After the Plague, a New Count
After the plague a second census counts 601,730 fighting men — a wholly new generation, since none of the first remain but Caleb and Joshua. The numbers now decide inheritance: larger clans get more land, and every allotment still falls by lot.
26 1After the plague, our Father said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,
2"take a census of the whole Israelite community by ancestral house, everyone twenty and older able to serve in Israel's army."
3Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho: 4"Count the people twenty years old and up, as our Father commanded Moses." These were Israel's people who came from the land of Egypt:
5Reuben, Israel's firstborn. Sons of Reuben: Hanoch, clan of the Hanochites; Pallu, clan of the Palluites, 6of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites. 7These are the clans of the Reubenites; they numbered 43,730. 8The sons of Pallu: Eliab. 9Eliab's sons: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram—the same Dathan and Abiram, community representatives who challenged Moses and Aaron in Korah's assembly, when they challenged our Father. 10The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and Korah, when the company died and the fire consumed 250 men—they became a warning. 11But the sons of Korah did not die.
12Simeon's sons by clan: Nemuel's, the Nemuelite clan; Jamin's, the Jaminite clan; Jachin's, the Jachinite clan, 13of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites. 14These are the clans of the Simeonites: 22,200.
15Gad's sons by clan: Zephon's clan, the Zephonites; Haggi's clan, the Haggites; Shuni's clan, the Shunites, 16of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites; 17of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites. 18These are the clans of the sons of Gad as they were numbered: 40,500.
19Judah's sons were Er and Onan; Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20Judah's sons by clan: from Shelah, Shelanite clan; from Perez, Perezite clan; from Zerah, Zerahite clan. 21Perez's sons: Hezron, clan of the Hezronites; Hamul, clan of the Hamulites. 22These are the clans of Judah as they were numbered: 76,500.
23Issachar's sons by clan: Tola, clan of the Tolaites; Puvah, clan of the Punites, 24of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites. 25These are the clans of Issachar as they were numbered: 64,300.
26Zebulun's sons by clan: from Sered, the Seredite clan; from Elon, the Elonite clan; from Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan. 27These are the clans of the Zebulunites as they were numbered: 60,500.
28The sons of Joseph according to their clans were Manasseh and Ephraim. 29Manasseh's sons: Machir's clan, the Machirites; Machir fathered Gilead; Gilead's clan, the Gileadites. 30Sons of Gilead: Iezer, clan of Iezerites; Helek, clan of Helekites, 31and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites; 32and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites. 33Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, only daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34These are the clans of Manasseh; they numbered 52,700.
35These are Ephraim's descendants by family: Shuthelah, family of the Shuthelahites; Becher, family of the Becherites; Tahan, family of the Tahanites. 36And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites. 37These are the clans of Ephraim's sons, by their count: 32,500. These are Joseph's sons by their clans.
38Benjamin's sons by clan: Bela, clan of the Belaites; Ashbel, clan of the Ashbelites; Ahiram, clan of the Ahiramites, 39of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites. 40Bela's sons: Ard and Naaman—from Ard, the Ardite clan; from Naaman, the Naamite clan. 41These are the sons of Benjamin by their clans; they numbered 45,600.
42These were Dan's sons by clan: from Shuham, the Shuhamite clan. These were Dan's clans by clan. 43All the clans of the Shuhamites numbered 64,400.
44Asher's sons by clan: Imnah, clan of the Imnites; Ishvi, clan of the Ishvites; Beriah, clan of the Beriites. 45Sons of Beriah: Heber, clan of Heberites; Malchiel, clan of Malchielites. 46Asher had a daughter named Serah. 47These are the clans of the sons of Asher as they were numbered: 53,400.
48Naphtali's sons by clan: Jahzeel, clan of Jahzeelites; Guni, clan of Gunites, 49of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites. 50These are the clans of Naphtali; they numbered 45,400. 51This was the total number of the people of Israel: 601,730.
52Then our Father said to Moses,
53"Among these the land is to be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. 54Give the larger group more land, the smaller less—each share sized to its census count. 55But the land must be divided by lot; they will inherit according to their fathers' tribal names. 56Their inheritance is to be apportioned by lot between the larger and the smaller."
57These are the numbered Levites by their clans: Gershon's clan, the Gershonites; Kohath's clan, the Kohathites; Merari's clan, the Merarites. 58Levi's clans: Libnite clan, Hebronite clan, Mahlite clan, Mushite clan, Korahite clan. Kohath fathered Amram. 59Amram's wife was named Jochebed, Levi's daughter, born to Levi in Egypt; she bore Amram Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60And to Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before our Father. 62The Levites counted numbered 23,000, every male a month old and up. They were not counted among the Israelites, since no inheritance was given them among the Israelites.
63Moses and Eleazar the priest counted these on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. 64None of these had been counted by Moses and Aaron the priest in the wilderness of Sinai. 65For our Father had said of them, "They would surely die in the wilderness." None remained, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
