Bible in 90 Days

²⁷ “If after all of this you still continue to defy me and refuse to obey me, ²⁸ then in my anger I will turn on you and again make your punishment seven times worse than before. ²⁹ Your hunger will be so great that you will eat your own children. ³⁰ I will destroy your places of worship on the hills, tear down your incense altars, and throw your dead bodies on your fallen idols. In utter disgust ³¹ I will turn your cities into ruins, destroy your places of worship, and refuse to accept your sacrifices. ³² I will destroy your land so completely that the enemies who occupy it will be shocked at the destruction. ³³ I will bring war on you and scatter you in foreign lands. Your land will be deserted, and your cities left in ruins. ^34-35 Then the land will enjoy the years of complete rest that you would not give it; it will lie abandoned and get its rest while you are in exile in the land of your enemies.

³⁶ “I will make those of you who are in exile so terrified that the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind will make you run. You will run as if you were being pursued in battle, and you will fall when there is no enemy near you. ³⁷ You will stumble over one another when no one is chasing you, and you will be unable to fight against any enemy. ³⁸ You will die in exile, swallowed up by the land of your enemies. ³⁹ The few of you who survive in the land of your enemies will waste away because of your own sin and the sin of your ancestors.

⁴⁰ “But your descendants will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors, who resisted me and rebelled against me, ⁴¹ and caused me to turn against them and send them into exile in the land of their enemies. At last, when your descendants are humbled and they have paid the penalty for their sin and rebellion, ^42 (A)I will remember my covenant with Jacob and with Isaac and with Abraham, and I will renew my promise to give my people the land. ⁴³ First, however, the land must be rid of its people, so that it can enjoy its complete rest, and they must pay the full penalty for having rejected my laws and my commands. ⁴⁴ But even then, when they are still in the land of their enemies, I will not completely abandon them or destroy them. That would put an end to my covenant with them, and I am the Lord their God. ⁴⁵ I will renew the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I showed all the nations my power by bringing my people out of Egypt, in order that I, the Lord, might be their God.”

⁴⁶ All these are the laws and commands that the Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai for the people of Israel.

Laws concerning Gifts to the Lord

27 The Lord gave Moses ² the following regulations for the people of Israel. When any of you have been given to the Lord in fulfillment of a special vow, you may be set free by the payment of the following sums of money, ^3-7 according to the official standard:

⁸ If any of you make a vow and are too poor to pay the standard price, you shall bring the person to the priest, and the priest will set a lower price, according to your ability to pay.

⁹ If your vow concerns an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the Lord, then every gift made to the Lord is sacred, ¹⁰ and you may not substitute another animal for it. If you do, both animals belong to the Lord. ¹¹ But if your vow concerns a ritually unclean animal, which is not acceptable as an offering to the Lord, you shall take the animal to the priest. ¹² The priest shall set a price for it, according to its good or bad qualities, and the price will be final. ¹³ If you wish to buy it back, you must pay the price plus an additional 20 percent.

¹⁴ When any of you dedicate your house to the Lord, the priest shall set the price according to its good or bad points, and the price will be final. ¹⁵ If you wish to buy your house back, you must pay the price plus an additional 20 percent.

¹⁶ If any of you dedicate part of your land to the Lord, the price shall be set according to the amount of seed it takes to sow it, at the rate of ten pieces of silver per bushel of barley. ¹⁷ If you dedicate the land immediately after a Year of Restoration, the full price applies. ¹⁸ If you dedicate it any time later, the priest shall estimate the cash value according to the number of years left until the next Year of Restoration, and set a reduced price. ¹⁹ If you wish to buy your field back, you must pay the price plus an additional 20 percent. ²⁰ If you sell the field to someone else without first buying it back from the Lord, you lose the right to buy it back. ²¹ At the next Year of Restoration the field will become the Lord's permanent property; it shall belong to the priests.

²² If you dedicate to the Lord a field that you have bought, ²³ the priest shall estimate its value according to the number of years until the next Year of Restoration, and you must pay the price that very day; the money belongs to the Lord. ²⁴ At the Year of Restoration the field shall be returned to the original owner or to the descendants.

²⁵ All prices shall be set according to the official standard.

²⁶ The first-born of an animal already belongs to the Lord, so no one may dedicate it to him as a freewill offering. A calf, a lamb, or a kid belongs to the Lord, ²⁷ but the first-born of an unclean animal may be bought back at the standard price plus an additional 20 percent. If it is not bought back, it may be sold to someone else at the standard price.

^28 (B)None of you may sell or buy back what you have unconditionally dedicated^[a] to the Lord, whether it is a human being, an animal, or land. It belongs permanently to the Lord. ²⁹ Not even human beings who have been unconditionally dedicated may be bought back; they must be put to death.

