(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)

B’midbar

Census

Numbers 1.1. And the 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 saying,

1:2. “Take the number of the whole congregation of the children of Israel after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls, 3. from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: you and Aaron will number them by their armies. 4. And there will be a man from every tribe with you, each one head of the house of his fathers. 5. And these are the names of the men that will stand with you; from Reuben, Elisur the son of Shedeur. 6. From Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7. From Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8. From Issachar, Nethaniel the son of Zuar. 9. From Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon. 10. From the children of Joseph, from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud: from Manasseh, Gamliel the son of Pedazhur. 11. From Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12. From Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13. From Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran. 14. From Gad, Eliasaf the son of Deuel. 15. From Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.”

1:16. These were those of the congregation who were called, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel. 17. And Moses and Aaron took these men that were specified by their names. 18. And they assembled the whole congregation together on the first day of the second month and they were listed according to their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19. Moses numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai, as the LORD* commanded.

1:20. And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers 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. 21. Those that were numbered of them were forty-six thousand five hundred from the tribe of Reuben.

1:22. From the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them 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. 23. Those who were numbered of them were fifty-nine thousand three hundred of the tribe of Simeon.

1:24. From the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 25. Those that were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty of the tribe of Gad.

1:26. From the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 27. Those that were numbered of them were seventy-four thousand six hundred of the tribe of Judah.

1:28. From the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 29. Those that were numbered of them were fifty-four thousand four hundred of the tribe of Issachar.

1:30. From the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 31. Those that were numbered of them were fifty-seven thousand four hundred of the tribe of Zebulun.

1:32. From the children of Joseph, of the children of Ephraim by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 33. Those that were numbered of them were forty thousand five hundred of the tribe of Ephraim.

1:34. From the children of Manasseh by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 35. Those that were numbered of them were thirty-two thousand two hundred of the tribe of Manasseh.

1:36. From the children of Benjamin by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 37. Those that were numbered of them were thirty-five thousand four hundred of the tribe of Benjamin.

1:38. From the children of Dan by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 39. Those that were numbered of them were sixty-two thousand seven hundred of the tribe of Dan.

1:40. From the children of Asher by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 41. Those that were numbered of them were forty-one thousand five hundred of the tribe of Asher.

1:42. From the children of Naphtali throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. 43. Those that were numbered of them were fifty-three thousand four hundred of the tribe of Naphtali.

1:44. These are those that were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered,twelve men: each one was for the house of^– his fathers. 45. So those were all that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel. 46. All those who were numbered were six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty. 47. But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.

1:48. For the LORD* had spoken to Moses saying, 49. “You will not number only the tribe of Levi, neither will you take the sum of them among the children of Israel, 50. but you will appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle, over all its vessels, and over all things that belong to it. They will bear the Tabernacle and all its vessels, and they will serve it and will camp around the Tabernacle. 51. And when the Tabernacle moves, the Levites will take it down and when the Tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites will set it up, and the insolent, godless one that comes near will be put to death. 52. And the children of Israel will pitch their tents, each man by his own camp and each man by his own standard, throughout their armies. 53. But the Levites will pitch around the Tabernacle of Testimony so there will be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel, and the Levites will keep the charge of the Tabernacle of Testimony.”

1:54. And the children of Israel did so according to all that the LORD* commanded Moses, so they did.

The Camp is Organized

2.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying,

2:2. “Each man of the children of Israel will pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house, they will pitch far off around the Tent of Meeting. 3. And on the east side toward the rising of the sun those of the standard of the camp of Judah will pitch throughout their armies, and Nahshon the son of Amminadab is captain of the children of Judah. 4. And his army and those that were numbered of them were seventy-four thousand six hundred. 5. And those that pitch next to him will be the tribe of Issachar, and Nethaniel the son of Zuar is captain of the children of Issachar. 6. And his army and those that were numbered of it were fifty-four thousand four hundred. 7. The tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon is captain of the children of Zebulun. 8. And his army and those that were numbered of it were fifty-seven thousand four hundred. 9. All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were a hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred, throughout their armies. These will set forth first.

2:10. “The standard of the camp of Reuben will be on the south side according to their armies and Elisur the son of Shedeur is the captain of the children of Reuben. 11. And his army and those that were numbered of it were forty-six thousand five hundred. 12. And those that pitch next to him will be the tribe of Simeon and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai is the captain of the children of Simeon. 13. And his army and those that were numbered of them were fifty-nine thousand three hundred. 14. Then the tribe of Gad and Eliasaf the son of Reuel is the captain of the sons of Gad. 15. And his army and those that were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.

2:16. “All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were a hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty, throughout their armies. And they will set forth in the second rank.

2:17. “Then the Tent of Meeting will set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps: as they camp, so will they set forward, each man in his place by their standards.

2:18. “The standard of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side according to their armies and Elishama the son of Ammihud is the captain of the sons of Ephraim. 19. And his army and those that were numbered of them were forty thousand five hundred. 20. And the tribe of Manasseh will be next to him and Gamliel the son of Pedazhur is the captain of the children of Manasseh. 21. And his army and those that were numbered of them were thirty-two thousand two hundred. 22. Then the tribe of Benjamin and Abidan the son of Gideoni is the captain of the sons of Benjamin. 23. And his army and those that were numbered of them were thirty-five thousand four hundred. 24. All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were a hundred eight thousand one hundred, throughout their armies. And they will go forward in the third rank.

