Numbers 1:1-10:10

New Catholic Bible

The Census and the Preparation to Depart from Sinai^[a]

Chapter 1

The Census. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month of the second year after they left the land of Egypt, saying,^{[b] 2} “Take a census of the community of the people of Israel, arranging them by their families, by their clans, listing every single man by name. ³ You and Aaron will count them, company by company, each one who is twenty years and older and is able to go to war in Israel. ⁴ A man from every tribe,^[c] the head of his clan, will accompany you.

Assistants to Moses Named. ⁵ “These are the names of the men who will accompany you: from the tribe of Reuben, Elizur, the son of Shedeur; ⁶ from the tribe of Simeon, Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai; ⁷ from the tribe of Judah, Nahshon, the son of Amminadab; ⁸ from the tribe of Issachar, Nathanel, the son of Zuar; ⁹ from the tribe of Zebulun, Eliab, the son of Helon; ¹⁰ from the son of Joseph, from the tribe of Ephraim, Elishama, the son of Ammihud, and from the tribe of Manasseh, Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur; ¹¹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Abidan, the son of Gideoni; ¹² from Dan, Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai; ¹³ from Asher, Pagiel, the son of Ochran; ¹⁴ from Gad, Eliasaph, the son of Reuel; ¹⁵ from Naphtali, Ahira, the son of Enan.” ¹⁶ These were the ones summoned from the assembly, the leaders of their tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel.

¹⁷ Moses and Aaron took the men who had been named ¹⁸ and on the first day of the second month they gathered together the entire community who registered themselves by families, by the name of their fathers’ households. The men twenty years and older were listed according to their names, one by one, ¹⁹ as the Lord had commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Sinai Desert.

²⁰ The Count of the Twelve Tribes. Thus the members of the tribe of Reuben, the oldest son of Israel, who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families, one by one. ²¹ The number of men in the tribe of Reuben was forty-six thousand, five hundred.

²² The members of the tribe of Simeon who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families, one by one. ²³ The number of men in the tribe of Simeon was fifty-nine thousand, three hundred.

²⁴ The members of the tribe of Gad who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families. ²⁵ The number of men in the tribe of Gad was forty-five thousand, six hundred fifty.

²⁶ The members of the tribe of Judah who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families. ²⁷ The number of men in the tribe of Judah was seventy-four thousand, six hundred.

²⁸ The members of the tribe of Issachar who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families. ²⁹ The number of men in the tribe of Issachar was fifty-four thousand, four hundred.

³⁰ The members of the tribe of Zebulun who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families. ³¹ The number of men in the tribe of Zebulun was fifty-seven thousand, four hundred.

³² The sons of Joseph include the members of the tribe of Ephraim who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms. They were listed by name according to their clans and families. ³³ The number of men in the tribe of Ephraim was forty thousand, five hundred.

³⁴ There are also the members of the tribe of Manasseh who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms. They were listed by name according to their clans and families. ³⁵ The number of men in the tribe of Manasseh was thirty-two thousand, two hundred.

³⁶ The members of the tribe of Benjamin who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families. ³⁷ The number of men in the tribe of Benjamin was thirty-five thousand, four hundred.

³⁸ The members of the tribe of Dan who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families. ³⁹ The number of men in the tribe of Dan was sixty-two thousand, seven hundred.

⁴⁰ The members of the tribe of Asher who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families, one by one. ⁴¹ The number of men in the tribe of Asher was forty-one thousand, five hundred.

⁴² The members of the tribe of Naphtali who were twenty years or older and who were fit to bear arms were listed by name according to their clans and families, one by one. ⁴³ The number of men in the tribe of Naphtali was fifty-three thousand, four hundred.

⁴⁴ This was the number of men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders, each representing his ancestral clan. ⁴⁵ The total number of the people of Israel who were listed according to their clan who were twenty years or older and fit to bear arms in Israel ⁴⁶ was six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.

⁴⁷ Responsibility of the Levites. The families of the tribe of Levi, however, were not counted with the rest of them^{[d] 48} for the Lord had said to Moses, ⁴⁹ “You are not to take a census of the tribe of Levi, nor are you to include them in the census of the people of Israel. ⁵⁰ You will assign the Levites responsibility over the tent of the tabernacle and over all of its vessels and over all of the things that belong to it. They will carry the tabernacle and all of its vessels. They will care for it and they will camp around the tabernacle. ⁵¹ When the tabernacle is to be moved, the Levites will take it down. When it is to be erected, the Levites will set it up. Anyone else who approaches it must be put to death.

