Numbers 4:21-7:89

Lexham English Bible

²¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ²² “Take a census^[a] of the descendants^[b] of Gershon also, according to their families^[c] and clans, ²³ from those twenty years old^[d] and above until fifty years old;^[e] you will muster^[f] them, all who come to help to do the work of the tent of assembly. ²⁴ This is the work of the clans of the Gershonites:^[g] to serve and to carry. ²⁵ They will carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of assembly and its covering and the covering of fine leather,^[h] which is on top of it,^[i] and the curtain of the doorway of the tent of assembly, ²⁶ and the curtains of the courtyard, and the covering for the doorway of the gate of the courtyard, which is all around on the tabernacle and altar, and their cords and all the vessels of their work; and all that is done to them they will do. ²⁷ And all the work of the descendants^[j] of the Gershonites^[k] will be at the command^[l] of Aaron and his sons, for all they are to carry and for all their work, and you will appoint to them responsibility for all they are to carry. ²⁸ This is the work of the clan of the descendants^[m] of the Gershonites^[n] in the tent of assembly, and their responsibility lies under the direction^[o] of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

²⁹ “For the descendants^[p] of Merari according to their clans, according to their families,^[q] you will muster^[r] them; ³⁰ from those thirty years old^[s] and above until fifty years old;^[t] you will muster^[u] them, all who come to do the work of the tent of assembly. ³¹ And this is the responsibility of those who are to carry,^[v] all their work in the tent of assembly: the frames of the tabernacle and its bars, pillars, and bases, ³² and the pillars of the courtyard all around, and their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their vessels and for all their work. You will appoint by name the vessels that they are responsible to carry. ³³ This is the work of the clan of the descendants^[w] of Merari, for all their work in the tent of assembly under the direction^[x] of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”

³⁴ And Moses and Aaron mustered the leaders of the community according to the house of their families,^{[y] 35} from those thirty years old^[z] and above until fifty years old;^[aa] everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly, ³⁶ the ones counted^[ab] were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. ³⁷ These were those counted of the clans of the Kohathites,^[ac] everyone who served in the tent of assembly whom Moses and Aaron mustered^[ad] according to the command^[ae] of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.^[af]

³⁸ And the descendants^[ag] of Gershon counted according to their clans and according to their families,^{[ah] 39} from those thirty years old^[ai] and above until fifty years old,^[aj] everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly; ⁴⁰ the ones counted,^[ak] according to their clans, according to their families,^[al] were two thousand six hundred and thirty. ⁴¹ These were those counted of the clans of the descendants^[am] of Gershon, everyone who serves in the tent of assembly whom Moses and Aaron mustered^[an] according to the command^[ao] of Yahweh.

⁴² Those counted of the clans of the descendants^[ap] of Merari according to their clans, according to their families,^{[aq] 43} from those thirty years old^[ar] and above until fifty years old,^[as] everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly, ⁴⁴ the ones counted,^[at] according to their clans, were three thousand two hundred. ⁴⁵ These were those counted of the clans of the descendants^[au] of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron mustered^[av] according to the command^[aw] of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.^[ax]

⁴⁶ All those counted of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and all the leaders of Israel mustered^[ay] according to their clans, according to their families,^{[az] 47} from those thirty years old^[ba] and above until fifty years old,^[bb] everyone who comes to the service to do the work of the service carrying in the tent of assembly, ⁴⁸ the ones counted^[bc] were eighty thousand five hundred and eighty. ⁴⁹ According to the command^[bd] of Yahweh by the hand of Moses^[be] they were mustered,^[bf] each man according to his service and according to their^[bg] service and according to their^[bh] burden; and so they were counted by him just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Rules Concerning Those Unclean

5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Command the Israelites:^[bi] they must send everyone from the camp who is afflicted with a rash,^[bj] everyone with a fluid discharge, and everyone unclean through contact with a corpse. ³ You will send away both male and female;^[bk] you will send them outside the camp.^[bl] They must not make unclean their camps where I am dwelling in their midst.” ⁴ So the Israelites^[bm] did so. They sent them away outside the camp;^[bn] just as Yahweh spoke to Moses, so did the Israelites.^[bo]

