Common English Bible CEB
The Message Bible MSG
1 The LORD spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert in the meeting tent on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they left the land of Egypt:
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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 the entire Israelite community by their clans and their households, recording the name of every male,
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"Number the congregation of the People of Israel by clans and families, writing down the names of every male.
3 20 years old and above, who is eligible for military service in Israel. These you and Aaron will enlist in their military units.
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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 Take with you one man from each tribe who is the head of his household.
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Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you.
5 These are the names of the men who will assist you: from Reuben, Elizur, Shedeur's son;
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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, Zurishaddai's son;
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from Simeon: Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
7 from Judah, Nahshon, Amminadab's son;
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from Judah: Nahshon son of Amminadab
8 from Issachar, Nethanel, Zuar's son;
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from Issachar: Nethanel son of Zuar
9 from Zebulun, Eliab, Helon's son;
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from Zebulun: Eliab son of Helon
10 from Joseph's sons: from Ephraim, Elishama, Ammihud's son; from Manasseh, Gamaliel, Pedahzur's son;
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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, Gideoni's son;
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from Benjamin: Abidan son of Gideoni
12 from Dan, Ahiezer, Ammishaddai's son;
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from Dan: Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
13 from Asher, Pagiel, Ochran's son;
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from Asher: Pagiel son of Ocran
14 from Gad, Eliasaph, Deuel's son;
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from Gad: Eliasaph son of Deuel
15 from Naphtali, Ahira, Enan's son.
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from Naphtali: Ahira son of Enan."
16 These are the ones appointed from the community, chiefs of their ancestral tribes and leaders of the divisions 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 were selected by name
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Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named to help
18 and they assembled the entire community on the first day of the second month. They registered them by their clans and their households, recording the name of each male 20 years old and above.
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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 Moses enlisted them in the Sinai desert just as the LORD commanded him.
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just as God commanded Moses. He numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
20 There were the descendants of Reuben, Israel's oldest, registered by their clans and their households. Every man 20 years old and above eligible for military service was individually recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
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The tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
22 There were the descendants of Simeon, registered by their clans and their households. Every male 20 years old and above eligible for military service was individually recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
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The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
24 There were the descendants of Gad, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
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The tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
26 There were the descendants of Judah, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
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The tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
28 There were the descendants of Issachar, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.
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The tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
30 There were the descendants of Zebulun, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.
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The tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
32 From Joseph's descendants there were the descendants of Ephraim, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
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The tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
34 There were the descendants of Manasseh, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
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The tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
36 There were the descendants of Benjamin, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
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The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
38 There were the descendants of Dan, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Dan were 62,700.
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The tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
40 There were the descendants of Asher, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
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The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
42 There were the descendants of Naphtali, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name.
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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 enlisted from the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.
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The tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
44 These are the ones who were enlisted by Moses, Aaron, and the twelve chiefs of Israel, each from his own household.
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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 All the Israelites 20 years old and above eligible for military service in Israel were enlisted by their households.
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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 enlisted were 603,550.
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47 But the Levites, belonging to their own ancestral tribe, weren't enlisted along with them.
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The Levites, however, were not counted by their ancestral family along with the others.
48 The LORD spoke to Moses:
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God had told Moses,
49 You must not enlist the tribe of Levi, nor should you take their census along with the Israelites.
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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 Rather, assign the Levites to the covenant dwelling, to all its equipment, and to everything that belongs to it. They will carry the dwelling and all its equipment, perform its religious ceremonies, and camp around the dwelling.
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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 it's time to break camp, the Levites will take down the dwelling; and when it's time to make camp, the Levites will set up the dwelling. Any other person who approaches will 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 Israelites will camp each in their own place under the banner of their own military unit.
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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 will camp around the covenant dwelling so that God's anger will not strike the Israelite community. The Levites will guard the covenant dwelling.
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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 The Israelites did everything exactly as the LORD commanded Moses.
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The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
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.