The LORD spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said

Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one

You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army

One man from each tribe, each the head of his family, is to help you

These are the names of the men who are to assist you: from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur

from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai

from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab

from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar

from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon

from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur

from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni

from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai

from Asher, Pagiel son of Okran

from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel

from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan

These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel

Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified

and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people registered their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one

as the LORD commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai

From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500

From the descendants of Simeon: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300

From the descendants of Gad: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650

From the descendants of Judah: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600

From the descendants of Issachar: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400

From the descendants of Zebulun: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400

From the sons of Joseph: From the descendants of Ephraim: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500

From the descendants of Manasseh: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200

From the descendants of Benjamin: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400

From the descendants of Dan: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700

From the descendants of Asher: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500

From the descendants of Naphtali: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families

The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400

These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family

All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families

The total number was 603,550

The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others

The LORD had said to Moses

You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites

Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant law—over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it

Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death

The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their own standard

The Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law

The Israelites did all this just as the LORD commanded Moses