Israel’s First Census
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after they went out from the land of Egypt, saying: 2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls, 3 from twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go out to war in Israel. You and Aaron will number them by their armies. 4 With you there will be a man of every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house. 5 These are the names of the men who will stand with you:
of the tribe of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
6 of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;
7 of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;
8 of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;
9 of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;
10 of the children of Joseph:
of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud;
of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;
11 of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;
12 of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;
13 of Asher, Pagiel the son of Okran;
14 of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;
15 of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.
16 These were the renowned of the congregation, leaders of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned by name, 18 and they assembled all the congregation on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees according to their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19 As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
20 The children of Reuben, the oldest son of Israel,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 21 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
22 Of the children of Simeon,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those who were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 23 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
24 Of the children of Gad,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 25 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
26 Of the children of Judah,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 27 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were seventy-four thousand six hundred.
28 Of the children of Issachar,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 29 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
30 Of the children of Zebulun,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 31 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
32 Of the children of Joseph,
namely, of the children of Ephraim,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 33 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand five hundred.
34 Of the children of Manasseh,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 35 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
36 Of the children of Benjamin,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 37 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
38 Of the children of Dan,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 39 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
40 Of the children of Asher,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 41 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty-one thousand five hundred.
42 Of the children of Naphtali,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 43 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
44 These are those who were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the leaders of Israel, being twelve men. Each one was for the house of his fathers. 45 So were all those who were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war in Israel. 46 Even all they who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
47 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. 48 For the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying: 49 Only you will not number the tribe of Levi, nor take the census of them among the children of Israel, 50 but you will appoint the Levites over the tent of the testimony, and over all its vessels, and over all things that belong to it. They will carry the tabernacle, and all its vessels, and they will minister to it, and will camp around the tabernacle. 51 When the tabernacle sets out, the Levites will take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites will set it up, and the foreigner that approaches will be put to death. 52 The children of Israel will pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their armies. 53 But the Levites will camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so there will be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel. And the Levites will keep the charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.
54 Thus the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses.