Numbers 5-8

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 5

The Unclean Expelled. ¹ The Lord said to Moses: ² Order the Israelites to expel from camp everyone with a scaly infection, and everyone suffering from a discharge, and everyone who has become unclean by contact with a corpse.^{[a](A) 3} Male and female alike, you shall expel them. You shall expel them from the camp so that they do not defile their camp, where I dwell in their midst.^{(B) 4} This the Israelites did, expelling them from the camp; just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.

Unjust Possession.^{[b] 5} The Lord said to Moses: ^6 (C)Tell the Israelites: If a man or a woman commits any offense against another person, thus breaking faith with the Lord, and thereby becomes guilty, ⁷ that person shall confess the wrong that has been done, make restitution in full, and in addition give one fifth of its value to the one that has been wronged. ⁸ However, if there is no next of kin,^[c] one to whom restitution can be made, the restitution shall be made to the Lord and shall fall to the priest; this is apart from the ram of atonement with which the priest makes atonement for the guilty individual. ⁹ Likewise, every contribution among the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to the priest will belong to him.^{(D) 10} Each shall possess his own sacred offerings; what is given to a priest shall be his.^(E)

Ordeal for Suspected Adultery. ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses: ¹² Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If a man’s wife goes astray and becomes unfaithful to him ¹³ by virtue of a man having intercourse with her^(F) in secret from her husband and she is able to conceal the fact that she has defiled herself for lack of a witness who might have caught her in the act; ¹⁴ or if a man is overcome by a feeling of jealousy that makes him suspect his wife, and she has defiled herself; or if a man is overcome by a feeling of jealousy that makes him suspect his wife and she has not defiled herself— ¹⁵ then the man shall bring his wife to the priest as well as an offering on her behalf, a tenth of an ephah^[d] of barley meal. However, he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense over it, since it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance which recalls wrongdoing.

¹⁶ The priest shall first have the woman come forward and stand before the Lord. ¹⁷ In an earthen vessel he shall take holy water,^[e] as well as some dust from the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.^{(G) 18} Making the woman stand before the Lord, the priest shall uncover her head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, that is, the grain offering of jealousy, while he himself shall hold the water of bitterness that brings a curse. ¹⁹ Then the priest shall adjure the woman, saying to her, “If no other man has had intercourse with you, and you have not gone astray by defiling yourself while under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse. ²⁰ But if you have gone astray while under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you”— ²¹ so shall the priest adjure the woman with this imprecation—“may the Lord make you a curse and malediction^[f] among your people by causing your uterus to fall and your belly to swell! ²² May this water, then, that brings a curse, enter your bowels to make your belly swell and your uterus fall!”^(H) And the woman shall say, “Amen, amen!”^{[g] 23} The priest shall put these curses in writing and shall then wash them off into the water of bitterness, ²⁴ and he will have the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, so that the water that brings a curse may enter into her to her bitter hurt. ²⁵ But first the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, and having elevated the grain offering before the Lord, shall bring it to the altar, ²⁶ where he shall take a handful of the grain offering as a token offering and burn it on the altar.^(I) Only then shall he have the woman drink the water. ²⁷ Once he has had her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter into her to her bitter hurt, and her belly will swell and her uterus will fall, so that she will become a curse among her people. ²⁸ If, however, the woman has not defiled herself, but is still pure, she will be immune and will still be fertile.

²⁹ This, then, is the ritual for jealousy when a woman goes astray while under the authority of her husband and defiles herself, ³⁰ or when such a feeling of jealousy comes over a man that he becomes suspicious of his wife; he shall have her stand before the Lord, and the priest shall perform this entire ritual for her. ³¹ The man shall be free from punishment,^[h] but the woman shall bear her punishment.

Chapter 6

Laws Concerning Nazirites. ¹ The Lord said to Moses: ² Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When men or women solemnly take the nazirite^[i] vow to dedicate themselves to the Lord, ³ they shall abstain from wine and strong drink;^(J) they may neither drink wine vinegar, other vinegar, or any kind of grape juice, nor eat either fresh or dried grapes. ⁴ As long as they are nazirites they shall not eat anything of the produce of the grapevine; not even the seeds or the skins. ⁵ While they are under the nazirite vow, no razor shall touch their hair.^(K) Until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over, they shall be holy, letting the hair of their heads grow freely. ⁶ As long as they are dedicated to the Lord, they shall not come near a dead person.^{(L) 7} Not even for their father or mother, sister or brother, should they defile themselves, when these die, since their heads bear their dedication to God. ⁸ As long as they are nazirites they are holy to the Lord.

