The Message Bible MSG
King James Version KJV
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,
1
And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were 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.
2
Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
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.
3
From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
4 Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you.
4
And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one 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
5
And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.
6 from Simeon: Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
6
Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
7 from Judah: Nahshon son of Amminadab
7
Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
8 from Issachar: Nethanel son of Zuar
8
Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
9 from Zebulun: Eliab son of Helon
9
Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.
10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim: Elishama son of Ammihud from Manasseh: Gamaliel son of Pedahzur
10
Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
11 from Benjamin: Abidan son of Gideoni
11
Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.
12 from Dan: Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
12
Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
13 from Asher: Pagiel son of Ocran
13
Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.
14 from Gad: Eliasaph son of Deuel
14
Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
15 from Naphtali: Ahira son of Enan."
15
Of 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.
16
These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named to help
17
And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names:
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,
18
And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
19 just as God commanded Moses. He numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
19
As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered 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.
20
And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
21 The tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
21
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
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.
22
Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
23 The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
23
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
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.
24
Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
25 The tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
25
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.
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.
26
Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
27 The tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
27
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
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.
28
Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
29 The tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
29
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
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.
30
Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
31 The tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
31
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
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.
32
Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
33 The tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
33
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.
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.
34
Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
35 The tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
35
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
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.
36
Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
37 The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
37
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
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.
38
Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
39 The tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
39
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
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.
40
Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
41 The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
41
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
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.
42
Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
43 The tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
43
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
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.
44
These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers.
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.
45
So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel;
46
46
Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
47 The Levites, however, were not counted by their ancestral family along with the others.
47
But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
48 God had told Moses,
48
For the LORD had spoken unto 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.
49
Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children 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.
50
But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about 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.
51
And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh 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.
52
And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.
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."
53
But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.
54 The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.
54
And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.
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 King James Version is in the public domain.