¹Now the Lᴏʀᴅ spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: ²“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 individually, ³from twenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies. ⁴And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house. ⁵“These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: from Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; ⁶from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; ⁷from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; ⁸from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; ⁹from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; ¹⁰from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; ¹¹from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; ¹²from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; ¹³from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran; ¹⁴from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; ¹⁵from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.” ¹⁶These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of their fathers’ tribes, heads of the divisions in Israel. ¹⁷Then Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned by name, ¹⁸and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they recited their ancestry by families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, each one individually. ¹⁹As the Lᴏʀᴅ commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai. ²⁰Now the children of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ²¹those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred. ²²From the children of Simeon, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, of those who were numbered, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ²³those who were numbered of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred. ²⁴From the children of Gad, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ²⁵those who were numbered of the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. ²⁶From the children of Judah, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ²⁷those who were numbered of the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred. ²⁸From the children of Issachar, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ²⁹those who were numbered of the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred. ³⁰From the children of Zebulun, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ³¹those who were numbered of the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred. ³²From the sons of Joseph, the children of Ephraim, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ³³those who were numbered of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred. ³⁴From the children of Manasseh, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ³⁵those who were numbered of the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred. ³⁶From the children of Benjamin, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ³⁷those who were numbered of the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred. ³⁸From the children of Dan, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ³⁹those who were numbered of the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred. ⁴⁰From the children of Asher, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ⁴¹those who were numbered of the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred. ⁴²From the children of Naphtali, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: ⁴³those who were numbered of the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred. ⁴⁴These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each one representing his father’s house. ⁴⁵So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel— ⁴⁶all who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. ⁴⁷But the Levites were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe; ⁴⁸for the Lᴏʀᴅ had spoken to Moses, saying: ⁴⁹“Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel; ⁵⁰but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall attend to it and camp around the tabernacle. ⁵¹And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death. ⁵²The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, everyone by his own camp, everyone by his own standard, according to their armies; ⁵³but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.” ⁵⁴Thus the children of Israel did; according to all that the Lᴏʀᴅ commanded Moses, so they did.

¹A Psalm of David. Plead my cause, O Lᴏʀᴅ, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. ²Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. ³Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” ⁴Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor Who seek after my life; Let those be turned back and brought to confusion Who plot my hurt. ⁵Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the Lᴏʀᴅ chase them. ⁶Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the Lᴏʀᴅ pursue them. ⁷For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, Which they have dug without cause for my life. ⁸Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, And let his net that he has hidden catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall. ⁹And my soul shall be joyful in the Lᴏʀᴅ; It shall rejoice in His salvation. ¹⁰All my bones shall say, “Lord, who is like You, Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?” ¹¹Fierce witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know. ¹²They reward me evil for good, To the sorrow of my soul. ¹³But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart. ¹⁴I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother. ¹⁵But in my adversity they rejoiced And gathered together; Attackers gathered against me, And I did not know it; They tore at me and did not cease; ¹⁶With ungodly mockers at feasts They gnashed at me with their teeth. ¹⁷Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions. ¹⁸I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people. ¹⁹Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause. ²⁰For they do not speak peace, But they devise deceitful matters Against the quiet ones in the land. ²¹They also opened their mouth wide against me, And said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it.” ²²This You have seen, O Lᴏʀᴅ; Do not keep silence. O Lᴏʀᴅ, do not be far from me. ²³Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, To my cause, my God and my Lord. ²⁴Vindicate me, O Lᴏʀᴅ my God, according to Your righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me. ²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” ²⁶Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who rejoice at my hurt; Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor Who exalt themselves against me. ²⁷Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lᴏʀᴅ be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” ²⁸And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.

¹Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. ²Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. ³If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. ⁴He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. ⁵As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. ⁶In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good. ⁷Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; ⁸But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity. ⁹Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. ¹⁰Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity.

¹Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, ²to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. ³For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. ⁴But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, ⁵not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ⁸This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. ⁹But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. ¹⁰Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, ¹¹knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. ¹²When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. ¹³Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing. ¹⁴And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. ¹⁵All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.