The First Census of Israel
(Numbers 26:1–4)

1And YHWH spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year of their going out from the land of Egypt, saying, 2“Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names—every male by their polls.

3From a son of twenty years and above, all who can go to war in Israel, you⁺ shall number them by their armies—you and Aaron; 4and with you⁺ there shall be a man of every tribe; each one is the head of the house of his father.

The Leaders of the Tribes

5And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you⁺:

From Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur.

6From Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

7From Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab.

8From Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar.

9From Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon.

10From the sons of Joseph:

From Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud,

from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

11From Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni.

12From Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

13From Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran.

14From Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel.

15From Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

16These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of thousands in Israel.

The Number of every Tribe

17And Moses took Aaron and these men who had been mentioned by name, 18and they assembled all the congregation on the first of the second month, and they recited their ancestry by clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, by their polls, 19as YHWH had commanded Moses.

And he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

20And the sons of Reuben oldest son of Israel—their genealogies by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names individually, every male from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host— 21those numbered of the tribe of Reuben were six and forty thousand and five hundred.

22From the sons of Simeon, according to their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, numbered by the number of names individually, every male from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 23those numbered of the tribe of Simeon were nine and fifty thousand and three hundred.

24From the sons of Gad, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 25those numbered of the tribe of Gad were five and forty thousand and six hundred and fifty.

26From the sons of Judah, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 27those numbered of the tribe of Judah were four and seventy thousand and six hundred.

28From the sons of Issachar, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 29those numbered of the tribe of Issachar were four and fifty thousand and four hundred.

30From the sons of Zebulun, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 31those numbered of the tribe of Zebulun were seven and fifty thousand and four hundred.

32From the sons of Joseph,

the sons of Ephraim, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 33those numbered of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand and five hundred.

34From the sons of Manasseh, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 35those numbered of the tribe of Manasseh were two and thirty thousand and two hundred.

36From the sons of Benjamin, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 37those numbered of the tribe of Benjamin were five and thirty thousand and four hundred.

38From the sons of Dan, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 39those numbered of the tribe of Dan were two and sixty thousand and seven hundred.

40From the sons of Asher, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 41those numbered of the tribe of Asher were one and forty thousand and five hundred.

42From the sons of Naphtali, their genealogies, by their clans, by the house of their fathers, by the number of names, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host, 43those numbered of the tribe of Naphtali were three and fifty thousand and four hundred.

44These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses numbered—and Aaron and the princes of Israel, twelve men—each one was for the house of his father. 45And all who were numbered of the sons of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from a son of twenty years and above, everyone going out to the host in Israel, 46even all who were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

The Exemption of the Levites

47And the Levites by the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them, 48for YHWH had spoken to Moses, saying, 49“Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, and a census of them you shall not take among the sons of Israel. 50And you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall attend to it, and around the tabernacle they shall camp.

51And in the going forward of the tabernacle, the Levites shall take it down. And in the encamping of the tabernacle, the Levites shall set it up. And the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.

52And the sons of Israel shall encamp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own standard, by their hosts. 53And the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may not be wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel. And the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

54And the sons of Israel did according to all that YHWH had commanded Moses; so they did.