Rules of Restitution

⁵ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶ “Speak to the Israelites:^[bp] ‘When a man or woman commits^[bq] any of the sins of humankind by acting unfaithfully, it is a sin against Yahweh, and that person will be guilty; ⁷ they will confess their sin that they did and will make restitution for their^[br] guilt by adding a fifth to it^[bs] and giving it to whomever was wronged.^{[bt] 8} But if the man does not have a redeemer to make restitution to him for the reparation, the reparation is to be given to Yahweh for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement by which atonement is made for him. ⁹ And every contribution of all the holy objects of the Israelites^[bu] that they bring to the priest for him will be his. ¹⁰ The holy objects of a man will be for him;^[bv] whatever he gives to the priest will be for him.’”

Rules Concerning an Unfaithful Wife

¹¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “Speak to the Israelites^[bw] and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and acts unfaithfully to him, ¹³ and a man sleeps with her and ejaculates and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and she is concealed, although she is defiled, and there is no witness against her and she was not caught, ¹⁴ if a spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife and she is defiled; or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife but she is not defiled, ¹⁵ he will bring his wife to the priest. And he will bring her offering for her, one-tenth of an ephah of flour. He will not pour oil on it, and he will not put frankincense on it because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembering,^[bx] a reminding of guilt.

¹⁶ “‘Then the priest will bring her near and present her before^[by] Yahweh; ¹⁷ the priest will take holy waters in a clay vessel, and from the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and the priest will put it into the waters. ¹⁸ And the priest will present the woman before^[bz] Yahweh, and he will uncover the head of the woman; he will then put in her hands the grain offering of the remembering—which is the grain offering of jealousy—and in the hand of the priest will be the waters of bitterness that brings a curse. ¹⁹ Then the priest will make her swear an oath, and he will say to the woman, “If a man has not slept with you, and if you have not had an impurity affair under your husband, go unpunished from the waters of bitterness that brings this curse. ²⁰ But if you have had an affair under your husband, and if you are defiled and a man other than your husband had intercourse with you,” ²¹ the priest will make the woman swear an oath of the sworn oath of the curse, the priest will say to the woman, “May Yahweh give you a curse and a sworn oath in the midst of your people with Yahweh making^[ca] your hip fall away^[cb] and your stomach swollen; ²² and these waters that bring a curse will go into your intestines to cause your womb to swell and to make your hip fall away.”^[cc] And the women will say, “Amen. Amen.”

²³ “‘And the priests will write these curses on the scroll, and he will wipe them off into the waters of the bitterness. ²⁴ He will make the woman drink the waters of the bitterness that brings^[cd] a curse, and the waters of bitterness that bring a curse will go into her. ²⁵ The priest will take the grain offering of jealousy from the hand of the woman, and he will wave the grain offering before Yahweh,^[ce] and he will present it to the altar; ²⁶ the priest will grasp her memorial offering from the grain offering, and he will turn it into smoke on the altar, and afterward he will make the woman drink the waters. ²⁷ When he has made her drink the waters, it will come about, if she has defiled herself and acted unfaithfully to her husband and the waters of bitterness that bring a curse go into her and her stomach swells and her hip falls away,^[cf] the woman will be as a curse in the midst of her people. ²⁸ And if the woman is not defiled, and she is pure, she will go unpunished and be able to conceive children.

²⁹ “‘This is the regulation of jealousy, when a woman has an affair under her husband and she is defiled, ³⁰ or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife, he will present the woman before Yahweh,^[cg]and the priest will do to her all of this law. ³¹ The man will go unpunished from guilt, and the woman, she will bear her guilt.’”

Rules Concerning Nazirites

6 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites^[ch] and say to them, ‘When a man or a woman takes a special vow, a vow of a Nazirite,^[ci] to keep separate for Yahweh, ³ he will abstain from wine and fermented drink; he will not drink wine vinegar or vinegar of fermented drink; he will not drink the fruit juice of grapes or eat fresh or dry grapes. ⁴ All the days of his separation^[cj] you will not eat from anything that is made from the grapevine, from sour grapes to the skin of grapes.

