30 (C1)Of the sons of Zebulun, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:³¹ those of the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.

^32 (C1)Of the sons of Joseph: the sons (descendants) of Ephraim, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:³³ those of the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

^34 (C1)Of the sons of Manasseh, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:³⁵ those of the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.

^36 (C1)Of the sons of Benjamin, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:³⁷ those of the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

^38 (C1)Of the sons of Dan, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:³⁹ those of the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.

^40 (C1)Of the sons of Asher, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:⁴¹ those of the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

^42 (C1)Of the sons of Naphtali, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:⁴³ those of the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.

⁴⁴ These were the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers' household.⁴⁵ So all those numbered of the sons of Israel, by their fathers' households, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war in Israel,⁴⁶ all who were numbered were ^(C1)603,550.

Levites Exempted

^47 (C1)The Levites, however, were not numbered among them by their fathers' tribe.⁴⁸ For the LORD had said to Moses,⁴⁹ "Only the tribe of Levi ^(C1)you shall not number, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel since they are unavailable to go to war.⁵⁰ "But ^(C1)appoint the Levites over the tabernacle (sanctuary) of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings and all things that belong to it. They shall carry the tabernacle when traveling and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and camp around it.⁵¹ "^(C1)When the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up for camp, the Levites shall set it up. But ^(C2)the layman (non-Levite) who approaches the tabernacle shall be put to death.⁵² "^(C1)The Israelites shall camp according to their armies, every man by his own camp and every man by his own tribal standard (banner).⁵³ "^(C1)But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, so that there will be ^(C2)no wrath against the congregation of the Israelites. ^(C3)The Levites shall be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony."⁵⁴ Thus the sons of Israel did these things; according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so they did.