⁵² “Each of the Israelites will pitch his tent within his own camp, alongside his own standard, each in his own company, ⁵³ but the Levites will camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony so that no wrath come upon the community of the people of Israel. The Levites will keep guard over the tabernacle of the Testimony.” ⁵⁴ This is what the people of Israel did. They did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.

Chapter 2^[e]

Placement of the Tribal Camps. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ² “Every Israelite will camp by their own standard, alongside the emblems of their father’s household. They will camp some distance from the tent of meeting.

³ “On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, will be the standard of the camp of Judah arranged by their companies. The leader of the tribe of Judah is Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. ⁴ His forces numbered seventy-four thousand, six hundred. ⁵ The tribe of Issachar will camp next to him. The leader of the tribe of Issachar is Nethanel, the son of Zuar. ⁶ His forces numbered fifty-four thousand, four hundred. ⁷ Then there is the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the tribe of Zebulun is Eliab, the son of Helon. ⁸ His forces numbered fifty-seven thousand, four hundred. ⁹ The whole camp of Judah, by their companies, numbered one hundred eighty-six thousand, four hundred. They are to set out first on the march.

¹⁰ “On the south side of the camp is the standard of the camp of Reuben, arranged by their companies. The leader of the tribe of Reuben is Elizur, the son of Shedeur. ¹¹ His forces numbered forty-six thousand, five hundred. ¹² The tribe of Simeon will camp next to him. The leader of the tribe of Simeon is Shelumiel, the son of Zurushaddai. ¹³ His forces numbered fifty-nine thousand, three hundred. ¹⁴ Then there is the tribe of Gad. The leader of the tribe of Gad is Eliasaph, the son of Reuel. ¹⁵ His forces numbered forty-five thousand, six hundred fifty. ¹⁶ The whole camp of Reuben, by their companies, numbered one hundred fifty-one thousand, four hundred fifty. They are to be the second to set out on the march.

¹⁷ “Then the tent of meeting will set out, with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the other camps whenever they set up camp. This is how they are to set out, each man located under his own standards.

¹⁸ “On the west side of the camp is the standard of the camp of Ephraim, arranged by their companies. The leader of the tribe of Ephraim is Elishama, the son of Ammihud. ¹⁹ His forces numbered forty thousand, five hundred. ²⁰ The tribe of Manasseh will camp next to him. The leader of the tribe of Manasseh is Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur. ²¹ His forces numbered thirty-two thousand, two hundred. ²² Then comes the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the tribe of Benjamin is Abidan, the son of Gideoni. ²³ His forces numbered thirty-five thousand, five hundred. ²⁴ The whole camp of Ephraim, by their companies, numbered one hundred eight thousand, one hundred. They are to be the third to set out on the march.

²⁵ “On the north side of the camp is the standard of the camp of Dan, arranged by their companies. The leader of the tribe of Dan is Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶ His forces numbered sixty-two thousand, seven hundred. ²⁷ The tribe of Asher will camp next to him. The leader of the tribe of Asher is Pagiel, the son of Ochran. ²⁸ His forces numbered forty-one thousand, five hundred. ²⁹ Then comes the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the tribe of Naphtali is Ahira, the son of Enan. ³⁰ His forces numbered fifty-three thousand, four hundred. ³¹ The whole camp of Dan, by their companies, numbered one hundred fifty-seven thousand, six hundred. They are to march last with their standards.”

³² These were the people of Israel who were counted. There were six hundred three thousand, five hundred and fifty counted in their camps, in their companies, ³³ but the Levites were not counted along with the people of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁴ The people of Israel did everything as the Lord had commanded Moses^[f] by encamping under their standards and by the way they set out, each going with his clan and his family.

Chapter 3

Aaron’s Offspring.^{[g] 1} These are the descendants of Aaron and Moses on the day that the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. ² These are the names of the sons of Aaron: the oldest was Nadab, and then there were Abihu and Eleazar and Ithamar. ³ These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and consecrated to minister in the priesthood. ⁴ Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unclean fire to the Lord in the Sinai Desert. They had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of their father Aaron.