^30 (C)One tenth of all the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the Lord. ³¹ If you wish to buy any of it back, you must pay the standard price plus an additional 20 percent. ³² One of every ten domestic animals belongs to the Lord. When the animals are counted, every tenth one belongs to the Lord. ³³ You may not arrange the animals so that the poor animals are chosen, and you may not make any substitutions. If you do substitute one animal for another, then both animals will belong to the Lord and may not be bought back.

³⁴ These are the commands that the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the people of Israel.

The First Census of Israel

1 ^(D)On the first day of the second month in the second year after the people of Israel left Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses there in the Tent of his presence in the Sinai Desert. He said, ² “You and Aaron are to take a census of the people of Israel by clans and families. List the names of all the men ³ twenty years old or older who are fit for military service. ⁴ Ask one clan chief from each tribe to help you.” ^5-16 These are the men, leaders within their tribes, who were chosen from the community for this work:

¹⁷ With the help of these twelve men Moses and Aaron ¹⁸ called together the whole community on the first day of the second month and registered all the people by clans and families. The names of all the men twenty years old or older were recorded and counted, ¹⁹ as the Lord had commanded. In the Sinai Desert, Moses registered the people. ^20-46 The men twenty years old or older who were fit for military service were registered by name according to clan and family, beginning with the tribe of Reuben, Jacob's oldest son. The totals were as follows:

⁴⁷ The Levites were not registered with the other tribes, ⁴⁸ because the Lord had said to Moses, ⁴⁹ “When you take a census of the men fit for military service, do not include the tribe of Levi. ⁵⁰ Instead, put the Levites in charge of the Tent of my presence and all its equipment. They shall carry it and its equipment, serve in it, and set up their camp around it. ⁵¹ Whenever you move your camp, the Levites shall take the Tent down and set it up again at each new campsite. Anyone else who comes near the Tent shall be put to death. ⁵² The rest of the Israelites shall set up camp, company by company, each man with his own group and under his own banner. ⁵³ But the Levites shall camp around the Tent to guard it, so that no one may come near and cause my anger to strike the community of Israel.” ⁵⁴ So the people of Israel did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Arrangement of the Tribes in Camp

2 The Lord gave Moses and Aaron the following instructions. ² When the Israelites set up camp, each man will camp under the banner of his division and the flag of his own clan. The camp is to be set up all around the Tent.

^3-9 On the east side, those under the banner of the division of Judah shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

The division of Judah shall march first.

^10-16 On the south, those under the banner of the division of Reuben shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

The division of Reuben shall march second.

¹⁷ Then, between the first two divisions and the last two the Levites are to march carrying the Tent. Each division shall march in the same order as they camp, each in position under its banner.

^18-24 On the west, those under the banner of the division of Ephraim shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

The division of Ephraim shall march third.

^25-31 On the north, those under the banner of the division of Dan shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

The division of Dan shall march last.

³² The total number of the people of Israel enrolled in the divisions, group by group, was 603,550. ³³ As the Lord had commanded Moses, the Levites were not registered with the rest of the Israelites.

³⁴ So the people of Israel did everything the Lord had commanded Moses. They camped, each under his own banner, and they marched, each with his own clan.

Aaron's Sons

3 This is the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. ^2 (E)Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³ They were anointed and ordained as priests, ^4 (F)but Nadab and Abihu were killed when they offered unholy fire to the Lord in the Sinai Desert. They had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during Aaron's lifetime.

The Levites Are Appointed to Serve the Priests

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest. ⁷ They shall do the work required for the Tent of my presence and perform duties for the priests and for the whole community. ⁸ They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites. ⁹ The only responsibility the Levites have is to serve Aaron and his sons. ¹⁰ You shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; anyone else who tries to do so shall be put to death.”

¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ^12-13 (G)“The Levites are now to be mine. When I killed all the first-born of the Egyptians, I consecrated as my own the oldest son of each Israelite family and the first-born of every animal. Now, instead of having the first-born sons of Israel as my own, I have the Levites; they will belong to me. I am the Lord.”

The Census of the Levites

¹⁴ In the Sinai Desert the Lord commanded Moses ¹⁵ to register the Levites by clans and families, enrolling every male a month old or older, ¹⁶ and Moses did so. ^17-20 Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, who were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. Gershon had two sons: Libni and Shimei; Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and Merari had two sons: Mahli and Mushi. They were the ancestors of the families that bear their names.

