New Revised Standard NRS
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 the whole congregation of Israelites, in their clans, by ancestral houses, according to the number of names, every male individually;
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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, everyone in Israel able to go to war. You and Aaron shall enroll 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 A man from each tribe shall be with you, each man the head of his ancestral house.
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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 shall assist you: From Reuben, Elizur 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 son of Zurishaddai.
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from Simeon: Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
7 From Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab.
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from Judah: Nahshon son of Amminadab
8 From Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar.
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from Issachar: Nethanel son of Zuar
9 From Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon.
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from Zebulun: Eliab 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 son of Ammihud from Manasseh: Gamaliel son of Pedahzur
11 From Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni.
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from Benjamin: Abidan son of Gideoni
12 From Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
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from Dan: Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
13 From Asher, Pagiel son of Ochran.
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from Asher: Pagiel son of Ocran
14 From Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel.
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from Gad: Eliasaph son of Deuel
15 From Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.
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from Naphtali: Ahira son of Enan."
16 These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads 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 had been designated by name,
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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. They registered themselves in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, individually,
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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 enrolled 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 descendants of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, individually, every male from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.
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The tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
22 The descendants of Simeon, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, those of them that were numbered, according to the number of names, individually, every male from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
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The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
24 The descendants of Gad, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.
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The tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
26 The descendants of Judah, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.
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The tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
28 The descendants of Issachar, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
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The tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
30 The descendants of Zebulun, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
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The tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
32 The descendants of Joseph, namely, the descendants of Ephraim, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred.
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The tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
34 The descendants of Manasseh, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
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The tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
36 The descendants of Benjamin, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
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The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
38 The descendants of Dan, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
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The tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
40 The descendants of Asher, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.
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The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
42 The descendants of Naphtali, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 enrolled of the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
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The tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
44 These are those who were enrolled, whom Moses and Aaron enrolled with the help of the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his ancestral 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 the whole number of the Israelites, by their ancestral houses, from twenty years old and upward, everyone 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 their whole number was six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty.
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47 The Levites, however, were not numbered by their ancestral tribe along with them.
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The Levites, however, were not counted by their ancestral family along with the others.
48 The Lord had said to Moses:
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God had told Moses,
49 Only the tribe of Levi you shall not enroll, and you shall not take a census of them with the other 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 you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the covenant, and over all its equipment, and over all that belongs to it; they are to carry the tabernacle and all its equipment, and they shall tend 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 any outsider who comes near 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 other Israelites shall camp in their respective regimental camps, by companies;
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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 covenant, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the Israelites; and the Levites shall perform the guard duty of the tabernacle of the covenant.
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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 so; they did just as the Lord commanded Moses.
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The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.