Numbers 1 Common English Bible

First census

1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert in the meeting tent on the first day of the second month,^[a] in the second year after they left the land of Egypt: ²Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their clans and their households, recording the name of every male, ³20 years old and above, who is eligible for military service in Israel. These you and Aaron will enlist in their military units. ⁴Take with you one man from each tribe who is the head of his household. ⁵These are the names of the men who will assist you:

from Reuben, Elizur, Shedeur’s son;

⁶from Simeon, Shelumiel, Zurishaddai’s son;

⁷from Judah, Nahshon, Amminadab’s son;

⁸from Issachar, Nethanel, Zuar’s son;

⁹from Zebulun, Eliab, Helon’s son;

¹⁰from Joseph’s sons:

from Ephraim, Elishama, Ammihud’s son;

from Manasseh, Gamaliel, Pedahzur’s son;

¹¹from Benjamin, Abidan, Gideoni’s son;

¹²from Dan, Ahiezer, Ammishaddai’s son;

¹³from Asher, Pagiel, Ochran’s son;

¹⁴from Gad, Eliasaph, Deuel’s son;

¹⁵from Naphtali, Ahira, Enan’s son.

¹⁶These are the ones appointed from the community, chiefs of their ancestral tribes and leaders of the divisions of Israel.

¹⁷Moses and Aaron took these men who were selected by name ¹⁸and they assembled the entire community on the first day of the second month. They registered them by their clans and their households, recording the name of each male 20 years old and above. ¹⁹Moses enlisted them in the Sinai desert just as the Lord commanded him.

²⁰There were the descendants of Reuben, Israel’s oldest, registered by their clans and their households. Every man 20 years old and above eligible for military service was individually recorded by name. ²¹Those enlisted from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.

²²There were the descendants of Simeon, registered by their clans and their households. Every male 20 years old and above eligible for military service was individually recorded by name. ²³Those enlisted from the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.

²⁴There were the descendants of Gad, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ²⁵Those enlisted from the tribe of Gad were 45,650.

²⁶There were the descendants of Judah, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ²⁷Those enlisted from the tribe of Judah were 74,600.

²⁸There were the descendants of Issachar, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ²⁹Those enlisted from the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.

³⁰There were the descendants of Zebulun, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ³¹Those enlisted from the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.

³²From Joseph’s descendants there were the descendants of Ephraim, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ³³Those enlisted from the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.

³⁴There were the descendants of Manasseh, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ³⁵Those enlisted from the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.

³⁶There were the descendants of Benjamin, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ³⁷Those enlisted from the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.

³⁸There were the descendants of Dan, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ³⁹Those enlisted from the tribe of Dan were 62,700.

⁴⁰There were the descendants of Asher, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ⁴¹Those enlisted from the tribe of Asher were 41,500.

⁴²There were the descendants of Naphtali, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. ⁴³Those enlisted from the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.

⁴⁴These are the ones who were enlisted by Moses, Aaron, and the twelve chiefs of Israel, each from his own household. ⁴⁵All the Israelites 20 years old and above eligible for military service in Israel were enlisted by their households. ⁴⁶All those enlisted were 603,550. ⁴⁷But the Levites, belonging to their own ancestral tribe, weren’t enlisted along with them.

The Levites’ exclusion from the census

⁴⁸The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁴⁹You must not enlist the tribe of Levi, nor should you take their census along with the Israelites. ⁵⁰Rather, assign the Levites to the covenant dwelling, to all its equipment, and to everything that belongs to it. They will carry the dwelling and all its equipment, perform its religious ceremonies, and camp around the dwelling. ⁵¹When it’s time to break camp, the Levites will take down the dwelling; and when it’s time to make camp, the Levites will set up the dwelling. Any other person who approaches will be put to death. ⁵²The Israelites will camp each in their own place under the banner of their own military unit. ⁵³But the Levites will camp around the covenant dwelling so that God’s anger will not strike the Israelite community. The Levites will guard the covenant dwelling.

⁵⁴The Israelites did everything exactly as the Lord commanded Moses.