1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses ^ain the Wilderness of Sinai, ^bin the tabernacle of meeting, on the ^cfirst day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:  ‡

2 ^a“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male ^bindividually,  ‡

3 from ^atwenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies.  ‡

4 And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house.