11 Then the LORD said to Moses, |
12 "When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. |
13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel,2 30:13 That is, about 1/5 ounce (about 6 grams); also in verse 15 according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD . |
14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the LORD . |
15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives. |
16 Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD , making atonement for your lives." |