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The Festival of Shelters

(Numbers 29.12-40)

33 (A) The Lord told Moses 34 to say to the community of Israel:

Beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,[a] and continuing for seven days, everyone must celebrate the Festival of Shelters in honor of me. 35 No one is to do any work on the first day of the festival—it is a time when everyone must come together for worship. 36 For seven days, sacrifices must be offered on the altar. The eighth day is also to be a day of complete rest, as well as a time of offering sacrifices on the altar and of coming together for worship.

37 I have chosen these festivals as times when my people must come together for worship and when animals, grain, and wine are to be offered on the proper days. 38 These festivals must be celebrated in addition to the Sabbaths and the times when you offer special gifts or sacrifices to keep a promise or as a voluntary offering.

39 Remember to begin the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the seventh month after you have harvested your crops. Celebrate this festival for seven days in honor of me and don't do any work on the first day or on the day following the festival. 40 Pick the best fruit from your trees[b] and cut leafy branches to use during the time of this joyous celebration in my honor. 41 I command you and all of your descendants to celebrate this festival during the seventh month of each year. 42 For seven days every Israelite must live in a shelter, 43 so future generations will know that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

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Footnotes

  1. 23.34 seventh month: See the note at 16.29.
  2. 23.40 best fruit from your trees: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

The Festival of Tabernacles(A)

33 The Lord said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh(B) month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles(C) begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly;(D) do no regular work.(E) 36 For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly(F) and present a food offering to the Lord.(G) It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

37 (“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings(H) required for each day. 38 These offerings(I) are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths(J) and[a] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings(K) you give to the Lord.)

39 “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival(L) to the Lord for seven days;(M) the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40 On the first day you are to take branches(N) from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees(O)—and rejoice(P) before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in temporary shelters(Q) for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know(R) that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 23:38 Or These festivals are in addition to the Lord’s Sabbaths, and these offerings are