Numbers 7-9

Contemporary English Version

The Leaders Bring Gifts to the Sacred Tent

7 When Moses had finished setting up the sacred tent, he dedicated it to the Lord, together with its furnishings, the altar, and its equipment. ² Then the twelve tribal leaders of Israel, the same men who had been in charge of counting the people,^[a] came to the tent ³ with gifts for the Lord. They brought six strong carts and twelve oxen—one ox from each leader and a cart from every two.

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ⁵ “Accept these gifts, so the Levites can use them here at the sacred tent for carrying the sacred things.”

⁶ Then Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites, ^7-8 who were under the leadership of Ithamar son of Aaron. Moses gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites for their work, and four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites for their work. ⁹ But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were in charge of the sacred objects that had to be carried on their shoulders.

¹⁰ On the day the altar was dedicated, the twelve leaders brought offerings for its dedication. ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to give his offering for the dedication.”

^12-83 So each leader brought the following gifts:

a silver bowl that weighed one and a half kilograms and a silver sprinkling bowl weighing almost a kilogram, both of them filled with flour and olive oil as grain sacrifices and weighed according to the official standards;

a small gold dish filled with incense;

a young bull, a full-grown ram, and a year-old ram as sacrifices to please the Lord;^[b]

a goat^[c] as a sacrifice for sin;

and two bulls, five full-grown rams, five goats, and five rams a year old as sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing.^[d]

The tribal leaders brought their gifts and offerings in the following order:

^84-88 And so when the altar was dedicated to the Lord, these twelve leaders brought the following gifts:

12 silver bowls and 12 silver sprinkling bowls, weighing a total of almost 28 kilograms, according to the official standards;

12 gold dishes filled with incense and weighing over a kilogram;

12 bulls, 12 full-grown rams, and 12 rams a year old as sacrifices to please the Lord, along with the proper grain sacrifices;

12 goats as sacrifices for sin;

and 24 bulls, 60 full-grown rams, 60 goats, and 60 rams a year old as sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing.

⁸⁹ Whenever Moses needed to talk with the Lord, he went into the sacred tent, where he heard the Lord's voice coming from between the two winged creatures above the lid of the sacred chest.

Aaron Puts the Gold Lamps in Place

8 ^(A) The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps on the lampstand so they shine toward the front.”

³ Aaron obeyed and placed the lamps as he was told. ⁴ The lampstand was made of hammered gold from its base to the decorative flowers on top, exactly like the pattern the Lord had described to Moses.

Instructions for Ordaining the Levites

⁵ The Lord said to Moses:

⁶ The Levites must be acceptable to me before they begin working at the sacred tent. So separate them from the rest of the Israelites ⁷ and sprinkle them with the water that washes away their sins. Then have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes.

⁸ They are to bring a bull and its proper grain sacrifice of flour mixed with olive oil. And they must bring a second bull as a sacrifice for sin.

⁹ Then you, Moses, will call together all the people of Israel and send the Levites to my sacred tent, ¹⁰ where the people will place their hands on them. ¹¹ Aaron will present the Levites to me as a gift from the people, so that the Levites will do my work.

¹² After this, the Levites are to place their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one of the bulls for the forgiveness of sin, and the other to make sure that I am pleased. Then the Levites will be acceptable to me. ¹³ They will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will dedicate the Levites to me.

¹⁴ This ceremony will show that the Levites are different from the other Israelites and belong to me in a special way. ¹⁵ After they have been made acceptable and have been dedicated, they will be allowed to work at my sacred tent. ¹⁶ They are mine and will take the place of the first-born Israelite sons. ^17 (B) When I killed the oldest sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the first-born sons in each Israelite family would be mine, as well as every first-born male from their flocks and herds. ¹⁸ But now I have chosen these Levites as substitutes for the first-born sons, ¹⁹ and I have given them as gifts to Aaron and his sons to serve at the sacred tent. I will hold them responsible for what happens to anyone who gets too close to the sacred tent.^[e]

The Levites Are Dedicated to the Lord

²⁰ Moses, Aaron, and the other Israelites made sure that the Levites did everything the Lord had commanded. ²¹ The Levites sprinkled themselves with the water of forgiveness and washed their clothes. Then Aaron brought them to the altar and offered sacrifices to forgive their sins and make them acceptable to the Lord. ²² After this, the Levites worked at the sacred tent as assistants to Aaron and his sons, just as the Lord had commanded.

²³ The Lord also told Moses, ^24-25 “Levites who are between the ages of 25 and 50 must work at my sacred tent. But once they turn 50, they must retire. ²⁶ They may help the other Levites in their duties, but they must no longer be responsible for any work themselves. Remember this when you assign their duties.”

Regulations for Celebrating Passover

9 ^(C) During the first month of Israel's second year in the Sinai Desert,^[f] the Lord had told Moses ² to say to the people, “Celebrate Passover ³ in the evening of the fourteenth day of this month^[g] and do it by following all the regulations.” ^4-5 Moses told the people what the Lord had said, and they celebrated Passover there in the desert in the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month.

⁶ Some people in Israel's camp had touched a dead body and had become unfit to worship the Lord, and they could not celebrate Passover. But they asked Moses and Aaron, ⁷ “Even though we have touched a dead body, why can't we celebrate Passover and offer sacrifices to the Lord at the same time as everyone else?”

⁸ Moses said, “Wait here while I go into the sacred tent and find out what the Lord says about this.”

⁹ The Lord then told Moses ¹⁰ to say to the community of Israel:

If any of you or your descendants touch a dead body and become unfit to worship me, or if you are away on a long journey, you may still celebrate Passover. ¹¹ But it must be done in the second month,^[h] in the evening of the fourteenth day. Eat the Passover lamb with thin bread and bitter herbs, ^12 (D) and don't leave any of it until morning or break any of the animal's bones. Be sure to follow these regulations.

¹³ But if any of you are fit to worship me, and yet refuse to celebrate Passover when you are not away on a journey, you will no longer belong to my people. You will be punished because you did not offer sacrifices to me at the proper time.

¹⁴ Anyone, including foreigners who live among you, can celebrate Passover, if they follow all the regulations.

The Cloud over the Sacred Tent

(Exodus 40.34-38)

^15-16 As soon as the sacred tent was set up,^[i] a thick cloud appeared and covered it. The cloud was there each day, and during the night, a fire could be seen in it. ^17-19 The Lord used this cloud to tell the Israelites when to move their camp and where to set it up again. As long as the cloud covered the tent, the Israelites did not break camp. But when the cloud moved, they followed it, and wherever it stopped, they camped and stayed there, ^20-22 whether it was only one night, a few days, a month, or even a year. As long as the cloud remained over the tent, the Israelites stayed where they were. But when the cloud moved, so did the Israelites. ²³ They obeyed the Lord's commands and went wherever he directed Moses.