Numbers 8-12

Names of God Bible

The Lamp Stand in the Tent

8 Yahweh said to Moses, ² “Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you set up the seven lamps on the lamp stand, they should light up the area in front of it.”

³ So Aaron set up the lamps on the lamp stand to light up the area in front of it, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

⁴ This is how the lamp stand was made: The whole lamp stand, from top to bottom, was hammered out of gold. It was made exactly like the one Yahweh had shown Moses.

The Levites Are Made Ready to Do the Lord’s Work

⁵ Yahweh said to Moses, ⁶ “Separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and make them clean.^{[a] 7} This is what you must do to make them clean: Sprinkle them with water to take away their sins. Make them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. Then they will be clean. ⁸ Next, they must take a young bull and the grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil that is offered with it. You must take a second young bull as an offering for sin. ⁹ Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting, and assemble the whole community of Israel. ¹⁰ Then bring the Levites into Yahweh’s presence, and the Israelites will place their hands on them. ¹¹ Aaron will present the Levites to Yahweh as an offering from the Israelites. Then they will be ready to do Yahweh’s work.

¹² “The Levites will place their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Sacrifice one of them as an offering for sin and the other one as a burnt offering to Yahweh. These sacrifices will make peace with the Lord for the Levites. ¹³ Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and present them as an offering to Yahweh. ¹⁴ In this way you will separate the Levites from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.

¹⁵ “Once you have made them clean and presented them as an offering, the Levites may come and do their work at the tent of meeting. ¹⁶ They will be the only Israelites given to me. I have taken them to be mine as substitutes for every firstborn male offspring of the Israelites. ¹⁷ Every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. The day I killed every firstborn male in Egypt, I set them apart as holy to me. ¹⁸ So I have taken the Levites as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the Israelites. ¹⁹ The Levites will be the only Israelites I give to Aaron and his sons. They will work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting. They will make peace with the Lord for the Israelites. Then no plague will strike the Israelites when they come near the holy place.”

²⁰ Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel did what Yahweh commanded Moses to do to the Levites. ²¹ The Levites performed the ceremonies to take away their sins and washed their clothes. Aaron presented them as an offering to Yahweh and made peace with the Lord for them in order to make them clean. ²² After that, the Levites came and did their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. They did as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

²³ Yahweh said to Moses, ²⁴ “These are the instructions for the Levites: Men 25 years old or older are eligible to serve at the tent of meeting. ²⁵ But when they’re 50 years old, they must retire from active service and not work anymore. ²⁶ They may assist the other Levites in their duties at the tent of meeting, but they may not do any regular work. This is how you will handle the Levites’ duties.”

The Second Passover

9 In the first month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt, Yahweh spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai. He said, ² “The Israelites must celebrate the Passover at the same time every year. ³ You must celebrate it on the fourteenth day of this month at dusk. Follow all the rules and regulations for the celebration of the Passover.”

⁴ So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, ⁵ and they celebrated it on the fourteenth day of the first month at dusk while they were in the Desert of Sinai. The Israelites did everything as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

⁶ But there were some men who had become unclean^[b] from touching a dead body, and they couldn’t celebrate the Passover that day. They came to Moses and Aaron ⁷ and said, “We are unclean because we touched a dead body. Why won’t you let us bring our offerings to Yahweh at the same time the rest of the Israelites bring their offerings?”

⁸ Moses answered them, “Wait here until I find out what Yahweh commands you to do.”

⁹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites: ¹⁰ Suppose you or any of your descendants is unclean from touching a dead body or is away on a long trip. You may still celebrate the Passover. ¹¹ You will celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at dusk. You must eat the Passover animal along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ¹² You must never leave any of the meat until morning or break any of the animal’s bones. You must follow all the rules for the Passover when you celebrate it. ¹³ But if you are clean^[c] and not on a trip and yet don’t bother to celebrate the Passover, you must be excluded from the people. You didn’t bring your offering to Yahweh at the right time. You must suffer the consequences for your sin.

¹⁴ “Foreigners living with you may want to celebrate Yahweh’s Passover. They must follow these same rules and regulations. The same rules will apply to foreigners and native-born Israelites.”

The Column of Smoke Leads Israel through the Desert

¹⁵ On the day the tent of the words of God’s promise was set up, the column of smoke covered it. From evening until morning, the smoke over the tent glowed like fire. ¹⁶ The smoke always glowed this way. At night the smoke covering the tent glowed like fire. ¹⁷ Whenever the smoke moved from the tent, the Israelites would break camp, and wherever it stopped, the Israelites would set up camp. ¹⁸ At Yahweh’s command the Israelites would break camp, and at his command they would set up camp. As long as the column of smoke stayed over the tent, they would stay in the same place. ¹⁹ When the smoke stayed over the tent for a long time, the Israelites obeyed Yahweh’s command and wouldn’t break camp. ²⁰ The same thing happened when the smoke stayed only a few days over the tent: At Yahweh’s command they would set up camp, and at Yahweh’s command they would break camp. ²¹ Sometimes the column of smoke stayed only from evening until morning. When the smoke moved in the morning, they broke camp. Day or night, when the smoke moved, they broke camp. ²² Whether it was two days, a month, or a year, as long as the column of smoke stayed over the tent, the Israelites would stay in the same place and not break camp. But when the smoke moved, they would break camp. ²³ At Yahweh’s command they set up camp, and at his command they broke camp. They obeyed the command that Yahweh had given through Moses.

