¹ Höret, ihr Kinder Israel, des HERRN Wort! denn der HERR hat Ursache, zu schelten, die im Lande wohnen; denn es ist keine Treue, keine Liebe, keine Erkenntnis Gottes im Lande;

² sondern Gotteslästern, Lügen, Morden, Stehlen und Ehebrechen hat überhandgenommen und eine Blutschuld kommt nach der andern.

³ Darum wird das Land jämmerlich stehen, und allen Einwohnern wird's übel gehen; denn es werden auch die Tiere auf dem Felde und die Vögel unter dem Himmel und die Fische im Meer weggerafft werden.

⁴ Doch man darf nicht schelten noch jemand strafen; denn dein Volk ist wie die, so den Priester schelten.

⁵ Darum sollst du bei Tage fallen und der Prophet des Nachts neben dir fallen; also will ich deine Mutter zu Grunde richten.

⁶ Mein Volk ist dahin, darum daß es nicht lernen will. Denn du verwirfst Gottes Wort; darum will ich dich auch verwerfen, daß du nicht mein Priester sein sollst. Du vergißt das Gesetz deines Gottes; darum will ich auch deine Kinder vergessen.

⁷ Je mehr ihrer wird, je mehr sie wider mich sündigen; darum will ich ihre Ehre zu Schanden machen.

⁸ Sie fressen die Sündopfer meines Volks und sind begierig nach ihren Sünden.

⁹ Darum soll es dem Volk gleich wie dem Priester gehen; denn ich will ihr Tun heimsuchen und ihnen vergelten, wie sie verdienen,

¹⁰ daß sie werden essen, und nicht satt werden, Hurerei treiben und sich nicht ausbreiten, darum daß sie den HERRN verlassen haben und ihn nicht achten.

¹¹ Hurerei, Wein und Most machen toll.

¹² Mein Volk fragt sein Holz, und sein Stab soll ihm predigen; denn der Hurerei-Geist verführt sie, daß sie wider ihren Gott Hurerei treiben.

¹³ Oben auf den Bergen opfern sie, und auf den Hügeln räuchern sie, unter den Eichen, Linden und Buchen; denn die haben feinen Schatten. Darum werden eure Töchter auch zu Huren und eure Bräute zu Ehebrechrinnen werden.

¹⁴ Und ich will's auch nicht wehren, wenn eure Töchter und Bräute geschändet werden, weil ihr einen andern Gottesdienst anrichtet mit den Huren und opfert mit den Bübinnen. Denn das törichte Volk will geschlagen sein.

¹⁵ Willst du, Israel, ja huren, daß sich doch nur Juda nicht auch verschulde. Geht nicht hin gen Gilgal und kommt nicht hinauf gen Beth-Aven und schwört nicht: So wahr der HERR lebt!

¹⁶ Denn Israel läuft wie eine tolle Kuh; so wird sie auch der HERR weiden lassen wie ein Lamm in der Irre.

¹⁷ Denn Ephraim hat sich zu den Götzen gesellt; so laß ihn hinfahren.

¹⁸ Sie haben sich in die Schwelgerei und Hurerei gegeben; ihre Herren haben Lust dazu, daß sie Schande anrichten.

¹⁹ Der Wind mit seinen Flügeln wird sie zusammen wegtreiben; sie müssen über ihrem Opfer zu Schanden werden.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent 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 the names, every male, one by one;

³ from twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go out to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their divisions.

⁴ With you there shall be a man of every tribe; everyone head of his fathers' house.

⁵ These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: Of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur.

⁶ Of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

⁷ Of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

⁸ Of Issachar: Nethanel the son of Zuar.

⁹ Of Zebulun: Eliab the son of Helon.

¹⁰ Of the children of Joseph: Of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud. Of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

¹¹ Of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni.

¹² Of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

¹³ Of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran.

¹⁴ Of Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

¹⁵ Of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan."

¹⁶ These are those who were called of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel.

¹⁷ Moses and Aaron took these men who are mentioned by name.

¹⁸ They assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they declared their ancestry by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, one by one.

¹⁹ As Yahweh commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.

²⁰ The children of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, one by one, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

²¹ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.

²² Of the children of Simeon, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, those who were numbered of it, according to the number of the names, one by one, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

²³ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

²⁴ Of the children of Gad, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

²⁵ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Gad, were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.

²⁶ Of the children of Judah, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

²⁷ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Judah, were sixty-four thousand six hundred.

²⁸ Of the children of Issachar, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

²⁹ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty-four thousand four hundred.

³⁰ Of the children of Zebulun, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

³¹ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

³² Of the children of Joseph, of the children of Ephraim, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

³³ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand five hundred.

³⁴ Of the children of Manasseh, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

³⁵ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

³⁶ Of the children of Benjamin, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;

³⁷ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

³⁸ Of the children of Dan, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;

³⁹ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Dan, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

⁴⁰ Of the children of Asher, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;

⁴¹ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Asher, were forty-one thousand five hundred.

⁴² Of the children of Naphtali, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;

⁴³ those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

⁴⁴ These are those who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: they were each one for his fathers' house.

⁴⁵ So all those who were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war in Israel;

⁴⁶ even all those who were numbered were six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty.

⁴⁷ But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.

⁴⁸ For Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

⁴⁹ "Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, neither shall you take a census of them among the children of Israel;

⁵⁰ but appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle, and all its furnishings; and they shall take care of it, and shall encamp around it.

⁵¹ When the tabernacle is to move, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.

⁵² The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, according to their divisions.

⁵³ But the Levites shall encamp around the Tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be responsible for the Tabernacle of the Testimony."

⁵⁴ Thus the children of Israel did. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so they did.