New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Duties of the Kohathites

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2 “Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households,

3 from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting.

4 This is the work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting,concerningthe most holy things.

5 “When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it;

6 and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread overita cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles.

7 Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the sacrificial bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it.

8 They shall spread over them a cloth of scarletmaterial,and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles.

9 Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its snuffers, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they serve it;

10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars.

11 Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its poles;

12 and they shall take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars.

13 Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.

14 They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it: the firepans, the forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles.

15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holyobjectsand all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carrythem,so that they will not touch the holyobjectsand die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

16 “The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil-the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

17 Then the Lordspoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

18 “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites.

19 But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holyobjects:Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load;

20 but they shall not go in to see the holyobjectseven for a moment, or they will die.”

Duties of the Gershonites

21 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ households, by their families;

23 from thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them; all who enter to perform the service to do the work in the tent of meeting.

24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying:

25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meetingwithits covering and the covering of porpoise skin that is on top of it, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting,

26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the gate of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, they shall perform.

27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their loads and in all their work, shall beperformedat the command of Aaron and his sons; and you shall assign to them as a duty all their loads.

28 This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their dutiesshall beunder the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Merarites

29 “As forthe sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers’ households;

30 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tent of meeting.

31 Now this is the duty of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets,

32 and the pillars around the court and their sockets and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service; and you shall assigneach manby name the items he is to carry.

33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ households,

35 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting.

36 Their numbered men by their families were 2,750.

37 These are the numbered men of the Kohathite families, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lordthrough Moses.

38 The numbered men of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their fathers’ households,

39 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting.

40 Their numbered men by their families, by their fathers’ households, were 2,630.

41 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord.

42 The numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari by their families, by their fathers’ households,

43 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting.

44 Their numbered men by their families were 3,200.

45 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lordthrough Moses.

46 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ households,

47 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of service and the work of carrying in the tent of meeting.

48 Their numbered men were 8,580.

49 According to the commandment of the Lordthrough Moses, they were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying; thusthese werehis numbered men, just as the Lordhad commanded Moses.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/4-7199b71b59f739f7ab875fc761c898f1.mp3?version_id=100—

On Defilement

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone who is unclean because of adeadperson.

3 You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.”

4 The sons of Israel did so and sent them outside the camp; just as the Lordhad spoken to Moses, thus the sons of Israel did.

5 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

6 “Speak to the sons of Israel, ‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the Lord, and that person is guilty,

7 then he shall confess his sins which he has committed, and he shall make restitution in full for his wrong and add to it one-fifth of it, and giveitto him whom he has wronged.

8 But if the man has norelative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution which is made for the wrongmust goto the Lordfor the priest, besides the ram of atonement, by which atonement is made for him.

9 Also every contribution pertaining to all the holygiftsof the sons of Israel, which they offer to the priest, shall be his.

10 So every man’s holygiftsshall be his; whatever any man gives to the priest, it becomes his.'”

The Adultery Test

11 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

12 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,

13 and a man has intercourse with her and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and she is undetected, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act,

14 if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has defiled herself, or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has not defiled herself,

15 the man shall then bring his wife to the priest, and shall bringasan offering for her one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of memorial, a reminder of iniquity.

16 ‘Then the priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the Lord,

17 and the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel; and he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and putitinto the water.

18 The priest shall then have the woman stand before the Lordand letthe hair ofthe woman’s head go loose, and place the grain offering of memorial in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse.

19 The priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness,beingunderthe authority ofyour husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;

20 if you, however, have gone astray,beingunderthe authority ofyour husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you”

21 (then the priest shall have the woman swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman), “the Lordmake you a curse and an oath among your people by the Lord’smaking your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell;

22 and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away.” And the woman shall say, “Amen. Amen.”

23 ‘The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll, and he shall wash them off into the water of bitterness.

24 Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her andcausebitterness.

25 The priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before the Lordand bring it to the altar;

26 and the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial offering and offeritup in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water.

27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall come about, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, that the water which brings a curse will go into her andcausebitterness, and her abdomen will swell and her thigh will waste away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will then be free and conceive children.

29 ‘This is the law of jealousy: when a wife,beingunderthe authority ofher husband, goes astray and defiles herself,

30 or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife, he shall then make the woman stand before the Lord, and the priest shall apply all this law to her.

