A Census of Israel's Warriors

Numbers 1

1 A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle 1 in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month 2 of that year he said, 2 “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men 3 twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron must register the troops, 4 and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe. 5 “These are the tribes and the names of the leaders who will assist you:
Tribe - Leader
Reuben - Elizur son of Shedeur
6 Simeon - Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
7 Judah - Nahshon son of Amminadab
8 Issachar - Nethanel son of Zuar
9 Zebulun - Eliab son of Helon
10 Ephraim son of Joseph - Elishama son of Ammihud
Manasseh son of Joseph - Gamaliel son of Pedahzur
11 Benjamin - Abidan son of Gideoni
12 Dan - Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
13 Asher - Pagiel son of Ocran
14 Gad - Eliasaph son of Deuel
15 Naphtali - Ahira son of Enan
16 These are the chosen leaders of the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.”

17 So Moses and Aaron called together these chosen leaders, 18 and they assembled the whole community of Israel on that very day. 3 All the people were registered according to their ancestry by their clans and families. The men of Israel who were twenty years old or older were listed one by one, 19 just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So Moses recorded their names in the wilderness of Sinai.

20 This is the number of men twenty years old or older who were able to go to war, as their names were listed in the records of their clans and families 4 :
21 Tribe - Number
Reuben (Jacob’s 5 oldest son) - 46,500

23 Simeon - 59,300

25 Gad - 45,650

27 Judah - 74,600

29 Issachar - 54,400

31 Zebulun - 57,400

33 Ephraim son of Joseph - 40,500

35 Manasseh son of Joseph - 32,200

37 Benjamin - 35,400

39 Dan - 62,700

41 Asher - 41,500

43 Naphtali - 53,400

44 These were the men registered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, all listed according to their ancestral descent. 45 They were registered by families - all the men of Israel who were twenty years old or older and able to go to war. 46 The total number was 603,550.

New Living Translation (NLT) Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc.
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