1And Jehovah spake unto 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 were come out of the land of Egypt , saying , 2Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , every male , by their polls ; 3from twenty years old and upward , all that are able to go forth to war in Israel , thou and Aaron shall number them by their hosts . 4And with you there shall be a man of every tribe ; every one head of his fathers’ house . 5And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you. Of Reuben : Elizur the son of Shedeur . 6Of Simeon : Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai . 7Of Judah : Nahshon the son of Amminadab . 8Of Issachar : Nethanel the son of Zuar . 9Of Zebulun : Eliab the son of Helon . 10Of the children of Joseph : Of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud . Of Manasseh : Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur . 11Of Benjamin : Abidan the son of Gideoni . 12Of Dan : Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai . 13Of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran . 14Of Gad : Eliasaph the son of Deuel . 15Of Naphtali : Ahira the son of Enan . 16These are they that were called of the congregation , the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel . 17And Moses and Aaron took these men that are mentioned by name : 18and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month ; and they declared their pedigrees after their families , by their fathers ’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , by their polls . 19As Jehovah commanded Moses , so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai .
The Tribal Leaders and Their Responsibilities
20And the children of Reuben , Israel ’s first-born, their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , 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 ; 21those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Reuben , were forty and six thousand and five hundred . 22Of the children of Simeon , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , those that were numbered thereof , 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 ; 23those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Simeon , were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred . 24Of the children of Gad , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 25those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Gad , were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty . 26Of the children of Judah , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 27those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Judah , were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred . 28Of the children of Issachar , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 29those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Issachar , were fifty and four thousand and four hundred . 30Of the children of Zebulun , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 31those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Zebulun , were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred . 32Of the children of Joseph , namely , of the children of Ephraim , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 33those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred . 34Of the children of Manasseh , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 35those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Manasseh , were thirty and two thousand and two hundred . 36Of the children of Benjamin , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 37those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Benjamin , were thirty and five thousand and four hundred . 38Of the children of Dan , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 39those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Dan , were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred . 40Of the children of Asher, their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 41those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred . 42Of the children of Naphtali , their generations , by their families , by their fathers’ houses , according to the number of the names , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war ; 43those that were numbered of them , of the tribe of Naphtali , were fifty and three thousand and four hundred . 44These are they that were numbered , whom Moses and Aaron numbered , and the princes of Israel , being twelve men : they were each one for his fathers’ house . 45So all they that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers’ houses , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war in Israel ; 46even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty .
The Levites' Unique Role
47But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them . 48For Jehovah spake unto Moses , saying , 49Only the tribe of Levi thou shalt not number , neither shalt thou take the sum of them among the children of Israel ; 50but appoint thou the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony , and over all the furniture thereof , and over all that belongeth to it : they shall bear the tabernacle , and all the furniture thereof ; and they shall minister unto it , and shall encamp round about the tabernacle . 51And 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 . 52And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents , every man by his own camp , and every man by his own standard , according to their hosts . 53But the Levites shall encamp round about the tabernacle of the 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 the testimony . 54Thus did the children of Israel ; according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses , so did they .