⁹ If someone dies very suddenly in their presence, defiling their dedicated heads, they shall shave their heads on the day of their purification, that is, on the seventh day. ¹⁰ On the eighth day they shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ¹¹ The priest shall offer up the one as a purification offering and the other as a burnt offering, thus making atonement for them for the sin they committed with respect to the corpse. On the same day they shall reconsecrate their heads ¹² and rededicate themselves to the Lord for the period of their dedication, bringing a yearling lamb as a reparation offering. The previous period is not valid, because they defiled their dedicated heads.

¹³ This is the ritual for the nazirites:^(M) When the period of their dedication is complete they shall go to the entrance of the tent of meeting, ¹⁴ bringing their offerings to the Lord, one unblemished yearling lamb for a burnt offering, one unblemished yearling ewe lamb for a purification offering, one unblemished ram as a communion offering, ¹⁵ and a basket of unleavened cakes of bran flour mixed with oil and of unleavened wafers spread with oil, along with their grain offerings and libations. ¹⁶ The priest shall present them before the Lord, and shall offer up the purification offering and the burnt offering for them. ¹⁷ He shall then offer up the ram as a communion sacrifice to the Lord, along with the basket of unleavened cakes, and the priest will offer the grain offering and libation. ¹⁸ Then at the entrance of the tent of meeting the nazirite shall shave his or her dedicated head, take the hair of the dedicated head, and put it in the fire under the communion sacrifice. ¹⁹ After the nazirite has shaved off the dedicated hair, the priest shall take a boiled shoulder of the ram, as well as one unleavened cake from the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them in the hands of the nazirite. ²⁰ The priest shall then elevate them as an elevated offering before the Lord. They are an offering belonging to the priest, along with the brisket of the elevated offering and the leg of the contribution. Only after this may the nazirite drink wine.

²¹ This, then, is the law for the nazirites, that is, what they vow as their offering to the Lord in accord with their dedication, apart from anything else which their means may allow. In keeping with the vow they take so shall they do, according to the law of their dedication.

The Priestly Blessing. ²² The Lord said to Moses: ²³ Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁷ So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Chapter 7

Offerings of the Tribal Leaders. ¹ Now, when Moses had completed the erection of the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it with all its equipment,^(N) as well as the altar with all its equipment. After he anointed and consecrated them, ² an offering was made by the tribal leaders of Israel, who were heads of ancestral houses, the same leaders of the tribes who supervised those enrolled. ³ The offering they brought before the Lord consisted of six wagons for baggage and twelve oxen, that is, a wagon for every two tribal leaders, and an ox for each. These they presented before the tabernacle.

⁴ The Lord then said to Moses: ⁵ Accept their offering, that these things may be put to use to maintain the tent of meeting. Assign them to the Levites, to each according to his duties. ⁶ So Moses accepted the wagons and oxen, and assigned them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites^(O) according to their duties, ⁸ and four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites according to their duties, under the supervision of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. ⁹ He gave none to the Kohathites, because they were responsible for maintenance of the sacred objects that had to be carried on their shoulders.^(P)

¹⁰ For the dedication of the altar also, the tribal leaders brought offerings when it was anointed;^(Q) the leaders presented their offering before the altar. ¹¹ But the Lord said to Moses: Let one leader each day present his offering for the dedication of the altar.

^12 [k]The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon, son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah. ¹³ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ¹⁴ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ¹⁵ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ¹⁶ one goat for a purification offering; ¹⁷ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Nahshon, son of Amminadab.

¹⁸ On the second day Nethanel, son of Zuar, tribal leader of Issachar, made his offering. ¹⁹ He presented as his offering one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ²⁰ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ²¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ²² one goat for a purification offering; ²³ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Nethanel, son of Zuar.

²⁴ On the third day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Zebulunites, Eliab, son of Helon. ²⁵ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ²⁶ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ²⁷ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ²⁸ one goat for a purification offering; ²⁹ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliab, son of Helon.

³⁰ On the fourth day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Reubenites, Elizur, son of Shedeur. ³¹ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ³² one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ³³ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ³⁴ one goat for a purification offering; ³⁵ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Elizur, son of Shedeur.

³⁶ On the fifth day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Simeonites, Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai. ³⁷ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ³⁸ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ³⁹ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ⁴⁰ one goat for a purification offering; ⁴¹ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai.

⁴² On the sixth day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Gadites, Eliasaph, son of Reuel. ⁴³ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁴⁴ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ⁴⁵ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ⁴⁶ one goat for a purification offering; ⁴⁷ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliasaph, son of Reuel.

