Numbers

And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

1The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. He gave them these directions.

2Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.

2Each person in Israel must camp under his own group's flag. Each family had its own banner too. They all camped around the special tent, a little way back from it.

Note"Standard" and "ensign" mean a flag or banner. Each big camp and each family had one, so people knew where to go. "Pitch" means to put up your tent. The "tabernacle of the congregation" was the special tent where God met with his people.

3And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.

3On the east side, where the sun comes up, Judah's camp goes. Their leader is Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

4And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.

4The men counted in his group were 74,600.

NoteThe old English uses number words we do not use now. "Threescore" means sixty, and "fourscore" means eighty. So "threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred" means 74,600.

5And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar.

5The tribe of Issachar camps right next to Judah. Their leader is Nethaneel, the son of Zuar.

6And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.

6The men counted in his group were 54,400.

7Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun.

7Then comes the tribe of Zebulun. Their leader is Eliab, the son of Helon.

8And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.

8The men counted in his group were 57,400.

9All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.

9All the men counted in Judah's camp were 186,400. This camp starts walking first when it is time to move.

NoteThe words "host" and "armies" here mean big groups of men counted and lined up in order, like soldiers. They were not fighting anyone at this moment.

10On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.

10On the south side is the camp of Reuben, with all its groups. Their leader is Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

11And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.

11The men counted in his group were 46,500.

12And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

12The tribe of Simeon camps right next to Reuben. Their leader is Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.

13And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.

13The men counted in his group were 59,300.

14Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.

14Then comes the tribe of Gad. Their leader is Eliasaph, the son of Reuel.

15And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.

15The men counted in his group were 45,650.

16All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank.

16All the men counted in Reuben's camp were 151,450. This camp walks second when it is time to move.

17Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.

17Then the special tent moves, carried by the Levites. The Levites were the family who took care of the tent. They walked in the middle, with camps on every side. Everyone moved in the same order they camped, each under his own flag.

18On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.

18On the west side is the camp of Ephraim, with all its groups. Their leader is Elishama, the son of Ammihud.

19And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.

19The men counted in his group were 40,500.

20And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

20Next to Ephraim is the tribe of Manasseh. Their leader is Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur.

21And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.

21The men counted in his group were 32,200.

22Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.

22Then comes the tribe of Benjamin. Their leader is Abidan, the son of Gideoni.

23And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.

23The men counted in his group were 35,400.

24All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank.

24All the men counted in Ephraim's camp were 108,100. This camp walks third when it is time to move.

25The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

25On the north side is the camp of Dan, with all its groups. Their leader is Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai.

26And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.

26The men counted in his group were 62,700.

27And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.

27The tribe of Asher camps right next to Dan. Their leader is Pagiel, the son of Ocran.

28And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.

28The men counted in his group were 41,500.

29Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.

29Then comes the tribe of Naphtali. Their leader is Ahira, the son of Enan.

30And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

30The men counted in his group were 53,400.

31All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards.

31All the men counted in Dan's camp were 157,600. This camp walks last, under its own flags.

32These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

32These are the men of Israel who were counted, family by family. All the camps together had 603,550 men.

33But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.

33The Levites were not counted with the rest of Israel. The LORD had told Moses to do it that way.

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

34The people of Israel did everything the LORD told Moses. They camped under their flags just like that. They marched that way too, each man with his own family.