Study Desk

"These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;

"Only the tribe of Levi you shall not count, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel.

"And you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over everything that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the tabernacle.

"So when the tabernacle is to move on, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But the layman who comes near it shall be put to death.

"So the sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own flag, according to their armies.

"But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be no divine wrath against the congregation of the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be responsible for service to the tabernacle of the testimony."

"The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own flag, with the banners of their fathers' households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance.

"Now those who camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the flag of the camp of Judah, by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab,

"Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar; and the leader of the sons of Issachar: Nethanel the son of Zuar,

"The total of the numbered men of the camp of Judah: 186,400, by their armies. They shall set out first.

"On the south side shall be the flag of the camp of Reuben by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur,

"And those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the leader of the sons of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai,

"The total of the numbered men of the camp of Reuben: 151,450 by their armies. And they shall set out second.

"Then the tent of meeting shall set out with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; just as they camp, so they shall set out, every man in his place by their flags.

"On the west side shall be the flag of the camp of Ephraim by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud,

"Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh; and the leader of the sons of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur,

"The total of the numbered men of the camp of Ephraim: 108,100, by their armies. And they shall set out third.

"On the north side shall be the flag of the camp of Dan by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai,

"Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the leader of the sons of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran,

"The total of the numbered men of the camp of Dan was 157,600. They shall set out last by their flags."