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Numbers 26

1After the plague, Yahweh said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, 2“Take a census of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their ancestral houses, everyone able to go out in Israel's army.” 3Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying, 4“Count those from twenty years old and upward,” as Yahweh had commanded Moses and the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.

5Reuben was Israel's firstborn. The sons of Reuben: from Hanoch, the Hanochite clan; from Pallu, the Palluite clan; 6from Hezron, the Hezronite clan; from Carmi, the Carmite clan. 7These were the Reubenite clans. Those enrolled from them numbered 43,730. 8Pallu's son was Eliab. 9Eliab's sons were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These were the Dathan and Abiram who were appointed members of the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in Korah's congregation when they contended against Yahweh. 10The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and Korah when that congregation died, when the fire consumed 250 men. They became a warning sign. 11But Korah's sons did not die.

12The sons of Simeon by their clans: from Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan; from Jamin, the Jaminite clan; from Jachin, the Jachinite clan; 13from Zerah, the Zerahite clan; from Shaul, the Shaulite clan. 14These were the Simeonite clans: 22,200. 15The sons of Gad by their clans: from Zephon, the Zephonite clan; from Haggi, the Haggite clan; from Shuni, the Shunite clan; 16from Ozni, the Oznite clan; from Eri, the Erite clan; 17from Arod, the Arodite clan; from Areli, the Arelite clan. 18These were the clans of the sons of Gad, according to their enrollment: 40,500.

19Judah's sons were Er and Onan. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20The sons of Judah by their clans were: from Shelah, the Shelanite clan; from Perez, the Perezite clan; from Zerah, the Zerahite clan. 21The sons of Perez were: from Hezron, the Hezronite clan; from Hamul, the Hamulite clan. 22These were Judah's clans, according to their enrollment: 76,500. 23The sons of Issachar by their clans: from Tola, the Tolaite clan; from Puvah, the Punite clan; 24from Jashub, the Jashubite clan; from Shimron, the Shimronite clan. 25These were Issachar's clans, according to their enrollment: 64,300. 26The sons of Zebulun by their clans: from Sered, the Seredite clan; from Elon, the Elonite clan; from Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan. 27These were the Zebulunite clans, according to their enrollment: 60,500.

28The sons of Joseph by their clans were Manasseh and Ephraim. 29The sons of Manasseh: from Machir, the Machirite clan; Machir fathered Gilead. From Gilead, the Gileadite clan. 30These were the sons of Gilead: from Iezer, the Iezerite clan; from Helek, the Helekite clan; 31from Asriel, the Asrielite clan; from Shechem, the Shechemite clan; 32from Shemida, the Shemidaite clan; from Hepher, the Hepherite clan. 33Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, only daughters. The names of Zelophehad's daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34These were Manasseh's clans. Those enrolled from them numbered 52,700. 35These were the sons of Ephraim by their clans: from Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan; from Becher, the Becherite clan; from Tahan, the Tahanite clan. 36These were the sons of Shuthelah: from Eran, the Eranite clan. 37These were the clans of the sons of Ephraim, according to their enrollment: 32,500. These were the sons of Joseph by their clans.

38The sons of Benjamin by their clans: from Bela, the Belaite clan; from Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan; from Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan; 39from Shephupham, the Shuphamite clan; from Hupham, the Huphamite clan. 40Bela's sons were Ard and Naaman: the Ardite clan; from Naaman, the Naamite clan. 41These were the sons of Benjamin by their clans. Those enrolled from them numbered 45,600. 42These were the sons of Dan by their clans: from Shuham, the Shuhamite clan. These were Dan's clans, according to their clans. 43All the Shuhamite clans, according to their enrollment: 64,400. 44The sons of Asher by their clans: from Imnah, the Imnite clan; from Ishvi, the Ishvite clan; from Beriah, the Beriite clan. 45From the sons of Beriah: from Heber, the Heberite clan; from Malchiel, the Malchielite clan. 46The name of Asher's daughter was Serah. 47These were the clans of the sons of Asher, according to their enrollment: 53,400. 48The sons of Naphtali by their clans: from Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan; from Guni, the Gunite clan; 49from Jezer, the Jezerite clan; from Shillem, the Shillemite clan. 50These were Naphtali's clans, according to their clans. Those enrolled from them numbered 45,400. 51These were the enrolled sons of Israel: 601,730.

52Yahweh spoke to Moses: 53“To these the land is to be apportioned as an inheritance according to the number of names. 54To a larger group you must give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller inheritance. Each is to receive its inheritance according to its enrollment. 55Yet the land is to be apportioned by lot. They are to inherit according to the names of their ancestral tribes. 56Their inheritance is to be apportioned by the decision of the lot between the larger and the smaller groups.”

57These were the enrolled Levites by their clans: from Gershon, the Gershonite clan; from Kohath, the Kohathite clan; from Merari, the Merarite clan. 58These were Levi's clans: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Kohath fathered Amram. 59Amram's wife's name was Jochebed, daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She bore Amram Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61Nadab and Abihu died when they presented unauthorized fire before Yahweh. 62Those enrolled from them numbered 23,000, every male from a month old and upward. They were not enrolled among the sons of Israel, because no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel. 63These were those enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who enrolled the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 64Among these there was not a man of those enrolled by Moses and Aaron the priest when they enrolled the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65For Yahweh had said of them, “They will surely die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Translation notes 5

26:1–4 — Chapter transition; census scope. English verse 1 combines Hebrew 25:19, “After the plague,” with Hebrew 26:1, which begins Yahweh's speech to Moses and Eleazar. Both source units are retained once. “Count those” is supplied in verse 4's compressed instruction. This census concerns men twenty and older able to serve in the army; it is not a count of every person in Israel.

26:5–51 — Names and totals. All twelve tribal totals and the overall 601,730 are retained. The clan formulas and separate named women are not abbreviated. Some names differ from those in other biblical lists; the draft retains the forms here rather than harmonizing the lists. Puvah and the Punite clan in verse 23, and Shephupham and the Shuphamite clan in verse 39, reflect differences within this text's own forms.

26:9–11 — Appointed; Korah. “Appointed members” follows the Masoretic reading instruction; the written form is a related spelling. The passage says the earth swallowed “them and Korah,” and separately states that Korah's sons did not die. Both clauses are retained without removing a name to make the accounts easier to align. “Warning sign” renders the word also used for a signal or standard.

26:53–56 — Population and lot. Both population-based size and allocation by lot are required. The passage does not spell out every procedural step reconciling them. “Decision of the lot” renders the Hebrew “mouth of the lot.”

26:57–65 — Levites and the former census. Levite males are counted from a month old, unlike the army census. Their lack of a tribal land inheritance does not erase the later provision of towns and pastureland. Jochebed's birth clause has an unstated subject in Hebrew; the draft makes it passive without inventing her mother's name. The final comparison concerns the people enrolled in the earlier census, whose stated exceptions are Caleb and Joshua.