Yahweh 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 had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, every male, one by one
from 20 years old and upward, all who are able to go out to war in Israel. You and Aaron are to number them by their divisions.
With you there is to be a man of every tribe, everyone head of his fathers’ house.
These are the names of the men who are to stand with you: Of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur.
Of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
Of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
Of Issachar: Nethanel the son of Zuar.
Of Zebulun: Eliab the son of Helon.
Of the children of Joseph: Of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud. Of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
Of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni.
Of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
Of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran.
Of Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
Of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan.”
These are those of the congregation who were called, the chiefs of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel.
Moses and Aaron took those men who were mentioned by name.
They assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month and they declared their ancestry by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from 20 years old and upward, one by one.
As Yahweh commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
The children of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, one by one, every male from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
Of the children of Simeon, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, those who were numbered of it according to the number of the names, one by one, every male from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
Of the children of Gad, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
Of the children of Judah, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
Of the children of Issachar, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.
Of the children of Zebulun, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.
Of the children of Joseph, of the children of Ephraim, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
Of the children of Manasseh, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
Of the children of Benjamin, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
Of the children of Dan, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Dan 62,700.
Of the children of Asher, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
Of the children of Naphtali, their generations by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
those who were numbered of them of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.
These are those who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, and the rulers of Israel, being 12 men: they were each one for his fathers’ house.
So all those who were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers’ houses, from 20 years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war in Israel,
even all those who were numbered were 603,550.
Levites Exempted
But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
For Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Only the tribe of Levi you are not to number, nor are you to take a census of them among the children of Israel;
but appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they are to take care of it and are to encamp around it.
When the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites are to set it up. The unauthorized person who comes near must be put to death.
“The children of Israel are to pitch their tents, every man by his own camp and every man by his own standard according to their divisions.
But the Levites are to encamp around the Tabernacle of the Testimony so that there is no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites will be responsible for the Tabernacle of the Testimony.”
And the children of Israel did according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses; thus did they do.