The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 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,
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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,
2 "Number the congregation of the People of Israel by clans and families, writing down the names of every male.
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“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.
3 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.
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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.
4 Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you.
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And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers.
5 These are the names of the men who will help you: from Reuben: Elizur son of Shedeur
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And these are the names of the men who shall assist you. From Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
6 from Simeon: Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
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from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;
7 from Judah: Nahshon son of Amminadab
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from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;
8 from Issachar: Nethanel son of Zuar
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from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;
9 from Zebulun: Eliab son of Helon
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from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;
10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim: Elishama son of Ammihud from Manasseh: Gamaliel son of Pedahzur
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from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;
11 from Benjamin: Abidan son of Gideoni
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from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;
12 from Dan: Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
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from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;
13 from Asher: Pagiel son of Ocran
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from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran;
14 from Gad: Eliasaph son of Deuel
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from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;
15 from Naphtali: Ahira son of Enan."
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from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan. ”
16 These were the men chosen from the congregation, leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads of Israel's military divisions.
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These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named to help
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Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named,
18 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,
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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,
19 just as God commanded Moses. He numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
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as the Lord commanded Moses. So he listed them in the wilderness of Sinai.
20 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.
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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:
21 The tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
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those listed of the tribe of Reuben were ,500.
22 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.
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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:
23 The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
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those listed of the tribe of Simeon were ,300.
24 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.
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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:
25 The tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
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those listed of the tribe of Gad were ,650.
26 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.
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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:
27 The tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
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those listed of the tribe of Judah were ,600.
28 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.
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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:
29 The tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
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those listed of the tribe of Issachar were ,400.
30 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.
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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:
31 The tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
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those listed of the tribe of Zebulun were ,400.
32 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.
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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:
33 The tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
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those listed of the tribe of Ephraim were ,500.
34 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.
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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:
35 The tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
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those listed of the tribe of Manasseh were ,200.
36 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.
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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:
37 The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
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those listed of the tribe of Benjamin were ,400.
38 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.
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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:
39 The tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
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those listed of the tribe of Dan were ,700.
40 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.
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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:
41 The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
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those listed of the tribe of Asher were ,500.
42 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.
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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:
43 The tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
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those listed of the tribe of Naphtali were ,400.
44 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.
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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.
45 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.
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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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all those listed were ,550.
47 The Levites, however, were not counted by their ancestral family along with the others.
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But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe.
48 God had told Moses,
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For the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
49 "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.
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“Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel.
50 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.
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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.
51 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.
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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.
52 "The rest of the People of Israel will set up their tents in companies, every man in his own camp under its own flag.
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The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard.
53 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."
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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. ”
54 The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.
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Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses.
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.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025