The Tribe of Levi. ⁵ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶ “Gather the tribe of Levi and have them stand before Aaron the priest so that they can minister to him. ⁷ They will serve him and serve the whole assembly standing before the tent of meeting, ministering to the needs of the tabernacle. ⁸ They will take care of all of the furnishings of the tent of meeting and attend to the needs of the people of Israel as they minister in the tabernacle. ⁹ You will give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are dedicated to him from among the people of Israel. ¹⁰ You will appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will serve as priests. Anyone else who draws near is to be put to death.”

^11 [h]The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel as a substitute for the firstborn of the people of Israel, those who opened the womb. The Levites will be my own, ¹³ for every firstborn has belonged to me from the day that I slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. I have set apart all the firstborn as my own in Israel, both human and animal. They will be mine. I am the Lord.”

¹⁴ Counting the Levites. The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, saying, ¹⁵ “Count the sons of Levi by clan, by family. Count every male one month old and older.”

¹⁶ So Moses counted them, as the word of the Lord had commanded^[i] him. ¹⁷ These are the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.^{[j] 18} These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁹ The sons of Kohath by their families were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁰ The sons of Merari by the families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their clan.

²¹ From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites. These are the families of the Gershonites. ²² They counted them, all males one month old and older, and they numbered seven thousand, five hundred. ²³ The clan of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle to the west. ²⁴ Eliasaph, the son of Lael, was the leader of the clan of the Gershonites. ²⁵ In the tent of meeting the sons of Gershon had responsibility for the care of the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, ²⁶ the curtains for the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, its cords, and everything that had to be done with these.

²⁷ From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites. ²⁸ They counted them, all males one month old and older, and they numbered eight thousand, three hundred, ministering to the needs of the sanctuary. ²⁹ The clan of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. ³⁰ Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel, was the leader of the clan of the Kohathites. ³¹ Their responsibility was for the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary, the screen, and everything that had to be done with these.

³² Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was to be the supervisor of the leaders of the Levites. He was to oversee those who had the responsibility to care for the needs of the sanctuary.

³³ From Merari came the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari. ³⁴ They counted them, all males one month old and older, and they numbered six thousand, two hundred. ³⁵ Zuriel, the son of Abihail, was the leader of the clan of Merari. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. ³⁶ Their responsibility was for the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, its pillars, its sockets and all of their parts, ³⁷ the pillars around the courtyard, and their pins, and their cords.

³⁸ Finally, Moses, Aaron and his sons camped in front of the tabernacle on its east side, in front of the tent of meeting and eastward. They kept watch over the sanctuary, keeping the people of Israel and any other person from coming near, under penalty of death.

³⁹ The total number of the Levites who were counted by Moses and Aaron at the command of the Lord, everyone in their families who was one month old and older, was twenty-two thousand.

⁴⁰ Redemption of the Firstborn. The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, those one month old and older, and make a list of their names. ⁴¹ The Levites will be a substitute for me in place of the firstborn of the people of Israel. I am the Lord. The cattle of the Levites will be a substitute for the firstborn of the cattle of the people of Israel.”

⁴² Moses counted all of the firstborn of the people of Israel as the Lord had commanded him ⁴³ and he listed all the firstborn males by name, those one month old and older. They numbered twenty-two thousand, two hundred seventy-three.

⁴⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵ “Take the Levites as a substitute for all the firstborn of the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites as a substitute for their cattle. The Levites are mine. I am the Lord.”

⁴⁶ Those who were to be redeemed among the firstborn of the people of Israel, not counting the Levites, numbered two hundred seventy-three. ⁴⁷ “You will take five shekels for each person according to the shekel of the sanctuary, that is, twenty gerahs for each shekel ⁴⁸ and give the money to Aaron and his sons to redeem those who are in excess among them.”

⁴⁹ Moses took the redemption money for those who were in excess, above the number of those redeemed by the Levites. ⁵⁰ He received the money for the firstborn of the people of Israel, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. ⁵¹ Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons as the Lord had commanded Moses by the word of the Lord.