2:25. “The standard of the camp of Dan will be on the north side by their armies and Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai is the captain of the children of Dan. 26. And his army and those that were numbered of them were sixty-two thousand seven hundred. 27. And those that camp beside him will be the tribe of Asher and Pagiel the son of Ochran is the captain of the children of Asher. 28. And his army and those that were numbered of them were forty-one thousand five hundred. 29. Then the tribe of Naphtali and Ahira the son of Enan is the captain of the children of Naphtali. 30. And his army and those that were numbered of them were fifty-three thousand four hundred. 31. All those that were numbered in the camp of Dan were a hundred fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They will go last with their standards.”

2:32. These are those that were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their armies were six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty. 33. But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

2:34. And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD* commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, everyone after their families, according to the house of their fathers.

Descendants of Aaron and Moses

3.1. These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses on the day the LORD* spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2. And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Elazar, and Itamar. 3. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests that were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 4. And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD* when they offered strange fire before the LORD* in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Elazar and Itamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.

3:5. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 6. “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest so they can minister to him. 7. And they will keep his charge and the charge of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the Tabernacle. 8. And they will keep all the vessels of the Tent of Meeting and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the Tabernacle. 9. And you will give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons, they are wholly given to him from the children of Israel. 10. And you will appoint Aaron and his sons and they will guard their priest’s office, and the insolent, godless one that comes near will be put to death.”

3:11. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 12. “And I AM, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn that opens the womb among the children of Israel, therefore the Levites will be Mine

13. because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified for Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They will be Mine. I AM the LORD*!”

Levites Numbered

3:14. And the LORD* spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai saying,

15. “Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: you will number every male from a month old and upward.” 16. And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD*, as he was commanded. 17. And these were the sons of Levi by their names, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18. And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families, Libni and Shimi. 19. And the sons of Kohath by their families, Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20. And the sons of Merari by their families, Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.

3:21. The family of Libnites and the family of Shimites were from Gershon, these are the families of the Gershonites. 22. Those that were numbered of them according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, those that were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred. 23. The families of the Gershonites will pitch behind the Tabernacle westward. 24. And Eliasaf the son of Lael is the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites. 25. And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting of the Tabernacle, will be the Tent, its covering, the hanging for the door of the Tent of Meeting, 26. the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which surrounded the Tabernacle and the altar, and its cords for all its service.

3:27. And from Kohath were the family of the Amramaites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites. 28. The number of all the males, from a month old and upward, was eight thousand six hundred keeping the charge of the Sanctuary. 29. The families of the sons of Kohath will pitch on the side of the Tabernacle southward. 30. And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites will be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31. And their charge will be the Ark, the table, the menorah, the altars, the vessels of the Sanctuary with which they minister, the hanging, and all its service. 32. And Elazar the son of Aaron the priest will be chief over the chief of the Levites, having the oversight of those who keep the charge of the Sanctuary.

3:33. The family of the Mahlites was from Merari and the family of the Mushites. These arethe families from Merari. 34. And those that were numbered of them according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred. 35. And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail, these will pitch on the side of the Tabernacle northward. 36. And the boards of the Tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its vessels, and all who serve there will be under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari, 37. along with the pillars all around the court, their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.

3:38. But those that camp in front of the Tabernacle toward the east, in front of the Tent of Meeting eastward, will be Moses and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the Sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel: and the stranger that comes near will be put to death.

3:39. All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD*, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward were twenty-two thousand.

Levites Taken Instead of Firstborn

3:40 And the LORD* said to Moses, “Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward and take the number of their names. 41. And you will take the Levites for Me, I AM the LORD*, instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the livestock of the children of Israel.”

3:42. And Moses numbered all the firstborn as the LORD* commanded him among the children of Israel. 43. And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

3:44. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 45. “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock, and the Levites will be Mine. I AM the LORD*. 46. And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel that are left over from the Levites, 47. you will even take five shekels apiece by the poll after the shekel of the Sanctuary will you take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs) 48. and you will give the money, with which the odd number of them is to be redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons.”

3:49. And Moses took the redemption money of those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. 50. He took the money of the firstborn of the children of Israel, a thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels after the shekel of the Sanctuary. 51. And Moses gave the money of those who were redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD*, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

Tabernacle Assignments for Sons of Kohath

4.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying, 2. “Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 3. from thirty years old and upward, even until fifty years old, all who enter the army to do the work in the Tent of Meeting. 4. This will be the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting, about the most holy things, 5. and when the camp sets forward, Aaron and his sons will come and they will take down the covering veil and cover the Ark of Testimony with it, 6. and will put on it the covering of badgers’ skins and will spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and will put in its poles. 7. And upon the table of showbread they will spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the purifying vessels, and the bowls to pour with, and the continual bread will be on it. 8. And they will spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and will put in its poles.

9. And they will take a cloth of blue, and cover the menorah of the light, its lamps, its tongs, its snuffers, and all its oil vessels with which they minister to it. 10. And they will put it and all its vessels within a covering of badgers’ skins and will put it upon a pole. 11. And they will spread a cloth of blue upon the golden altar and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins and will put in its poles, 12. and they will take all the vessels of ministry, with which they minister in the Sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins, and will put them on a pole, 13. and they will take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it. 14. And they will put upon it all its vessels, with which they minister around it, the fire-pans, the flesh-hooks, the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar. And they will spread upon it a covering of badgers’ skins and put in its poles. 15. And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the Sanctuary and all the vessels of the Sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward. After that, the sons of Kohath will come to bear it, but they will not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting.

4:16. “And to the office of Elazar the son of Aaron the priest are the oil for light, the sweet incense, the daily meal offering, the anointing oil, the oversight of the entire Tabernacle and of all that is in it, in the Sanctuary, and in its vessels.”

4:17. And the LORD* spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying, 18. “Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites, 19. but do thus to them, so they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons will go in and appoint them, each one, to his service and to his burden, 20. but they will not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.”

Next week’s Torah readings: Naso

(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)