31 Moreover, the man will be free from guilt, but that woman shall bear her guilt.'”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/5-37414bb490a726c4ab26a8b2767d7359.mp3?version_id=100—

Law of the Nazirites

1 Again the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of aNazirite, to dedicate himself to the Lord,

3 he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.

4 All the days of hisseparation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, fromtheseeds even totheskin.

5 ‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.

6 ‘All the days of his separation to the Lordhe shall not go near to a dead person.

7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.

8 All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.

9 ‘But if a man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his dedicated headof hair,then he shall shave his head on the day when he becomes clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day.

10 Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting.

11 The priest shall offer one for a sin offering andtheother for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him concerning his sin because of thedeadperson. And that same day he shall consecrate his head,

12 and shall dedicate to the Lordhis days as a Nazirite, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering; but the former days will be void because his separation was defiled.

13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall bring the offering to the doorway of the tent of meeting.

14 He shall present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering and one ewe-lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering and one ram without defect for a peace offering,

15 and a basket of unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, along with their grain offering and their drink offering.

16 Then the priest shall presentthembefore the Lordand shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering.

17 He shall also offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, together with the basket of unleavened cakes; the priest shall likewise offer its grain offering and its drink offering.

18 The Nazirite shall then shave his dedicated headof hairat the doorway of the tent of meeting, and take the dedicated hair of his head and putiton the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

19 The priest shall take the ram’s shoulderwhen it has beenboiled, and one unleavened cake out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall putthemon the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his dedicatedhair.

20 Then the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. It is holy for the priest, together with the breast offered by waving and the thigh offered by lifting up; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.’

21 “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the Lordaccording to his separation, in addition to whatelsehe can afford; according to his vow which he takes, so he shall do according to the law of his separation.”

Aaron’s Benediction

22 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

24 The Lordbless you, and keep you;

25 The Lordmake His face shine on you,

And be gracious to you;

26 The Lordlift up His countenance on you,

And give you peace.’

27 So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and Ithenwill bless them.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/6-1455020d31df44b0e9ccdcee47f133ff.mp3?version_id=100—

Offerings of the Leaders

1 Now on the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it with all its furnishings and the altar and all its utensils; he anointed them and consecrated them also.

2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ households, made an offering (they were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ones who were over the numbered men).

3 When they brought their offering before the Lord, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart foreverytwo of the leaders and an ox for each one, then they presented them before the tabernacle.

4 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

5 “Acceptthese thingsfrom them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and you shall give them to the Levites,toeach man according to his service.”

6 So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.

7 Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service,

8 and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

9 But he did not giveanyto the sons of Kohath because theirswasthe service of the holyobjects, whichthey carried on the shoulder.

10 The leaders offered the dedicationofferingfor the altar when it was anointed, so the leaders offered their offering before the altar.

11 Then the Lordsaid to Moses, “Let them present their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

12 Now the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah;

13 and his offeringwasone silverdish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according tothe shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

14 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

15 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

16 one male goat for a sin offering;

17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presentedan offering;

19 he presented as his offering one silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

20 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

21 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

22 one male goat for a sin offering;

23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

24 On the third dayit wasEliab the son of Helon, leader of the sons of Zebulun;

25 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

26 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

27 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

28 one male goat for a sin offering;

29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

30 On the fourth dayit wasElizur the son of Shedeur, leader of the sons of Reuben;

31 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

32 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

33 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

34 one male goat for a sin offering;

35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

36 On the fifth dayit wasShelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, leader of the children of Simeon;

37 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

38 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

39 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

40 one male goat for a sin offering;

41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

42 On the sixth dayit wasEliasaph the son of Deuel, leader of the sons of Gad;

43 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

44 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

45 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

46 one male goat for a sin offering;

47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

48 On the seventh dayit wasElishama the son of Ammihud, leader of the sons of Ephraim;

49 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

50 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

51 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

52 one male goat for a sin offering;

53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.

54 On the eighth dayit wasGamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader of the sons of Manasseh;

55 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

56 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

57 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

58 one male goat for a sin offering;

59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

60 On the ninth dayit wasAbidan the son of Gideoni, leader of the sons of Benjamin;

61 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

62 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

63 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

64 one male goat for a sin offering;

65 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

66 On the tenth dayit wasAhiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader of the sons of Dan;

67 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

68 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

69 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

70 one male goat for a sin offering;

71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

72 On the eleventh dayit wasPagiel the son of Ochran, leader of the sons of Asher;

73 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

74 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

75 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

76 one male goat for a sin offering;

77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.

