“Take a census ¹  of the Kohathites from among the Levites, by their families and by their clans,

“Also take a census of the Gershonites, by their clans and by their families.

“Take a census ¹  of the entire ²  Israelite community ³  by their clans and families, ⁴  counting the name of every individual male. ⁵ 

“Only the tribe of Levi ¹  you must not number ²  or count ³  with ⁴  the other Israelites.

Solomon took a census ¹  of all the male resident foreigners in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 in all.

This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor ¹  of Syria.

“Take a census of the whole community of Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their clans, ¹  everyone who can serve in the army of Israel.” ² 

“Number the people ¹  from twenty years old and upward, just as the Lord commanded Moses and the Israelites who went out from the land of Egypt.”

After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census, ¹  and incited people to follow him in revolt. ²  He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered.

Now ¹  in those days a decree ²  went out from Caesar ³  Augustus ⁴  to register ⁵  all the empire ⁶  for taxes.

“When you take a census ¹  of the Israelites according to their number, ²  then each man is to pay a ransom ³  for his life to the Lord when you number them, ⁴  so that there will be no plague among them when you number them.

Your dead bodies ¹  will fall in this wilderness – all those of you who were numbered, according to your full number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me.

Joab son of Zeruiah started to count the men but did not finish. God was angry with Israel ¹  because of this, so the number was not recorded in the scroll ²  called The Annals of King David.

But there was not a man among these who had been ¹  among those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai.

An adversary ¹  opposed ²  Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had. ³ 

Everyone ¹  went to his own town ²  to be registered.

Now Joab ¹  did not number Levi and Benjamin, for the king’s edict disgusted him.

The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.” ¹ 

But the king’s edict stood, despite the objections of ¹  Joab and the leaders of the army. So Joab and the leaders of the army left the king’s presence in order to muster the Israelite army.

“As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their families and by their clans.