Chapter 4

Delineation of Duties. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ² “Count the number of the Kohathites from among the sons of Levi by their clans and their families. ³ Count all the men from thirty to fifty years old who go in to minister in the tent of meeting.^[k]

⁴ “This is the ministry of the Kohathites in the tent of meeting: tending to the most holy things. ⁵ When the camp is being moved, Aaron and his sons will take down the veil and cover the Ark of Testimony with it. ⁶ They are then to put on the sheep skins, cover it with a blue cloth, and put the poles in place.^{[l] 7} They will spread a blue cloth over the table for the shewbread. On it they will place the dishes and spoons and bowls and jars for the drink offerings. The bread of offering will remain on it. ⁸ Over these they will spread a scarlet cloth and cover it with sheep skins. You will then put the poles in it. ⁹ They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand used for the light, its lamps, its tongs, its snuffers, and all of its oil dishes, all the things used in its ministry. ¹⁰ They will put it and all of its vessels within a hide of sheep skin and they will put it upon a litter. ¹¹ They will spread a blue cloth upon the golden altar and cover it with a covering of sheep skins and put its poles in it.^{[m] 12} Then they are to take all the implements with which they minister in the sanctuary, and they are to cover them with a blue cloth and with a covering of sheep skin and put them on a litter. ¹³ They are to empty all the ashes^[n] out from the altar and spread a purple cloth on it. ¹⁴ They are to put all the utensils with which they minister upon it, the censers, the forks, the shovels, and the basins. They are to take all of the utensils with which they minister and spread a sheep skin upon them. They will also put in its poles.

¹⁵ “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all of the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to set out, the Kohathites will come forward to carry it, but they will not touch anything that is holy, lest they die. These things in the tent of meeting are the responsibility of the Kohathites.

¹⁶ “Eleazar, the son of Aaron, has the responsibility for the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily meat offering, and the oil for anointing. He shall also oversee care for the tabernacle and everything in it, the sanctuary and its vessels.”

¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ¹⁸ “Do not let the clan of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. ¹⁹ Do these things for them so that they may live. Otherwise they will die when they come near to the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go and appoint each one of them to their ministry and their responsibilities, ²⁰ only they are not to go in and watch while the holy things are being covered, lest they die.”

²¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²² “Count the number of the sons of Gershon by their clans and their families. ²³ Count all the men from thirty to fifty years old who go in to minister in the tent of meeting. ²⁴ This is the ministry of the clan of the Gershonites, their service and responsibility. ²⁵ They will carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering, the covering of sheep skin that is over it, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, ²⁶ the curtains for the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, their cords, and all of their accessories. They will do all that needs to be done with these things. ²⁷ All the service of the Gershonites, what they are to carry and what they are to do, will be under the direction of Aaron and his sons. You are to assign them responsibility for what they are to carry. ²⁸ These things in the tent of meeting are the responsibility of the families of the Gershonites. Their service will be under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.

²⁹ “Count the number of the Merarites by their clans and their families. ³⁰ Count all the men from thirty to fifty years old who go in to minister in the tent of meeting. ³¹ This is their responsibility and service for the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle with their bars, their pillars, their sockets, ³² the pillars surrounding the courtyard, their sockets, their pins, their cords, and all their accessories. You will assign the things that they are charged to carry by name. ³³ This is the service of the clan of the Merarites. All of their service in the tent of meeting will be under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron, the priest.”

³⁴ Counting the Adult Levites. Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the assembly counted the Kohathites by family and by clan, ³⁵ those who were from thirty to fifty years old and who went in to minister in the service of the tent of meeting. ³⁶ By families there were two thousand, seven hundred and fifty. ³⁷ This was the number of those in the families of the Kohathites who ministered in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted, fulfilling the commandment of the Lord given to Moses.

³⁸ The sons of Gershon were counted by families and clan ³⁹ counting those who were from thirty years old to fifty years old and who went in to minister in the service of the tent of meeting. ⁴⁰ Counted by family and clan, there were two thousand, six hundred and thirty of them. ⁴¹ This was the number of the families of the sons of Gershon, all of whom served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted, fulfilling the commandment of the Lord.

⁴² The Merarites were counted by families and clan, ⁴³ those who were from thirty years old to fifty years old and who went in to minister in the service of the tent of meeting. ⁴⁴ Counted by families, there were three thousand, two hundred of them. ⁴⁵ This was the number of the families of the Merarites whom Moses and Aaron counted, fulfilling the commandment of the Lord given to Moses.