78 On the twelfth dayit wasAhira the son of Enan, leader of the sons of Naphtali;

79 his offeringwasone silver dish whose weightwasone hundred and thirtyshekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

80 one gold pan of tenshekels,full of incense;

81 one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

82 one male goat for a sin offering;

83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. Thiswasthe offering of Ahira the son of Enan.

84 Thiswasthe dedicationofferingfor the altar from the leaders of Israel when it was anointed: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver bowls, twelve gold pans,

85 each silver dishweighingone hundred and thirtyshekelsand each bowl seventy; all the silver of the utensilswas2,400shekels,according to the shekel of the sanctuary;

86 the twelve gold pans, full of incense,weighingtenshekelsapiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the gold of the pans 120shekels;

87 all the oxen for the burnt offering twelve bulls,allthe rams twelve, the male lambs one year old with their grain offering twelve, and the male goats for a sin offering twelve;

88 and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings 24 bulls,allthe rams 60, the male goats 60, the male lambs one year old 60. Thiswasthe dedicationofferingfor the altar after it was anointed.

89 Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/7-8e820e05ecbb8758a5ab4666c5eeceb1.mp3?version_id=100—

The Seven Lamps

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in the front of the lampstand.'”

3 Aaron therefore did so; he mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lordhad commanded Moses.

4 Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the Lordhad shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing the Levites

5 Again the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

7 Thus you shall do to them, for their cleansing:sprinklepurifying water on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean.

8 Then let them take a bull with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and a second bull you shall take for a sin offering.

9 So you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel,

10 and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.

11 Aaron then shall present the Levites before the Lordas a wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may qualify to perform the service of the Lord.

12 Now the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.

13 You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.

15 Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering;

16 for they are wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel.

17 For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself.

18 But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel.

19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary.”

20 Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites; according to all that the Lordhad commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them.

21 The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.

22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as the Lordhad commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement

23 Now the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

24 “This is whatappliesto the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting.

25 But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work any more.

26 They may, however, assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, to keep an obligation, but theythemselvesshall do no work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/8-d1738e28aadd5d5435c03a85760dabba.mp3?version_id=100—

The Passover

1 Thus the Lordspoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

2 “Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time.

3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.”

4 So Moses told the sons of Israel to observe the Passover.

5 They observed the Passover in the firstmonth,on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lordhad commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did.

6 But there weresomemen who were unclean because ofthedead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day.

7 Those men said to him, “Thoughwe are unclean because ofthedead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lordat its appointed time among the sons of Israel?”

8 Moses therefore said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what the Lordwill command concerning you.”

9 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of adeadperson, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the Lord.

11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

12 They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it.

13 But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of the Lordat its appointed time. That man will bear his sin.

14 If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.'”

The Cloud on the Tabernacle

15 Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning.

16 So it was continuously; the cloud would cover itby day,and the appearance of fire by night.

17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp.

18 At the command of the Lordthe sons of Israel would set out, and at the command of the Lordthey would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped.

19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the sons of Israel would keep the Lord’scharge and not set out.

20 If sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, according to the command of the Lordthey remained camped. Then according to the command of the Lordthey set out.

21 If sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; orif it remainedin the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out.

22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out.

23 At the command of the Lordthey camped, and at the command of the Lordthey set out; they kept the Lord’scharge, according to the command of the Lordthrough Moses.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/9-2247997b991ca26ceed061a2db07572a.mp3?version_id=100—

The Silver Trumpets

1 The Lordspoke further to Moses, saying,

2 “Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.

3 When both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

4 Yet ifonlyone is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you.

5 But when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched on the east side shall set out.

6 When you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are pitched on the south side shall set out; an alarm is to be blown for them to set out.

7 When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm.

8 The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations.

9 When you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lordyour God, and be saved from your enemies.

10 Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the firstdaysof your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lordyour God.”

The Tribes Leave Sinai

11 Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony;

12 and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran.

13 So they moved out for the first time according to the commandment of the Lordthrough Moses.

14 The standard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, set out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army,

15 and Nethanel the son of Zuar, over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar;

16 and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.

17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out.

18 Next the standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies, set out with Elizur the son of Shedeur, over its army,

19 and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon,

20 and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.

21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holyobjects;and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival.

22 Next the standard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim, according to their armies, was set out, with Elishama the son of Ammihud over its army,

23 and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh;

24 and Abidan the son of Gideoni over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.