²¹ The clan of Gershon was composed of the families of Libni and Shimei. ²² The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 7,500. ²³ This clan was to camp on the west behind the Tent, ²⁴ with Eliasaph son of Lael as chief of the clan. ²⁵ They were responsible for the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the curtain for the entrance, ²⁶ the curtains for the court which is around the Tent and the altar, and the curtain for the entrance of the court. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.

²⁷ The clan of Kohath was composed of the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁸ The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 8,600. ²⁹ This clan was to camp on the south side of the Tent, ³⁰ with Elizaphan son of Uzziel as chief of the clan. ³¹ They were responsible for the Covenant Box, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils the priests use in the Holy Place, and the curtain at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.

³² The chief of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was in charge of those who carried out the duties in the Holy Place.

³³ The clan of Merari was composed of the families of Mahli and Mushi. ³⁴ The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 6,200. ³⁵ This clan was to camp on the north side of the Tent, with Zuriel son of Abihail as chief of the clan. ³⁶ They were assigned responsibility for the frames for the Tent, its bars, posts, bases, and all its fittings. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items. ³⁷ They were also responsible for the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes for the outer court.

³⁸ Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp in front of the Tent on the east. They were responsible for carrying out the services performed in the Holy Place for the people of Israel. Anyone else who tried to do so was to be put to death. ³⁹ The total number of all the Levite males one month old or older that Moses enrolled by clans at the command of the Lord, was 22,000.

The Levites Take the Place of the First-Born Sons

^40-41 The Lord said to Moses, “All of Israel's first-born sons belong to me. So register by name every first-born male Israelite, one month old or older. But in place of them I claim all the Levites as mine! I am the Lord! I also claim the livestock of the Levites in place of all the first-born of the livestock.” ⁴² Moses obeyed, and registered all the first-born males ⁴³ one month old or older; the total was 22,273.

⁴⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Now dedicate the Levites as mine in place of all the first-born Israelite sons, and dedicate the livestock of the Levites in place of the first-born of the Israelites' livestock. ⁴⁶ Since the first-born Israelite sons outnumber the Levites by 273, you must buy back the extra sons. ⁴⁷ For each one pay five pieces of silver, according to the official standard, ⁴⁸ and give this money to Aaron and his sons.” ⁴⁹ Moses obeyed and took ⁵⁰ the 1,365 pieces of silver ⁵¹ and gave them to Aaron and his sons.

The Duties of the Levite Clan of Kohath

4 The Lord told Moses ² to take a census of the Levite clan of Kohath by subclans and families, ³ and to register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord's presence. ⁴ Their service involves the most holy things.

⁵ The Lord gave Moses the following instructions. When it is time to break camp, Aaron and his sons shall enter the Tent, take down the curtain in front of the Covenant Box, and cover the Box with it. ⁶ They shall put a fine leather cover over it, spread a cloth of solid blue on top, and then insert the carrying poles.

⁷ They shall spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread offered to the Lord and put on it the dishes, the incense bowls, the offering bowls, and the jars for the wine offering. There shall always be bread on the table. ⁸ They shall spread a red cloth over all of this, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles.

⁹ They shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand, with its lamps, tongs, trays, and all the olive oil containers. ¹⁰ They shall wrap it and all its equipment in a fine leather cover and place it on a carrying frame.

¹¹ Next they shall spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles. ¹² They shall take all the utensils used in the Holy Place, wrap them in a blue cloth, put a fine leather cover over them, and place them on a carrying frame. ¹³ They shall remove the greasy ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. ¹⁴ They shall put on it all the equipment used in the service at the altar: fire pans, hooks, shovels, and basins. Then they shall put a fine leather cover over it and insert the carrying poles. ¹⁵ When it is time to break camp, the clan of Kohath shall come to carry the sacred objects only after Aaron and his sons have finished covering them and all their equipment. The Kohath clan must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die.

These are the responsibilities of the Kohath clan whenever the Tent is moved.

¹⁶ Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall be responsible for the whole Tent and for the oil for the lamps, the incense, the grain offerings, the anointing oil, and everything else in the Tent that has been consecrated to the Lord.

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ¹⁸ “Do not let the clan of Kohath ¹⁹ be killed by coming near these most sacred objects. To prevent this from happening, Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each man his task and tell him what to carry. ²⁰ But if the Kohathites enter the Tent and see the priests preparing the sacred objects for moving,^[b] they will die.”