⁴⁶ Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all of the Levites according to families and clans ⁴⁷ who were from thirty years old to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of ministry and who served carrying the tent of meeting. ⁴⁸ There were eight thousand, five hundred and eighty of them. ⁴⁹ They were counted as the Lord had commanded Moses, counting all of those dedicated for service and carrying, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Chapter 5

Purifying the Camp. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Command the people of Israel to expel from the camp every leper and everyone who has a discharge and everyone who is unclean because they touched the dead. ³ You will expel both men and women from the camp. You will put them out so that they do not make the camp unclean, for I dwell in their midst.” ⁴ The people of Israel did this, putting them outside of the camp. The Israelites did what the Lord had instructed Moses.

Making Recompense.^{[o] 5} The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶ “Say to the people of Israel, ‘When a man or a woman sins in any way, that person has been unfaithful to the Lord and will be considered to be guilty. ⁷ He will confess the sin that he has committed. He will recompense his trespass, taking the full amount and one-fifth more and give it to the person against whom he has committed this offense. ⁸ But if the person offended has no kinsmen who could receive the recompense for the trespass, then let the trespass be paid to the Lord, to the priest, besides the ram that is being used to obtain his atonement. ⁹ Every offering of holy things that the people of Israel bring to the priest will belong to him. ¹⁰ Everyone’s gift of holy things will belong to him; whatever is given to the priest belongs to him.’ ”

¹¹ The Test of Unfaithfulness.^[p] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, ¹³ and a man has sex with her, and this is hidden from her husband, and she is defiled but keeps it a secret since there are no witnesses and she was not caught in the act, ¹⁴ and if a spirit of jealousy comes upon him, and he is jealous of his wife because she has defiled herself, or if a spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous of her even though she has not defiled herself, ¹⁵ then he will take his wife to the priest. He will also bring an offering for her, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal in which he has not poured oil nor put frankincense. This is a jealousy offering.^[q]

¹⁶ “ ‘The priest will bring her and have her stand before the Lord. ¹⁷ The priest will put some holy water in a clay vessel and he will put some of the dust from the floor of the sanctuary into the water. ¹⁸ The priest will have the woman stand before the Lord. He will uncover her hair and he will place the jealousy memorial offering in her hands. The priest will hold the bitter water that brings on a curse in his hands. ¹⁹ The priest will have the woman swear an oath saying, “If no other man has slept with you and if you have not gone astray, becoming defiled while married to your husband, then you will be free from the curse that this bitter water causes. ²⁰ But if you have gone astray while married to your husband, becoming defiled, and you have had sex with someone other than your husband,” ²¹ (at this point the priest will have the woman swear an oath to curse herself, and the priest will say to the woman) “then may the Lord make you a curse and a blight among your people. May the Lord make your loins rot and your womb swell;^{[r] 22} this water that brings on a curse will descend to your womb causing it to swell and your loins to rot.” The woman will then say, “Amen, amen.” ²³ The priest will write these curses in a book and blot them out with the bitter water. ²⁴ He will have the woman drink the bitter water that brings on the curse. The water that brings on the curse will enter her and will become bitter. ²⁵ The priest will then take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand and wave the offering before the Lord and offer it upon the altar. ²⁶ The priest will take a handful of the offering as the memorial offering and will burn it upon the altar. After that he will have the woman drink the water. ²⁷ When he has made her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, the curse in the water will enter her and be bitter and will cause her womb to swell and her loins to rot. ²⁸ But if the woman has not defiled herself and she is clean, then she will be unharmed and will conceive children.

²⁹ “ ‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife goes astray while married to her husband and becomes defiled ³⁰ or when the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous of his wife. He will bring his wife before the Lord and the priest will fulfill all the prescriptions of this law upon her. ³¹ The man will be free from guilt, but the woman will bear her guilt.’ ”

Chapter 6

Nazirite Laws.^{[s] 1} The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘If a man or a woman dedicates himself or herself with a vow, a Nazirite vow to dedicate himself or herself unto the Lord, ³ that person will abstain from wine and strong drink. He will not drink any vinegar made from wine or from strong drink, nor will he drink any grape juice, nor will he eat grapes or raisins. ⁴ He is not to eat anything that comes from the vine, not even the seeds or the skins as long as he is a Nazirite. ⁵ No razor will touch his head all throughout the time of his vow. He is to be holy until the days of his vow have been completed. He will let the hair on his head grow long. ⁶ He is not to approach any dead body during the entire period of his vow to the Lord. ⁷ He is not to make himself unclean even for his father or mother if they were to die, nor his brother or sister, for the consecration of God is upon his head. ⁸ He is to be holy to the Lord all the days of his vow.

