Numbers 1
The Lord instructed Moses to take a census of the Israelites, counting all males 20 years and above who were able to go to war. The census was conducted by tribe, with each tribe having a designated leader, and the total number of men counted was 603,550. The Levites, however, were not included in the census, as they were appointed to care for the tabernacle and its vessels, and to serve as guardians of the tabernacle. The Israelites were instructed to camp by their companies and bands, with the Levites surrounding the tabernacle to prevent outsiders from approaching it.
And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the covenant, on the first day of the second month, in the year after their departure from Egypt, saying"Take a total of the entire assembly of the sons of Israel, by their families and houses, and the names of each one, of whomever is of the male sexfrom twenty years and above, of all the able-bodied men out of Israel, and you shall number them by their companies, you and AaronAnd there shall be with you the leaders of the tribes, as well as of the houses, in their kinshipsthe names of whom are these: of Ruben, Elizur the son of Shedeurof Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddaiof Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadabof Issachar, Nathanael the son of Zuarof Zebulon, Eliab the son of HelonAnd from the sons of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzurof Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoniof Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddaiof Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochranof Gad, Eliasaph the son of Reuelof Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.These are the very noble leaders of the multitude, by their tribes and kinships, and the heads of the army of IsraelMoses and Aaron took these, with all the multitude of the common peopleand they gathered them together on the first day of the second month, taking a census of them by kinships, and houses, and families, and heads, and the names of each one from twenty years and abovejust as the Lord had instructed Moses. And they were numbered in the desert of SinaiOf Ruben, the firstborn of Israel, by their generations and families and houses, and the names of each head, of all who were of the male sex, from twenty years and above, capable of going to warthere were forty-six thousand five hundredOf the sons of Simeon, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names and heads of each one, of all who were of the male sex, from twenty years and above, capable of going to warthere were fifty-nine thousand three hundredOf the sons of Gad, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who could go forth to warthere were forty-five thousand six hundred fiftyOf the sons of Judah, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to warthere were counted seventy-four thousand six hundredOf the sons of Issachar, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who could go forth to warthere were counted fifty-four thousand four hundredOf the sons of Zebulon, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to warthere were fifty-seven thousand four hundredFrom the sons of Joseph, of the sons of Ephraim, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to warthere were forty thousand five hundredFurthermore, of the sons of Manasseh, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to warthere were thirty-two thousand two hundredOf the sons of Benjamin, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to warthere were thirty-five thousand four hundredOf the sons of Dan, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to warthere were sixty-two thousand seven hundredOf the sons of Asher, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to warthere were forty thousand and one thousand five hundredOf the sons of Naphtali, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to warthere were fifty-three thousand four hundredThese are the ones who were numbered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one by the houses of their kinshipsAnd the entire number of the sons of Israel by their houses and families, from twenty years and above, who were able to go forth to war, wersix hundred three thousand five hundred fifty menBut the Levites in the tribes of their families were not numbered with themAnd the Lord spoke to Moses, saying"Do not number the tribe of Levi, neither shall you take a total of them with the sons of IsraelBut appoint them over the tabernacle of the testimony, and all its vessels, and whatever pertains to the ceremonies. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its articles. And they shall be for the ministry, and they shall encamp all around the tabernacleWhen you would depart, the Levites shall take down the tabernacle. When you are to make camp, they shall set it up. Any outsider who will approach it shall be killedNow the sons of Israel shall make camp, each one by his companies and bands, as well as his armyMoreover, the Levites shall fix their tents all around the tabernacle, lest there be an indignation over the multitude of the sons of Israel. And they shall stand watch as guardians over the tabernacle of the testimony.Therefore, the sons of Israel acted according to everything that the Lord had instructed Moses
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