Numbers 1 (UDB)

1In the second month of the year after the Israelite people had left Egypt, Yahweh spoke to Moses while he was in the sacred tent, in the wilderness of Sinai. Yahweh said to him,On the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai. He said:

2"Count how many Israelite men there are, from each family in Israel, and count them by name.“Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.

3You and Aaron must count the men who are at least twenty years old, those who can serve as soldiers in the army. Write down the number of the men, along with the names of their clans and families.You and Aaron are to number those who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army.

4I have chosen one man from each of the tribes to help you to do this. Each one must be a leader of his clan.And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you.

5Their names are: Elizur son of Shedeur, from the tribe of Reuben; Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, from the tribe of Simeon;These are the names of the men who are to assist you: From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

7Nahshon son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah; Nethanel son of Zuar, from the tribe of Issachar; Eliab son of Helon, from the tribe of Zebulun;from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;

10Elishama son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Joseph's son Ephraim; Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, from the tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh; Abidan son of Gideoni, from the tribe of Benjamin;from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;

12Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, from the tribe of Dan; Pagiel son of Ocran, from the tribe of Asher; Eliasaph son of Deuel, from the tribe of Gad; Ahira son of Enan, from the tribe of Naphtali."from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

16These were the men whom Yahweh chose from the people. They were leaders of their tribes. They were the chief men of the clans of the Israelite people.These men were appointed from the congregation; they were the leaders of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel.

17Aaron and Moses summoned all these leaders,So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name,

18and they gathered all of the people on that same day. They listed the names of all the men who were at least twenty years old, and with their names they wrote the names of their clans and their family groupsand on the first day of the second month they assembled the whole congregation and recorded their ancestry by clans and families, counting one by one the names of those twenty years of age or older,

19just as Moses had commanded. They wrote the names while the Israelites were there in the wilderness of Sinai.just as the LORD had commanded Moses. So Moses numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai:

20There were 46,500 men from the tribe of Reuben (who was Jacob's oldest son) who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

22There were 59,300 men from the tribe of Simeon who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Simeon, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

24There were 45,650 men from the tribe of Gad who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Gad, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

26There were 74,600 men from the tribe of Judah who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Judah, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

28There were 54,400 men from the tribe of Issachar who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Issachar, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

30There were 57,400 men from the tribe of Zebulun who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Zebulun, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

32There were 40,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Joseph: From the sons of Ephraim, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

34There were 32,200 men from the tribe of Manasseh who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.And from the sons of Manasseh, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

36There were 35,400 men from the tribe of Benjamin who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Benjamin, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

38There were 62,700 men from the tribe of Dan who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Dan, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

40There were 41,500 men from the tribe of Asher who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Asher, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

42There were 53,400 men from the tribe of Naphtali who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.From the sons of Naphtali, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

44That was the number of men from each tribe that Aaron and Moses and the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel listed, along with the names of their clans.These were the men numbered by Moses and Aaron, with the assistance of the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family.

46The total was 603,550 men.And all those counted totaled 603,550.

47But this number did not include the names of the men of the tribe of Levi,The Levites, however, were not numbered along with them by the tribe of their fathers.

48because Yahweh had said to Moses,For the LORD had said to Moses:

49"When you count the men of the tribes of Israel, do not count the men in the tribe of Levi.“Do not number the tribe of Levi in the census with the other Israelites.

50Appoint the male descendants of Levi to take care of the sacred tent and the chest inside it that contains the tablets on which are written the Ten Commandments. They must also take care of the other things that are inside the tent. When you travel, they are the ones who must carry the sacred tent and all the things that are inside it, and they must take care of it and set up their tents around it.Instead, you are to appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its articles, care for it, and camp around it.

51Whenever it is time for all of you to move to another location, the descendants of Levi are the ones who must dismantle the sacred tent. And when it is time to stop traveling, they are the ones who must set it up again. Any other person who goes near the sacred tent to do this work must be executed.Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever it is to be pitched, the Levites are to set it up. Any outsider who goes near it must be put to death.

52The people of each Israelite tribe must set up their tents in their own area, and they must set up a flag that represents their tribe.The Israelites are to camp by their divisions, each man in his own camp and under his own standard.

53But the male descendants of Levi must set up their tents around the sacred tent in order to protect the other Israelite people from being punished by Yahweh for coming close to the sacred tent. The descendants of Levi are the ones who must stand around the sacred tent to guard it."But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are responsible for the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

54So the Israelite people did everything just like Yahweh had commanded Moses.Thus the Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Numbers 1

The First Census of Israel

The Leaders of the Tribes

The Number of Every Tribe

The Exemption of the Levites

You’ve read Numbers 1

Go Deeper

Numbers 1

The First Census of Israel

The Leaders of the Tribes

The Number of Every Tribe

The Exemption of the Levites

You’ve read Numbers 1

Go Deeper