Numbers 8-12

English Standard Version

The Seven Lamps

8 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” ³And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. ⁴And ^(A)this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing of the Levites

⁵And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶“Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. ⁷Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the ^(B)water of purification upon them, and ^(C)let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. ⁸Then let them take a bull from the herd and ^(D)its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, ^(E)and you shall take another bull from the herd for a sin offering. ⁹^(F)And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting ^(G)and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel. ¹⁰When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel ^(H)shall lay their hands on the Levites, ¹¹and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord. ¹²Then the Levites ^(I)shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer ^(J)the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites. ¹³And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as ^(K)a wave offering to the Lord.

¹⁴“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and ^(L)the Levites shall be mine. ¹⁵And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a ^(M)wave offering. ¹⁶For they are ^(N)wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. ^(O)Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself. ¹⁷^(P)For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, ¹⁸and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. ¹⁹^(Q)And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and ^(R)to make atonement for the people of Israel, ^(S)that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

²⁰Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people of Israel to the Levites. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the people of Israel did to them. ²¹And ^(T)the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and ^(U)Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²²And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement of the Levites

²³And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴“This applies to the Levites: ^(V)from twenty-five years old and upward they^[a] shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. ²⁵And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. ²⁶They minister^[b] to their brothers in the tent of meeting ^(W)by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.”

The Passover Celebrated

9 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, ^(X)in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ²“Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. ³^(Y)On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” ⁴So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. ⁵And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. ⁶And there were certain men who were ^(Z)unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and ^(AA)they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. ⁷And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the Lord's ^(AB)offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” ⁸And Moses said to them, “Wait, that ^(AC)I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”

⁹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the Lord. ¹¹^(AD)In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. ^(AE)They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ¹²^(AF)They shall leave none of it until the morning, ^(AG)nor break any of its bones; ^(AH)according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. ¹³But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, ^(AI)that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the Lord's ^(AJ)offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. ¹⁴And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. ^(AK)You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.”

The Cloud Covering the Tabernacle

¹⁵^(AL)On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And ^(AM)at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. ¹⁶So it was always: the cloud covered it by day^[c] and the appearance of fire by night. ¹⁷And whenever the cloud ^(AN)lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. ¹⁸At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. ^(AO)As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. ¹⁹Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel ^(AP)kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. ²⁰Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. ²¹And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. ²²Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel ^(AQ)remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. ²³At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. ^(AR)They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.

The Silver Trumpets

10 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for ^(AS)summoning the congregation and for breaking camp. ³And when ^(AT)both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁴But if they blow only one, then ^(AU)the chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. ⁵When you blow an alarm, ^(AV)the camps that are on the east side shall set out. ⁶And when you blow an alarm the second time, ^(AW)the camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. ⁷But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ^(AX)you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not ^(AY)sound an alarm. ⁸^(AZ)And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. ⁹And ^(BA)when you go to war in your land against the adversary who ^(BB)oppresses you, then you shall ^(BC)sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be ^(BD)remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. ¹⁰^(BE)On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and ^(BF)at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be ^(BG)a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”

Israel Leaves Sinai

¹¹In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, ^(BH)the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, ¹²and the people of Israel ^(BI)set out by stages from the ^(BJ)wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the ^(BK)wilderness of Paran. ¹³They set out for the first time ^(BL)at the command of the Lord by Moses. ¹⁴The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out ^(BM)first by their companies, and over their company was ^(BN)Nahshon the son of Amminadab. ¹⁵And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. ¹⁶And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

¹⁷And when ^(BO)the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, ^(BP)who carried the tabernacle, set out. ¹⁸And ^(BQ)the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was ^(BR)Elizur the son of Shedeur. ¹⁹And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was ^(BS)Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. ²⁰And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was ^(BT)Eliasaph the son of ^(BU)Deuel.