Two Silver Signal Trumpets

10 Yahweh said to Moses, ² “Make two trumpets out of hammered silver. Use them to call the community together and as a signal to break camp. ³ When you blow both trumpets, the whole community will meet with you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁴ If only one trumpet blows, the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, will meet with you. ⁵ When they hear the trumpet fanfare, the tribes that are camped on the east side will break camp first. ⁶ When the trumpets sound a second fanfare, the tribes that are camped on the south will break camp. The fanfare is the signal to break camp. ⁷ But when you gather the assembly, the trumpets will blow without sounding a fanfare. ⁸ The sons of Aaron, the priests, will blow the trumpets. This will be a permanent law for you and your descendants.

⁹ “When you go to war in your own country against an enemy who is oppressing you, the trumpets will sound a fanfare. Then Yahweh your Elohim will remember you and rescue you from your enemies. ¹⁰ Also, on your festival days and on the first day of the month, blow the trumpets when you sacrifice your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The trumpets will be a reminder for you in Elohim’s presence. I am Yahweh your Elohim.”

Israel Leaves Mount Sinai

¹¹ On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the column of smoke left the tent of the words of God’s promise. ¹² So the Israelites moved from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the column of smoke stopped in the Desert of Paran.

¹³ This was the first time they moved, following the command that Yahweh had given through Moses. ¹⁴ With their flag in front, the armies led by Judah’s descendants broke camp first. Nahshon, son of Amminadab, was in command. ¹⁵ Nethanel, son of Zuar, commanded the army of Issachar. ¹⁶ Eliab, son of Helon, commanded the army of Zebulun. ¹⁷ Then the tent of meeting was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, broke camp.

¹⁸ With their flag in front, the armies led by Reuben’s descendants broke camp next. Elizur, son of Shedeur, was in command. ¹⁹ Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, commanded the army of Simeon. ²⁰ Eliasaph, son of Deuel, commanded the army of Gad. ²¹ Then the Kohathites, who carried the holy things, broke camp. By the time they arrived, the tent of meeting would already be set up.

²² With their flag in front, the armies led by Ephraim’s descendants broke camp next. Elisha, son of Ammihud, was in command. ²³ Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, commanded the army of Manasseh. ²⁴ Abidan, son of Gideoni, commanded the army of Benjamin.

²⁵ As a rear guard for the whole camp, the armies led by Dan’s descendants broke camp last with their flag in front. Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, was in command. ²⁶ Pagiel, son of Ochran, commanded the army of Asher. ²⁷ Ahira, son of Enan, commanded the army of Naphtali.

²⁸ This was the order in which the Israelite armies broke camp when they went from place to place.

²⁹ Moses said to his brother-in-law Hobab, son of Reuel the Midianite, “We are going to the place Yahweh promised to give us. Come with us. We will be good to you, because Yahweh has promised good things to Israel.”

³⁰ Hobab answered, “No, I won’t go. I want to go back to my own country where my relatives are.”

³¹ But Moses said, “Please don’t leave us. You know where we can set up camp in the desert, and you could be our guide. ³² If you come with us, we will share with you all the good things Yahweh gives us.”

³³ So they left the mountain of Yahweh and traveled for three days. The ark of Yahweh’s promise went ahead of them a distance of three days’ journey to find them a place to rest. ³⁴ Yahweh’s column of smoke was over them by day when they moved the camp.

³⁵ Whenever the ark started to move, Moses would say,

³⁶ And whenever it stopped, he would say,

The People of Israel Demand Meat to Eat

11 The people began complaining out loud to Yahweh about their troubles. When Yahweh heard them, he became angry, and fire from Yahweh began to burn among them. It destroyed some people on the outskirts of the camp. ² The people cried out to Moses, Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire died down. ³ That place was called Taberah [Fire] because fire from Yahweh burned among them there.

⁴ Some foreigners among the Israelites had a strong craving for other kinds of food. Even the Israelites started crying again and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵ Remember all the free fish we ate in Egypt and the cucumbers, watermelons, leeks, onions, and garlic we had? ⁶ But now we’ve lost our appetite! Everywhere we look there’s nothing but manna!”