⁹ “ ‘But if someone were to die suddenly in his presence and defile his consecrated head, he is to shave his head on the day of his cleansing and he will shave it again on the seventh day. ¹⁰ Then on the eighth day he will bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹¹ The priest will offer one of them as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering making atonement for the uncleanness caused by the dead person. On that same day he is to consecrate his head^{[t] 12} and he will dedicate his days of consecration unto the Lord. He will bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The days that preceded this incident will not count, however, for his dedicated head had been defiled.

¹³ “ ‘This is the law concerning Nazirites when the time of their dedication is completed. He is to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹⁴ He will bring a year-old male lamb without defect unto the Lord as a burnt offering, and a one-year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, and a one-year-old ram without defect as a peace offering ¹⁵ and a basket of unleavened bread made from fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers of bread with oil spread on them, and a cereal offering, and a drink offering. ¹⁶ The priest will bring them before the Lord and he will offer his sin offering and his burnt offering. ¹⁷ He will offer the ram as the sacrifice of a peace offering unto the Lord together with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest will also offer the cereal offering and the drink offering. ¹⁸ The Nazirite will shave his head at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He will take the hair that grew during the period when he was vowed and put it on the fire under the sacrifice of the peace offering. ¹⁹ The priest will take a shoulder of the ram that has been boiled, and an unleavened cake out of the basket, and an unleavened wafer, and he will put them into the hands of the Nazirite who has shaved off the hair of his vow. ²⁰ The priest will wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. It is holy and will belong to the priest, along with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh that was presented. After this the Nazirite can drink wine. ²¹ This is the law of the Nazirite who has vowed his offering unto the Lord for his consecration (apart from what else he can afford). He must fulfill what he has vowed to do by the Nazirite law.’ ”

²² The Priests’ Blessing.^[u] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you will bless the people of Israel, saying to them,

²⁷ They will invoke my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Chapter 7

Tribal Offerings.^{[w] 1} The day that Moses completed setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it and all of its furnishings, including the altar and all of its utensils. He anointed and consecrated them. ² The leaders of Israel, the heads of the clans, and the leaders of the tribes that had been counted in the census, made their offerings. ³ They brought their offerings before the Lord: six covered wagons and twelve oxen. There was a wagon for each two leaders, and an oxen for each of them. They brought them before the tabernacle.

⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁵ “Accept these things from them so that they might be used in the service of the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites, each according to his responsibility.” ⁶ Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites for their responsibilities. ⁸ He also gave four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites for their responsibilities. They were under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. ⁹ None of them were given to the Kohathites, for it was their job to carry their portion of the tabernacle upon their shoulders.

¹⁰ The leaders also presented offerings to commemorate the dedication of the altar on the day that it was anointed. The leaders placed their offerings before the altar. ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Let each of the leaders present his offering for the dedication of the altar on successive days.”

¹² Nahshon, the son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah, presented his offering on the first day. ¹³ His offering was one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ¹⁴ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ¹⁵ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ¹⁶ one male goat for a sin offering, ¹⁷ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

¹⁸ Nethanel, the son of Zuar, the leader of the people of Issachar, brought his offering on the second day. ¹⁹ His offering was one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ²⁰ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ²¹ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ²² one male goat for a sin offering, ²³ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Nethanel, the son of Zuar.

²⁴ Eliab, the son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun, presented on the third day ²⁵ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ²⁶ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ²⁷ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ²⁸ one male goat for a sin offering, ²⁹ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Eliab, the son of Helon.

³⁰ Elizur, the son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben, presented on the fourth day ³¹ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ³² He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ³³ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ³⁴ one male goat for a sin offering, ³⁵ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

³⁶ Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Simeon, presented on the fifth day ³⁷ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ³⁸ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ³⁹ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ⁴⁰ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁴¹ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.