25 Then the standard of the camp of the sons of Dan, according to their armies,which formedthe rear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army,

26 and Pagiel the son of Ochran over the tribal army of the sons of Asher;

27 and Ahira the son of Enan over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali.

28 This was the order of march of the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.

29 Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the Lordsaid, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us and we will do you good, for the Lordhas promised good concerning Israel.”

30 But he said to him, “I will not come, but rather will go to myownland and relatives.”

31 Then he said, “Please do not leave us, inasmuch as you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will be as eyes for us.

32 So it will be, if you go with us, that whatever good the Lorddoes for us, we will do for you.”

33 Thus they set out from the mount of the Lordthree days’ journey, with the ark of the covenant of the Lordjourneying in front of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them.

34 The cloud of the Lordwas over them by day when they set out from the camp.

35 Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, “Rise up, O Lord! And let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You fleebefore You.”

36 When it came to rest, he said,

“Return, O Lord,

Tothe myriad thousands of Israel.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/10-97a1a9e1e94b27b1f2a38ffbe4289307.mp3?version_id=100—

The People Complain

1 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lordheardit,His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lordburned among them and consumedsomeof the outskirts of the camp.

2 The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lordand the fire died out.

3 So the name of that place was calledTaberah, because the fire of the Lordburned among them.

4 The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?

5 We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic,

6 but now ourappetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

8 The people would go about and gatheritand grinditbetween two millstones or beatitin the mortar, and boilitin the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil.

9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

The Complaint of Moses

10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the Lordwas kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased.

11 So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have Youbeen so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me?

12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’?

13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’

14 I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me.

15 So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”

Seventy Elders to Assist

16 The Lordtherefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.

17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will putHimupon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bearitall alone.

18 Say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lordwill give you meat and you shall eat.

19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,

20 but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lordwho is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”‘”

21 But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’

22 Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?”

23 The Lordsaid to Moses, “Is the Lord’spower limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tent.

25 Then the Lordcame down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placedHimupon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not doitagain.

26 But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp.

27 So a young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “Moses, my lord, restrain them.”

29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’speople were prophets, that the Lordwould put His Spirit upon them!”

30 Then Moses returned to the camp,bothhe and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

31 Now there went forth a wind from the Lordand it brought quail from the sea, and letthemfall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp and about two cubitsdeepon the surface of the ground.

32 The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spreadthemout for themselves all around the camp.

33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lordwas kindled against the people, and the Lordstruck the people with a very severe plague.

34 So the name of that place was calledKibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy.

35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/11-0a5e70ac90dc6b023845df150c8cad45.mp3?version_id=100—

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman);

2 and they said, “Has the Lordindeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lordheard it.

3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)

4 Suddenly the Lordsaid to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them came out.

5 Then the Lordcame down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward,

6 He said,

“Hear now My words:

If there is a prophet among you,

I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision.

I shall speak with him in a dream.

7 “Not so, with My servant Moses,

He is faithful in all My household;

8 With him I speak mouth to mouth,

Even openly, and not in dark sayings,

And he beholds the form of the Lord.

Why then were you not afraid

To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

9 So the anger of the Lordburned against them and He departed.

10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriamwasleprous, aswhite assnow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, shewasleprous.

11 Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not accountthissin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.

12 Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!”

13 Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!”

14 But the Lordsaid to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.”

15 So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

16 Afterward, however, the people moved out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/12-33d751e0d453ebe007e5e05cdf865eee.mp3?version_id=100—

Spies View the Land

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses saying,

2 “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.”

3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel.

4 These thenweretheir names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;

5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;

6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;

7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;

8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun;

9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;

10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;

11 from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;

12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;

13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;

14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;

15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

17 When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into theNegev; then go up into the hill country.

18 See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strongorweak, whether they are few or many.

19 How is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, aretheylikeopencamps or with fortifications?

20 How is the land, is it fat or lean? Are there trees in it or not? Make an effort then to get some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.

21 So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, at Lebo-hamath.

22 When they had gone up into the Negev, they came to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

23 Then they came to the valley ofEshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between twomen,with some of the pomegranates and the figs.

24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut down from there.

The Spies’ Reports

25 When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days,

26 they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.

27 Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

28 Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortifiedandvery large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.

29 Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.”

32 So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men ofgreatsize.

33 There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/NUM/13-2e9f925df6da2af391e97203fcdcbaec.mp3?version_id=100—