⁵ “‘All the days of the vow of his separation a razor will not pass over his head. Until fulfilling the days that he separated himself to Yahweh he will be holy and grow long the locks of the hair of his head.

⁶ “‘All the days of keeping himself separated for Yahweh he will not go to a person who is dead; ⁷ for even his father, mother, brother, or sister he will not make himself unclean by their death,^[ck] because the separation to his God is on his head. ⁸ He will be holy for Yahweh all the days of his separation.^[cl]

⁹ “‘If someone dies suddenly and makes the head of his separation^[cm] unclean, he will shave off the hair of his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he will shave it off. ¹⁰ On the eighth day he will bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons^[cn] to the priest by the doorway of the tent of assembly, ¹¹ and the priest will offer one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering, and he will make atonement for him because he sinned concerning the corpse. He will consecrate his head on that day. ¹² He will rededicate to Yahweh the days of his separation^[co] and bring a ram-lamb in its first year^[cp] as a guilt offering. The former days of his vow will fall away because his separation was defiled.

¹³ “‘This is the regulation of the Nazirite for the day of the fulfilling of the days of his separation: one will bring him to the doorway of the tent of the assembly. ¹⁴ He will present his offering to Yahweh, one ram-lamb in its first year^[cq] without defect as a burnt offering, and one ewe-lamb in its first year^[cr] without defect as a sin offering, and one ram without defect as a fellowship offering; ¹⁵ and a basket of unleavened bread, finely milled flour of ring-shaped bread cakes mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their libations. ¹⁶ The priest will present before Yahweh^[cs] and offer his sin offering, his burnt offering; ¹⁷ he will offer a ram as a sacrifice of a fellowship offering to Yahweh, in addition to the basket of the unleavened bread; the priest will offer his grain offering and his libation. ¹⁸ The Nazirite will shave off the hair of his consecrated head^[ct] at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and he will take the hair of his consecrated head,^[cu] and he will put it on the fire that is beneath the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. ¹⁹ The priest will take the shoulder from the ram that is boiled, and one ring-shaped bread cake of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and he will put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head.^{[cv] 20} The priest will wave them as a wave offering before the presence of^[cw] Yahweh; they^[cx] are a holy object to the priest, in addition to the breast section of the wave offering, and in addition to the upper thigh of the contribution; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.

²¹ “‘This is the regulation of the Nazirite who has made a vow of his offering to Yahweh according to his separation, in addition to what he can afford.^[cy] In accordance to the word of his vow that he vowed, he will do, concerning the instruction of his separation.’”

The Priestly Blessing

²² Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘You will bless the Israelites:^[cz] You will say to them:

²⁷ And they will put my name on the Israelites,^[da] and I will bless them.”

The Leaders Make Offerings

7 On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle and appointed and consecrated it and all its vessels, and the altar and its vessels, and he appointed them and consecrated them, ² the leaders of Israel, the heads of the families,^[db] presented an offering; they were the leaders of the tribes and were the ones in charge of the counting. ³ They brought their offering before the presence of^[dc] Yahweh, six covered utility carts and twelve cattle, a utility cart for two of the leaders, and a bull for each; and they presented them before^[dd] the tabernacle. ⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, saying, ⁵ “Take them,^[de] and they will be used to do the work of the tent of the assembly; and you will give them to the Levites, each according to his required service.”^{[df] 6} So Moses took the utility carts and the cattle, and he gave them to the Levites. ⁷ Two utility carts and four cattle he gave to the descendants^[dg] of Gershon according to their required service;^{[dh] 8} and four utility carts and eight cattle he gave to the descendants^[di] of Merari according to their required service,^[dj] under the authority of^[dk] Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. ⁹ But to the descendants^[dl] of Kohath he did not give anything because the work of the sanctuary they carried upon them on their shoulders.^[dm]

¹⁰ The leaders presented offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day of its anointing, and the leaders presented their offerings before^[dn] the altar. ¹¹ Yahweh said to Moses, “One leader for each day^[do] will present their offering for the dedication of the altar.”