²¹Then the Kohathites set out, ^(BV)carrying the holy things, and ^(BW)the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. ²²And ^(BX)the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was ^(BY)Elishama the son of Ammihud. ²³And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was ^(BZ)Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ²⁴And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was ^(CA)Abidan the son of Gideoni.

²⁵Then ^(CB)the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the ^(CC)rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was ^(CD)Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was ^(CE)Pagiel the son of Ochran. ²⁷And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was ^(CF)Ahira the son of Enan. ²⁸^(CG)This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.

²⁹And Moses said to Hobab the son of ^(CH)Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ^(CI)‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for ^(CJ)the Lord has promised good to Israel.” ³⁰But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” ³¹And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve ^(CK)as eyes for us. ³²And if you do go with us, ^(CL)whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

³³So they set out from ^(CM)the mount of the Lord three days' journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out ^(CN)a resting place for them. ³⁴^(CO)And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.

³⁵And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, ^(CP)“Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” ³⁶And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”

The People Complain

11 And ^(CQ)the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, ^(CR)his anger was kindled, and ^(CS)the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. ²Then ^(CT)the people cried out to Moses, ^(CU)and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. ³So the name of that place was called ^(CV)Taberah,^[d] because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

⁴Now the ^(CW)rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also ^(CX)wept again and said, ^(CY)“Oh that we had meat to eat! ⁵^(CZ)We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ⁶But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

⁷Now ^(DA)the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. ⁸^(DB)The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. ^(DC)And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. ⁹^(DD)When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

¹⁰Moses heard the people ^(DE)weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. ¹¹^(DF)Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? ¹²Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ^(DG)‘Carry them in your bosom, as a ^(DH)nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land ^(DI)that you swore to give their fathers? ¹³^(DJ)Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ ¹⁴^(DK)I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Elders Appointed to Aid Moses

¹⁶Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me ^(DL)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and ^(DM)officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. ¹⁷^(DN)And I will come down and talk with you there. And ^(DO)I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and ^(DP)they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. ¹⁸And say to the people, ^(DQ)‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? ^(DR)For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. ¹⁹You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, ²⁰but a whole month, ^(DS)until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ^(DT)“Why did we come out of Egypt?”’” ²¹But Moses said, ^(DU)“The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ ²²^(DV)Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” ²³And the Lord said to Moses, ^(DW)“Is the Lord's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether ^(DX)my word will come true for you or not.”

²⁴So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. ^(DY)And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. ²⁵Then ^(DZ)the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

²⁶Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they ^(EA)had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸And ^(EB)Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, ^(EC)stop them.” ²⁹But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? ^(ED)Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” ³⁰And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Quail and a Plague

³¹Then a ^(EE)wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits^[e] above the ground. ³²And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten ^(EF)homers.^[f] And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. ³³^(EG)While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and ^(EH)the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague. ³⁴Therefore the name of that place was called ^(EI)Kibroth-hattaavah,^[g] because there they buried the people who had the craving. ³⁵^(EJ)From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to ^(EK)Hazeroth, and they remained at ^(EL)Hazeroth.

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. ²And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? ^(EM)Has he not spoken through us also?” And ^(EN)the Lord heard it. ³Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. ⁴And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. ⁵And ^(EO)the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. ⁶And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him ^(EP)in a vision; I speak with him ^(EQ)in a dream. ⁷Not so with ^(ER)my servant Moses. ^(ES)He is faithful in all my house. ⁸With him I speak ^(ET)mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in ^(EU)riddles, and he beholds ^(EV)the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” ⁹And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.

¹⁰When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, ^(EW)Miriam was ^(EX)leprous,^[h] like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. ¹¹And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, ^(EY)do not punish us^[i] because we have done foolishly and have sinned. ¹²Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.” ¹³And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” ¹⁴But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but ^(EZ)spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be ^(FA)shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” ¹⁵So Miriam ^(FB)was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. ¹⁶After that the people set out from ^(FC)Hazeroth, and camped in ^(FD)the wilderness of Paran.