⁷ (Manna was small like coriander seeds and looked like resin. ⁸ The people would go around and gather it, then grind it in a handmill or crush it in a mortar. They would cook it in a pot or make round loaves of bread out of it. It tasted like rich pastry made with olive oil. ⁹ When dew fell on the camp at night, manna fell with it.)

¹⁰ Moses heard people from every family crying at the entrance to their tents. Yahweh became very angry, and Moses didn’t like it either. ¹¹ So he asked, “Yahweh, why have you brought me this trouble? How have I displeased you that you put the burden of all these people on me? ¹² Am I their mother? Did I give birth to them? Are you really asking me to carry them in my arms—as a nurse carries a baby—all the way to the land you promised their ancestors with an oath? ¹³ Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying for me to give them meat to eat. ¹⁴ I can’t take care of all these people by myself. This is too much work for me! ¹⁵ If this is how you’re going to treat me, why don’t you just kill me? I can’t face this trouble anymore.”

¹⁶ Yahweh answered Moses, “Bring me 70 Israelite men who you know are leaders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand with you. ¹⁷ I’ll come down and speak with you there. I’ll take some of the Ruach that is on you and put it on them. They will help you take care of the people. You won’t have to take care of the people alone. ¹⁸ Tell the people to get ready for tomorrow. They must be set apart as holy. Then they will eat meat. I, Yahweh, heard them crying and saying, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!’ So Yahweh will give them meat. ¹⁹ They won’t eat it just for one or two days, or five, or ten, or twenty days, ²⁰ but for a whole month, until it comes out of their ears and they’re sick of it. This is because they rejected Yahweh who is here among them and cried in front of him, asking, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”

²¹ But Moses said, “Here I am with 600,000 foot soldiers around me. Yet, you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ ²² Would they have enough if all the flocks and herds were butchered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”

²³ Yahweh asked Moses, “Is there a limit to Yahweh’s power? Now you will see whether or not my words come true.”

²⁴ Moses went out and told the people what Yahweh said. He gathered 70 of the leaders of the people and had them stand around the tent. ²⁵ Then Yahweh came down in the column of smoke and spoke with him. He took some of the Ruach that was on Moses and put it on the 70 leaders. When the Ruach came to rest on them, they prophesied, but they never prophesied again.

²⁶ Two men, named Eldad and Medad, had stayed in the camp. They were on the list with the other leaders but hadn’t gone with them to the tent. The Ruach came to rest on them, too, and they prophesied in the camp.

²⁷ Then a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸ So Joshua, son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant ever since he was a young man, spoke up and said, “Stop them, sir!”

²⁹ But Moses asked him, “Do you think you need to stand up for me? I wish all Yahweh’s people were prophets and that Yahweh would put his Ruach on them.”

³⁰ Then Moses and the leaders went back to the camp.

³¹ Yahweh sent a wind from the sea that brought quails and dropped them all around the camp. There were quails on the ground about three feet deep as far as you could walk in a day in any direction.

³² All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered the quails. No one gathered less than 60 bushels. Then they spread the quails out all around the camp.

³³ While the meat was still in their mouths—before they had even had a chance to chew it—Yahweh became angry with the people and struck them with a severe plague. ³⁴ That place was called Kibroth Hattaavah [Graves of Those Who Craved Meat] because there they buried the people who had a strong craving for meat.

³⁵ From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and they stayed there.

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron began to criticize Moses because he was married to a woman from Sudan. ² They asked, “Did Yahweh speak only through Moses? Didn’t he also speak through us?” Yahweh heard their complaint.

³ (Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on earth.)

⁴ Suddenly, Yahweh said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “All three of you come to the tent of meeting.” So all three of them came. ⁵ Then Yahweh came down in the column of smoke and stood at the entrance to the tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.

⁶ He said, “Listen to my words: When there are prophets of Yahweh among you, I make myself known to them in visions or speak to them in dreams. ⁷ But this is not the way I treat my servant Moses. He is the most faithful person in my household.^{[d] 8} I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of Yahweh. Why weren’t you afraid to criticize my servant Moses?”

⁹ Yahweh was angry with them, so he left.

¹⁰ When the smoke left the tent, Miriam was covered with an infectious skin disease. She was as white as snow. Aaron turned to her and saw she was covered with the disease. ¹¹ So he said to Moses, “Please, sir, don’t punish us for this foolish sin we committed. ¹² Don’t let her be like a stillborn baby that’s not completely developed.”

¹³ So Moses cried to Yahweh, “Please, El, heal her!”

¹⁴ Yahweh replied to Moses, “If her own father had spit in her face, wouldn’t she be excluded from the community for seven days? She must be put in isolation outside the camp for seven days. Then she can be brought back.” ¹⁵ So Miriam was put in isolation outside the camp for seven days. The people didn’t break camp until she was brought back.

¹⁶ After that, the people moved from Hazeroth and set up camp in the Desert of Paran.