⁴² Eliasaph, the son of Reuel, the leader of the people of Gad, presented on the sixth day ⁴³ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁴⁴ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ⁴⁵ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ⁴⁶ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁴⁷ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph, the son of Reuel.

⁴⁸ Elishama, the son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim, presented on the seventh day ⁴⁹ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁵⁰ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ⁵¹ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ⁵² one male goat for a sin offering, ⁵³ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Elishama, the son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴ Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh, presented on the eighth day ⁵⁵ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁵⁶ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ⁵⁷ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ⁵⁸ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁵⁹ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰ Abidan, the son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin, presented on the ninth day ⁶¹ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁶² He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ⁶³ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ⁶⁴ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁶⁵ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Abidan, the son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶ Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan, presented on the tenth day ⁶⁷ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁶⁸ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ⁶⁹ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ⁷⁰ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁷¹ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai.

⁷² Pagiel, the son of Ochran, the leader of the people of Asher, presented on the eleventh day ⁷³ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁷⁴ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ⁷⁵ one young bull, one young ram, one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ⁷⁶ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁷⁷ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Pagiel, the son of Ochran.

⁷⁸ Ahira, the son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali, presented on the twelfth day ⁷⁹ his offering of one silver dish that weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and one bowl weighing seventy shekels, both calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both vessels were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁸⁰ He also brought one gold pan weighing ten shekels, filled with incense, ⁸¹ one young bull, one young ram, one year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, ⁸² one male goat for a sin offering, ⁸³ and two oxen, five rams, and five year-old male lambs for a peace offering. This was the offering of Ahira, the son of Enan.

⁸⁴ This was the dedication offering from the leaders of Israel for the altar on the day that it was anointed: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver bowls and twelve gold pans. ⁸⁵ Each silver dish weighed one hundred and thirty shekels and each silver bowl seventy shekels. All the silver vessels together weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. ⁸⁶ The twelve gold pans full of incense weighed ten shekels each, calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary. All together the gold pans weighed one hundred and twenty shekels. ⁸⁷ There were twelve bull oxen for the burnt offering as well as twelve rams and twelve year-old male lambs with their grain offering, and there were twelve rams for the sin offering. ⁸⁸ There were twenty-four bull oxen for the peace offering as well as sixty rams and sixty year-old male lambs. This was the dedication offering after it was anointed.

⁸⁹ When Moses had gone into the tent of meeting to speak with him, he heard a voice coming from above the mercy seat and between the two cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant speaking to him. So he spoke to him.^[x]

Chapter 8

The Lampstand. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to shine to the front of the lampstand.’ ” ³ Aaron did this. He set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴ This is how the lampstand was made: it was made from hammered gold from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made according to the pattern that the Lord had shown to Moses.

Purifying the Levites. ⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Separate the Levites from the other people of Israel and purify them.^{[y] 7} Do the following to purify them: Sprinkle the water of expiation upon them, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothes. This will purify them. ⁸ Let them take a young bull and its cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil. You shall also take another young bull for a sin offering. ⁹ You shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also gather together the whole assembly of the people of Israel. ¹⁰ You shall present the Levites before the Lord, and all the people of Israel will lay their hands upon the Levites.^{[z] 11} Then Aaron will present the Levites to the Lord as a wave offering of the people of Israel so that they may carry out the work of the Lord. ¹² The Levites will lay their hands upon the heads of the young bulls. You will offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites.

¹³ “You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons to present them as a wave offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ Thus you will separate the Levites from the people of Israel, and the Levites will be mine. ¹⁵ After this the Levites can go in and serve the needs of the tent of meeting, when you have purified them and offered them as a wave offering. ¹⁶ They are to be wholly dedicated to me from among the people of Israel. I have reserved them for myself as a substitute for all those who open the womb, the firstborn of the people of Israel. ¹⁷ All the firstborn of the people of Israel belong to me, both human and animal. I sanctified them to myself on the day that I killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ But I have taken the Levites as a substitute for all the firstborn of the people of Israel. ¹⁹ I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to perform the work of the people of Israel in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, so that no plague may come upon the people of Israel when the people of Israel approach near the sanctuary.”

²⁰ So Moses and Aaron and all the assembly of the people of Israel did to the Levites what God had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, that is what the people of Israel did to them. ²¹ The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Aaron presented them as a wave offering to the Lord, and made atonement for them to purify them. ²² Then the Levites went in and performed the work of the tent of meeting under the authority of Aaron and his sons. They did to the Levites the things that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning them.

