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1The 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. He said,
2“Take a census of the entire community of the people of Israel, according to their clans and their fathers' houses. Count the names of every male, one by one,[#1:2 Because Israel's social structure was based on kinship, the fathers' house (or sometimes the father's house) was one of the basic social units of Israel. The fathers' house seems to have been smaller than the tribe and clan but larger than the immediate family. However, the use of the term fathers' house does not seem to be consistent. Every level of Israelite social structure was a fathers' house, though they were also called by other names.]
3twenty years old and up, all who are of age to serve in Israel's army. Aaron and you are to register them by their military units.
4A man from each tribe will be with you. Every one of them will be the head of his fathers' house.
5These are the names of the men who will assist you:
16These were the men chosen from the community, the chiefs of the tribes of their fathers. They were the heads of Israel's divisions.[#1:16 Literally thousands]
17Moses and Aaron brought together these men, who had been designated by name.
18They assembled the entire community on the first day of the second month, and they recorded the people's ancestry by their clans, by their fathers' houses, listing the names of those who were twenty years old and up, one by one.
19Moses registered them in the Wilderness of Sinai, exactly as the Lord commanded him.
44These are the men who were registered by Moses and Aaron and twelve tribal chiefs of Israel, each representing his fathers' house.
45So all of the Israelite men twenty years old and up, who were of age to serve in Israel's army, were registered according to their fathers' houses.
46Those who were registered totaled 603,550.
47But the Levites were not registered along with the others on the basis of their fathers' tribe,
48for the Lord had said to Moses,
49“You are not to register the tribe of Levi, neither will you take a census of them along with the other Israelites.
50Instead, appoint the Levites over the Dwelling of the Testimony and over all its furnishings and over everything that belongs to it. They are to carry the Dwelling and all its furnishings. They are to take care of it, and they are to camp around it.[#1:50 Traditionally Tabernacle , but more clearly expresses the meaning of the term. The Testimony is the set of tablets that contained the Ten Commandments.]
51Whenever the Dwelling is to move, the Levites will take it down, and whenever the Dwelling is to stop for a new camp, the Levites will set it up. Any unauthorized person who comes near it must be put to death.
52The Israelites will set up camp, everyone in his own camp and under his own standard, according to their military divisions.
53But the Levites will camp around the Dwelling of the Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. In this way the Levites will perform the duties for the Dwelling of the Testimony.”
54So the Israelites did everything that the Lord commanded Moses, exactly as he commanded.