Our Father Orders the Camp
Each tribe is given a fixed place and marching order around the tent of meeting, three tribes to a side, the Levites in the middle. The arrangement is not military tidiness but proximity: everyone camps facing the place where their Father lives among them.
2 1Then our Father spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
2"The Israelites are to camp, each by his standard, with banners of their ancestral houses, facing the tent of meeting all around, they are to camp.
3"To the east, toward sunrise: the camp of Judah, by their divisions, under its standard. Leader of Judah's people: Nahshon son of Amminadab. 4His division, those counted, numbered 74,600.
5"Camping next to him: the tribe of Issachar; the leader of Issachar's sons is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6His division, those counted, numbered 54,400.
7"Then the tribe of Zebulun; leader of Zebulun's sons: Eliab son of Helon. 8His division, those counted, numbered 57,400.
9"All counted in Judah's camp: 186,400, by their divisions. They set out first.
10"South side: the banner of Reuben's camp, by divisions. Leader of Reuben's people: Elizur son of Shedeur. 11His division, those counted, numbered 46,500.
12"Camping beside him: the tribe of Simeon; leader of Simeon's people, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13His division, those counted, numbered 59,300.
14"Then the tribe of Gad: leader of Gad's people, Eliasaph son of Deuel. 15His division, those counted, numbered 45,650.
16"Those counted in Reuben's camp, by their divisions: 151,450. They set out second.
17"Then the tent of meeting sets out, with the Levites' camp in the middle of the camps. They set out in the order they camp, each in place, under their banners.
18"West side: Ephraim's camp standard, by their divisions; leader of Ephraim's people is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19His division, those counted, numbered 40,500.
20"Beside him: the tribe of Manasseh, led by Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21His division, those counted, numbered 32,200.
22"Then the tribe of Benjamin, led by Abidan son of Gideoni. 23His division, those counted, numbered 35,400.
24"All counted in Ephraim's camp: 108,100, by their divisions. They set out third.
25"Dan's camp standard stands on the north side, by divisions. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai leads Dan's people. 26His division, those counted, numbered 62,700.
27"Camping next to it: the tribe of Asher, its leader Pagiel son of Ochran. 28His division, those counted, numbered 41,500.
29"Then the tribe of Naphtali; Naphtali's leader is Ahira son of Enan. 30His division, those counted, numbered 53,400.
31"All counted in Dan's camp: 157,600. They set out last, by their standards."
32These are Israelites counted by their clans, all camp divisions: 603,550. 33But the Levites were not counted among the Israelites, just as our Father had commanded Moses.
34So the Israelites did all our Father commanded Moses. So they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each by clan, by ancestral family.