²³ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ “The Levites will go in to perform the work of the tent of meeting from the age of twenty-five years old. ²⁵ Then, when they are fifty years old, they will stop performing that service. They will work no more. ²⁶ They may assist their brothers in carrying out the duties of the tent of meeting, but they themselves are not to perform that work. This is how you will establish the responsibilities of the Levites.”

Chapter 9

Observing the Passover. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt. He said, ² “Let the people of Israel celebrate the Passover at its appointed time. ³ You will celebrate it at its appointed time, on the fourteenth day of this month, at sunset. You will observe it in accordance with all its statutes; you shall follow all of its ordinances.” ⁴ So Moses told the people of Israel that they should observe the Passover. ⁵ They celebrated Passover on the sunset of the fourteenth day of the month in the Sinai Desert. The people of Israel did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶ Now there were some men who had become unclean by touching a dead body, and they could not observe the Passover on that day. They came to Moses and Aaron on that day ⁷ and they said, “We are unclean because we touched a dead person’s body. Why are we prohibited from presenting an offering to the Lord at its appointed time with the rest of the people of Israel?”

⁸ Moses said to them, “Stand here, and I will listen to what the Lord commands concerning your situation.” ⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If any of you or your descendants is unclean because that person comes into contact with a dead body or he is on a journey and is far away, that person shall still observe^[aa] the Passover of the Lord. ¹¹ You will celebrate it the fourteenth day of the second month, you will eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ¹² You shall not leave any leftovers until the morning, nor shall you break any of its bones. You will observe it according to the ordinances of the Passover of the Lord.

¹³ “ ‘But if some person is ritually clean and is not off on a journey and that person refuses to observe the Passover, let that person be cut off from among his people. He did not bring his offerings at the appointed time, so he will bear his sin.

¹⁴ “ ‘If a foreigner^[ab] dwelling among you wants to observe the Passover of the Lord, let him do so according to the ordinances of the Passover and according to its ceremonies. There is one set of ordinances for those who are foreigners and for those who were born in the land.’ ”

¹⁵ Journeying by the Cloud. Now on the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. From evening until morning it appeared in the form of fire. ¹⁶ The cloud covered it by day and fire by night. ¹⁷ Whenever the cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle, the people of Israel would journey out. The people of Israel would then settle and pitch their tent in the place where the cloud would descend.

¹⁸ The people of Israel would journey at the command of the Lord, and they would camp at the command of the Lord. As long as the cloud hovered over the tabernacle, they would stay where they were. ¹⁹ Even when the cloud hovered over the tabernacle for several days, the people of Israel would observe the command of the Lord and they would not journey out. ²⁰ At times the cloud would hover over the tabernacle for a few days. They stayed where they were in accordance with the command of the Lord, and they journeyed out in accordance with the command of the Lord. ²¹ Other times, the cloud would hover from evening until morning, and then the cloud would be lifted up in the morning. They would then journey out. Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud lifted off, it was then that they would journey out. ²² Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud hovered over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would remain where they were. When it was lifted up, then they would journey out. ²³ At the command of the Lord, they stayed where they were and at the command of the Lord they journeyed out. They observed the bidding of the Lord,^[ac] in accordance with the commands of the Lord received through Moses.

Chapter 10

Sounding the Trumpets. ¹ The Lord said to Moses, ² “Make two trumpets for yourself. Make them from hammered silver. Use them for summoning the assembly and for breaking camp. ³ When they are sounded, the whole assembly will gather before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁴ If only one is sounded, the leaders, the heads of the clans of Israel, are to assemble before you. ⁵ When the advance is sounded, the camps that lie on the east side will set out. ⁶ With the second blast of the trumpet, the camps that lie to the south side will set out. The trumpet blast will signal their setting out. ⁷ To gather together the assembly, sound the trumpets but not with the same signal.

⁸ “The sons of Aaron, the priests, will sound the trumpets. This is to be an everlasting ordinance throughout all your generations. ⁹ When you go into battle against an enemy who is oppressing you in your own land, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord, your God, and you will be saved. ¹⁰ Also, at times of rejoicing, your solemn feasts and your new moon celebrations, you are to sound the trumpets over the burnt offerings and the peace offerings. They will be a memorial for you to your God. I am the Lord, your God.”