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The Second Census of Israel
26 After the plague was over, the Lord told Moses and Aaron the priest’s son Eleazar, 2 “Take a census[a] of the entire community of Israel from the age of 20 years and above, according to each ancestral tribe, counting everyone who is able to go out to war in Israel.”
3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to them in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River[b] in Jericho. 4 They counted every male Israeli who had come out of Egypt and who was 20 years old and above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
5 From Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, the descendants of Reuben included from Hanoch, the family of the descendants of Hanoch; from Pallu, the family of the descendants of Pallu; 6 from Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Carmi, the family of the descendants of Carmi. 7 These families of the descendants of Reuben numbered 43,730.
8 Now Pallu’s son was Eliab. 9 The descendants of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were removed from the community because they joined the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, as did Korah’s company when they rebelled against the Lord. 10 The ground had opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with Korah. Also, that group died when the fire devoured 250 men as a warning sign, 11 but Korah’s direct descendants didn’t die.
12 The descendants of Simeon, listed according to their families, included: From Nemuel, the family of the descendants of Nemuel; from Jamin, the family of the descendants of Jamin; from Jachin, the family of the descendants of Jachin; 13 from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah; and from Shaul, the family of the descendants of Shaul. 14 These families of the descendants of Simeon numbered 22,200.
15 The descendants of Gad, listed according to their families, included: From Zephon, the family of the descendants of Zephon; from Haggi, the family of the descendants of Haggi; from Shuni, the family of the descendants of Shuni; 16 from Ozni, the family of the descendants of Ozni; from Eri, the family of the descendants of Eri; 17 from Arod, the family of the descendants of Arod; and from Areli, the family of the descendants of Areli. 18 These families of the descendants of Gad numbered 40,500.
19 The descendants of Judah originally included Er and Onan, though Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20 The descendants of Judah, listed according to their families, included: From Shelah, the family of the descendants of Shelah; from Perez, the family of the descendants of Perez; and from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah. 21 The descendants of Perez included: From Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Hamul, the family of the descendants of Hamul. 22 These families of Judah numbered 76,500.
23 The tribe of Issachar, listed according to their families, included: From Tola, the family of the descendants of Tola; from Puvah, the family of the descendants of Puvah; 24 from Jashub, the family of the descendants of Jashub; and from Shimron, the family of the descendants of Shimron. 25 These families of Issachar numbered 64,300.
26 The tribe of Zebulun, listed according to their families, included: From Sered, the family of the descendants of Sered; from Elon, the family of the descendants of Elon; and from Jahleel, the family of the descendants of Jahleel. 27 These families of the descendants of Zebulun numbered 60,500.
28 The tribe of Joseph, listed according to their families, included Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 The descendants of Manasseh included: From Machir, the family of the descendants of Machir. (Machir was the father of Gilead.) From Gilead, the family of the Gileadites 30 included: From Iezer, the family of the descendants of Iezer; from Helek, the family of the descendants of Helek; 31 from Asriel, the family of the descendants of Asriel; from Shechem, the family of the descendants of Shechem; 32 from Shemida, the family of the descendants of Shemida; and from Hepher, the family of the descendants of Hepher. 33 Hepher’s son Zelophehad had no sons, but the names of Zelophehad’s daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These families of Manasseh numbered 52,700.
35 The descendants of Ephraim, listed according to their families, included: From Shuthelah, the family of the descendants of Shuthelah; from Becher, the family of the descendants of Becher; and from Tahan, the family of the descendants of Tahan. 36 The descendants of Shuthelah included from Eran, the family of the descendants of Eran. 37 These families of Ephraim numbered 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph, listed according to their families.
38 The tribe of Benjamin, listed according to their families, included: From Bela, the family of the descendants of Bela; from Ashbel, the family of the descendants of Ashbel; from Ahiram, the family of the descendants of Ahiram; 39 from Shephupham, the family of the descendants of Shephupham; and from Hupham, the family of the descendants of Hupham. 40 The descendants of Bela were Ard and Naaman: From Ard, the family of the descendants of Ard; and from Naaman, the family of the descendants of Naaman. 41 These descendants of Benjamin’s families numbered 45,600.
42 The tribe of Dan, listed according to their families, included the families of the descendants of Shuham. 43 All the families of the Shuhamites numbered 64,400.
44 The tribe of Asher, listed according to their families, included: From Imnah, the family of the descendants of Imnah; from Ishvi, the family of the descendants of Ishvi; and from Beriah, the family of the descendants of Beriah. 45 The descendants of Beriah included: From Heber, the family of the descendants of Heber; and from Malchiel, the family of the descendants of Malchiel. 46 (The name of Asher’s daughter was Serah.) 47 These descendants of Asher numbered 53,400.
48 The tribe of Naphtali, listed according to their families, included: From Jahzeel, the family of the descendants of Jahzeel; from Guni, the family of the descendants of Guni; 49 from Jezer, the family of the descendants of Jezer; and from Shillem, the family of the descendants of Shillem. 50 These families of Naphtali numbered 45,400.
51 The total[c] of those numbered among the Israelis was 601,730.
36 Now Anna, a prophetess, was also there. She was a descendant of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow for 84 years. She never left the Temple, but continued to worship there night and day with times of fasting and prayer. 38 Just then she came forward and began to thank God and to speak about Jesus[a] to everyone who was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 After doing everything required by the Law of the Lord, Joseph and Mary[b] returned to their hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. 40 Meanwhile, the child continued to grow and to become strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor rested upon him.
Jesus Visits the Temple
41 Every year Jesus’[c] parents would go to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When Jesus[d] was twelve years old, they went up to the festival as usual. 43 When the days of the festival[e] were over, they left for home. The young man Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 They thought that he was in their group of travelers. After traveling for a day, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching desperately for him. 46 Three days later, they found him in the Temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and posing questions to them. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his intelligence and his answers. 48 When Jesus’ parents[f] saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!”
49 He asked them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house?”[g] 50 But they did not understand what he told them. 51 Then he went back with them, returning to Nazareth and remaining in submission to them. His mother continued to treasure all these things in her heart. 52 Meanwhile, Jesus kept on growing wiser and more mature, and in favor with God and his fellow man.
To the Director: A special Davidic psalm to the tune of[a] “Lily of The Covenant,” for teaching about his battle with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, when Joab returned and attacked 12,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley.[b]
A Prayer for God’s Help against Adversaries
60 God, you have cast us off;
you have breached our defenses
and you have become enraged.
Return to us!
2 You made the earth quake;
you broke it open.
Repair its fractures,
because it has shifted.
3 You made your people go through hard times;
you had us drink wine that makes us stagger.
4 But you have given a banner to those who fear you,
so they may display it in honor of truth.[c]
5 So your loved ones may be delivered,
save us by your power[d]
and answer us quickly!
6 Then God spoke in his holiness,
“I will rejoice—
I will divide Shechem;
I will portion out the Succoth Valley.
7 Gilead belongs to me,
and Manasseh is mine.
Ephraim is my helmet,
and Judah my scepter.
8 Moab is my wash basin;
over Edom I will throw my shoes;
over Philistia I will celebrate my triumph.”
9 Who will lead me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Aren’t you the one, God, who has cast us off?
Didn’t you refuse, God, to accompany our armies?
15 Securing a loan for a stranger will bring suffering,
but by refusing to do so, one remains safe.
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