¹² And it happened, the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah. ¹³ His offering was one plate of silver—its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[dp] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ¹⁴ one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; ¹⁵ one young bull,^[dq] one ram, one male lamb in its first year^[dr] as a burnt offering; ¹⁶ one he-goat as a sin offering; ¹⁷ and as a sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs a year old.^[ds] This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

¹⁸ On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering. ¹⁹ He presented as his offering one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking wine weighing seventy shekels^[dt] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[du] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering. ²⁰ One dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; ²¹ one young ^[dv] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[dw] as a burnt offering; ²² one he-goat as a sin offering; ²³ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[dx] This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

²⁴ On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the descendants^[dy] of Zebulun: ²⁵ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking wine weighing seventy shekels^[dz] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[ea] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ²⁶ one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[eb] filled with incense; ²⁷ one young^[ec] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[ed] as a burnt offering; ²⁸ one he-goat as a sin offering; ²⁹ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[ee] This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

³⁰ On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the descendants^[ef] of Reuben: ³¹ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^[eg] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[eh] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ³² one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[ei] filled with incense; ³³ one young^[ej] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[ek] as a burnt offering; ³⁴ one he-goat as a sin offering; ³⁵ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[el] This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

³⁶ On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the descendants^[em] of Simeon: ³⁷ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^[en] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[eo] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ³⁸ one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[ep] filled with incense; ³⁹ one young^[eq] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[er] as a burnt offering; ⁴⁰ one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁴¹ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[es] This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

⁴² On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the descendants^[et] of Gad: ⁴³ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^[eu] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[ev] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁴⁴ one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[ew] filled with incense; ⁴⁵ one young^[ex] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[ey] as a burnt offering; ⁴⁶ one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁴⁷ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[ez] This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

⁴⁸ On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the descendants^[fa] of Ephraim: ⁴⁹ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^[fb] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[fc] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁵⁰ one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[fd] filled with incense; ⁵¹ one young^[fe] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[ff] as a burnt offering; ⁵² one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁵³ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[fg] This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴ On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the descendants^[fh] of Manasseh: ⁵⁵ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[fi] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁵⁶ one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[fj] filled with incense; ⁵⁷ one young^[fk] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[fl] as a burnt offering; ⁵⁸ one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁵⁹ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[fm] This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰ On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the descendants^[fn] of Benjamin: ⁶¹ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^[fo] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[fp] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁶² one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[fq] filled with incense; ⁶³ one young^[fr] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[fs] as a burnt offering; ⁶⁴ one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁶⁵ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[ft] This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶ On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the descendants^[fu] of Dan: ⁶⁷ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^[fv] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[fw] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁶⁸ one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[fx] filled with incense; ⁶⁹ one young^[fy] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[fz] as a burnt offering; ⁷⁰ one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁷¹ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[ga] This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

⁷² On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, leader of the descendants^[gb] of Asher: ⁷³ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^[gc] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[gd] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁷⁴ one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[ge] filled with incense; ⁷⁵ one young^[gf] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[gg] as a burnt offering; ⁷⁶ one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁷⁷ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[gh] This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.

⁷⁸ On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, leader of the descendants^[gi] of Naphtali: ⁷⁹ his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^[gj] according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^[gk] filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁸⁰ one golden dish weighing ten shekels^[gl] filled with incense; ⁸¹ one young^[gm] bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^[gn] as a burnt offering; ⁸² one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁸³ and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^[go] This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

⁸⁴ This was the dedication of the altar on the day of anointing it, from the leaders of Israel: twelve silver plates, twelve silver bowls for drinking wine, twelve golden dishes; ⁸⁵ each plate of silver weighed one hundred and thirty shekels, and each bowl for drinking seventy, all the silver of the vessels two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel; ⁸⁶ the twelve golden dishes filled with incense, each dish weighing ten shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, all the gold of the dishes one hundred and twenty; ⁸⁷ all the cattle for the burnt offering twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve male lambs in their first year,^[gp] and their grain offering; and twelve he-goats as a sin offering; ⁸⁸ and all the cattle of the sacrifice of the fellowship offering twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty he-goats, sixty male lambs in their first year.^[gq] These were the dedication of the altar after its anointing.

⁸⁹ And when Moses came to the tent of assembly to speak with him,^[gr] he would hear the voice speaking to him from the atonement cover,^[gs] which is on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, and he would speak to him.