English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 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 had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
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God spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai at the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after they had left Egypt. He said,
2 "Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.
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"Number the congregation of the People of Israel by clans and families, writing down the names of every male.
3 From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company.
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You and Aaron are to register, company by company, every man who is twenty years and older who is able to fight in the army.
4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers.
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Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you.
5 And these are the names of the men who shall assist you. From Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
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These are the names of the men who will help you: from Reuben: Elizur son of Shedeur
6 from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;
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from Simeon: Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
7 from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;
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from Judah: Nahshon son of Amminadab
8 from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;
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from Issachar: Nethanel son of Zuar
9 from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;
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from Zebulun: Eliab son of Helon
10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;
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from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim: Elishama son of Ammihud from Manasseh: Gamaliel son of Pedahzur
11 from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;
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from Benjamin: Abidan son of Gideoni
12 from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;
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from Dan: Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
13 from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran;
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from Asher: Pagiel son of Ocran
14 from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;
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from Gad: Eliasaph son of Deuel
15 from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan."
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from Naphtali: Ahira son of Enan."
16 These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.
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These were the men chosen from the congregation, leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads of Israel's military divisions.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named,
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Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named to help
18 and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head,
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and gathered the whole congregation together on the first day of the second month. The people registered themselves in their tribes according to their ancestral families, putting down the names of those who were twenty years old and older,
19 as the LORD commanded Moses. So he listed them in the wilderness of Sinai.
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just as God commanded Moses. He numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
20 The people of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
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The line of Reuben, Israel's firstborn: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by tribes according to their ancestral families.
21 those listed of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
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The tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
22 Of the people of Simeon, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, those of them who were listed, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
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The line of Simeon: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
23 those listed of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
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The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
24 Of the people of Gad, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
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The line of Gad: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
25 those listed of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
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The tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
26 Of the people of Judah, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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The line of Judah: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
27 those listed of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
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The tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
28 Of the people of Issachar, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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The line of Issachar: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
29 those listed of the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.
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The tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
30 Of the people of Zebulun, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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The line of Zebulun: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
31 those listed of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.
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The tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
32 Of the people of Joseph, namely, of the people of Ephraim, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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The line of Joseph: From son Ephraim the men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
33 those listed of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
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The tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
34 Of the people of Manasseh, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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And from son Manasseh the men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
35 those listed of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
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The tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
36 Of the people of Benjamin, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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The line of Benjamin: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
37 those listed of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
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The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
38 Of the people of Dan, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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The line of Dan: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
39 those listed of the tribe of Dan were 62,700.
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The tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
40 Of the people of Asher, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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The line of Asher: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
41 those listed of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
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The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
42 Of the people of Naphtali, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
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The line of Naphtali: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.
43 those listed of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.
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The tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
44 These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers' house.
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These are the numbers of those registered by Moses and Aaron, registered with the help of the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his ancestral family.
45 So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel--
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The sum total of the People of Israel twenty years old and over who were able to fight in the army, counted by ancestral family, was 603,550.
46 all those listed were 603,550.
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47 But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe.
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The Levites, however, were not counted by their ancestral family along with the others.
48 For the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
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God had told Moses,
49 "Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel.
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"The tribe of Levi is an exception: Don't register them. Don't count the tribe of Levi; don't include them in the general census of the People of Israel.
50 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 shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle.
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Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of The Dwelling of The Testimony - over all its furnishings and everything connected with it. Their job is to carry The Dwelling and all its furnishings, maintain it, and camp around it.
51 When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.
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When it's time to move The Dwelling, the Levites will take it down, and when it's time to set it up, the Levites will do it. Anyone else who even goes near it will be put to death.
52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard.
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"The rest of the People of Israel will set up their tents in companies, every man in his own camp under its own flag.
53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony."
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But the Levites will set up camp around The Dwelling of The Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the community of Israel. The Levites are responsible for the security of The Dwelling of The Testimony."
54 Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.
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The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.