⁴⁸ On the seventh day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Ephraimites, Elishama, son of Ammihud. ⁴⁹ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁵⁰ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ⁵¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ⁵² one goat for a purification offering; ⁵³ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Elishama, son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴ On the eighth day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Manassites, Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur. ⁵⁵ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁵⁶ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ⁵⁷ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ⁵⁸ one goat for a purification offering; ⁵⁹ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰ On the ninth day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Benjaminites, Abidan, son of Gideoni. ⁶¹ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁶² one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ⁶³ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ⁶⁴ one goat for a purification offering; ⁶⁵ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Abidan, son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶ On the tenth day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Danites, Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai. ⁶⁷ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁶⁸ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ⁶⁹ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ⁷⁰ one goat for a purification offering; ⁷¹ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai.

⁷² On the eleventh day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Asherites, Pagiel, son of Ochran. ⁷³ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing one hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁷⁴ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ⁷⁵ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ⁷⁶ one goat for a purification offering; ⁷⁷ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Pagiel, son of Ochran.

⁷⁸ On the twelfth day it was the turn of the tribal leader of the Naphtalites, Ahira, son of Enan. ⁷⁹ His offering consisted of one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both filled with bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁸⁰ one gold cup of ten shekels’ weight filled with incense; ⁸¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, and one yearling lamb for a burnt offering; ⁸² one goat for a purification offering; ⁸³ and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs for a communion sacrifice. This was the offering of Ahira, son of Enan.

⁸⁴ These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar, given by the tribal leaders of Israel on the occasion of its anointing: twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, and twelve gold cups. ⁸⁵ Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each silver basin seventy, so that all the silver of these vessels amounted to two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. ⁸⁶ The twelve gold cups that were filled with incense weighed ten shekels apiece, according to the sanctuary shekel, so that all the gold of the cups amounted to one hundred and twenty shekels. ⁸⁷ The animals for the burnt offerings were, in all, twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve yearling lambs, with their grain offerings; those for the purification offerings were twelve goats. ⁸⁸ The animals for the communion sacrifices were, in all, twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty he-goats, and sixty yearling lambs. These, then, were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

The Voice. ⁸⁹ When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with God, he heard the voice addressing him from above the cover^(R) on the ark of the covenant, from between the two cherubim; and so it spoke to him.

Chapter 8

The Menorah. ¹ The Lord said to Moses: ² Speak to Aaron and say: “When you set up the menorah-lamps,^(S) have the seven lamps throw their light in front of the menorah.”^{[l] 3} Aaron did so, setting up the menorah-lamps to face the area in front of the menorah, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴ This is the construction of the menorah: hammered gold,^(T) from its base to its bowls^[m] it was hammered; according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the menorah.

Purification of the Levites. ⁵ The Lord said to Moses: ⁶ Take the Levites from among the Israelites and cleanse them.^{[n] 7} This is what you shall do to them to cleanse them. Sprinkle them with the water of purification, have them shave their whole bodies and wash their garments, and so cleanse themselves. ⁸ Then they shall take a bull from the herd, along with its grain offering of bran flour mixed with oil; and you shall take another bull from the herd for a purification offering. ⁹ Bringing the Levites before the tent of meeting, you shall assemble also the whole community of the Israelites. ¹⁰ When you have brought the Levites before the Lord, the Israelites shall lay their hands upon them. ¹¹ Aaron shall then present the Levites before the Lord as an elevated offering from the Israelites, that they may perform the service of the Lord. ¹² The Levites in turn shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offering one as a purification offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. ¹³ Then you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you shall present them as an elevated offering to the Lord; ¹⁴ thus you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites shall belong to me.^(U)

¹⁵ Only then shall the Levites enter upon their service in the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and presented them as an elevated offering. ¹⁶ For they, among the Israelites, are totally dedicated to me; I have taken them for myself in place of everyone that opens the womb, the firstborn of all the Israelites.^{(V) 17} Indeed, all the firstborn among the Israelites, human being and beast alike, belong to me; I consecrated them to myself on the day I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.^{(W) 18} But I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn Israelites; ¹⁹ and from among the Israelites I have given to Aaron and his sons these Levites, who are to be dedicated,^(X) to perform the service of the Israelites in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for them, so that no plague may strike among the Israelites should they come too near the sanctuary.

²⁰ This, then, is what Moses and Aaron and the whole community of the Israelites did with respect to the Levites; the Israelites did exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning them. ²¹ When the Levites had purified themselves^[o] and washed their garments, Aaron presented them as an elevated offering before the Lord, and made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²² Only then did they enter upon their service in the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. Exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so it was done with regard to them.

Age Limits for Levitical Service. ²³ The Lord said to Moses: ²⁴ This is the rule for the Levites. Everyone twenty-five years old or more shall join the personnel in the service of the tent of meeting.^{(Y) 25} But everyone fifty on up shall retire from the work force and serve no more. ²⁶ They shall assist their fellow Levites in the tent of meeting in performing their duties, but they shall not do the work. This, then, is how you are to regulate the duties of the Levites.