The Duties of the Levite Clan of Gershon

²¹ The Lord told Moses ²² to take a census of the Levite clan of Gershon by subclans and families, ²³ and to register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord's presence. ²⁴ They shall be responsible for carrying the following objects: ²⁵ the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the fine leather cover on top of it, the curtain for the entrance, ²⁶ the curtains and ropes for the court that is around the Tent and the altar, the curtains for the entrance of the court, and all the fittings used in setting up these objects. They shall perform all the tasks required for these things. ²⁷ Moses and Aaron shall see to it that the Gershonites perform all the duties and carry everything that Aaron and his sons assign to them. ²⁸ These are the responsibilities of the Gershon clan in the Tent; they shall carry them out under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

The Duties of the Levite Clan of Merari

²⁹ The Lord told Moses to take a census of the Levite clan of Merari by subclans and families, ³⁰ and to register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord's presence. ³¹ They shall be responsible for carrying the frames, bars, posts, and bases of the Tent, ³² and the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes of the court around the Tent, with all the fittings used in setting them up. Each man will be responsible for carrying specific items. ³³ These are the responsibilities of the Merari clan in their service in the Tent; they shall carry them out under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

The Census of the Levites

^34-48 Following the Lord's command, Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the community took a census of the three Levite clans, Kohath, Gershon, and Merari. They did this by subclans and families and registered all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the Lord's presence, as follows:

⁴⁹ Each man was registered as the Lord had commanded Moses; and at the command of the Lord given through Moses, each man was assigned responsibility for his task of serving or carrying.

Unclean People

5 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the people of Israel to expel from the camp everyone with a dreaded skin disease or a bodily discharge and everyone who is unclean by contact with a corpse. ³ Send all these ritually unclean people out, so that they will not defile the camp, where I live among my people.” ⁴ The Israelites obeyed and expelled them all from the camp.

Repayment for Wrongs Done

^5 (H)The Lord gave Moses ⁶ the following instructions for the people of Israel. When any of you are unfaithful to the Lord and commit a wrong against someone, ⁷ you must confess your sin and make full repayment, plus an additional 20 percent, to the person you have wronged. ⁸ But if that person has died and has no near relative to whom payment can be made, it shall be given to the Lord for the priest. This payment is in addition to the ram used to perform the ritual of purification for the guilty person. ⁹ Also every special contribution which the Israelites offer to the Lord belongs to the priest to whom they present it. ¹⁰ Each priest shall keep the offerings presented to him.

Cases of Wives with Suspicious Husbands

¹¹ The Lord commanded Moses ^12-14 to give the Israelites the following instructions. It may happen that a man becomes suspicious that his wife is unfaithful to him and has defiled herself by having intercourse with another man. But the husband may not be certain, for his wife may have kept it secret—there was no witness, and she was not caught in the act. Or it may happen that a husband becomes suspicious of his wife, even though she has not been unfaithful. ¹⁵ In either case the man shall take his wife to the priest. He shall also take the required offering of two pounds of barley flour, but he shall not pour any olive oil on it or put any incense on it, because it is an offering from a suspicious husband, made to bring the truth to light.

¹⁶ The priest shall bring the woman forward and have her stand in front of the altar. ¹⁷ He shall pour some holy water into a clay bowl and take some of the earth that is on the floor of the Tent of the Lord's presence and put it in the water to make it bitter. ¹⁸ Then he shall loosen the woman's hair and put the offering of flour in her hands. In his hands the priest shall hold the bowl containing the bitter water that brings a curse. ¹⁹ Then the priest shall make the woman agree to this oath spoken by the priest: “If you have not committed adultery, you will not be harmed by the curse that this water brings. ²⁰ But if you have committed adultery, ²¹ may the Lord make your name a curse among your people. May he cause your genital organs to shrink and your stomach to swell up. ²² May this water enter your stomach and cause it to swell up and your genital organs to shrink.”

The woman shall respond, “I agree; may the Lord do so.”

²³ Then the priest shall write this curse down and wash the writing off into the bowl of bitter water. ²⁴ Before he makes the woman drink the water, which may then cause her bitter pain, ²⁵ the priest shall take the offering of flour out of the woman's hands, hold it out in dedication to the Lord, and present it on the altar. ²⁶ Then he shall take a handful of it as a token offering and burn it on the altar. Finally, he shall make the woman drink the water. ²⁷ If she has committed adultery, the water will cause bitter pain; her stomach will swell up and her genital organs will shrink. Her name will become a curse among her people. ²⁸ But if she is innocent, she will not be harmed and will be able to bear children.

^29-30 This is the law in cases where a man is jealous and becomes suspicious that his wife has committed adultery. The woman shall be made to stand in front of the altar, and the priest shall perform this ritual. ³¹ The husband shall be free of guilt, but the woman, if guilty, must suffer the consequences.

Rules for Nazirites

6 The Lord commanded Moses ² to give the following instructions to the people of Israel. Any of you, male or female, who make a special vow to become a nazirite and dedicate yourself to the Lord ^3 (I)shall abstain from wine and beer. You shall not drink any kind of drink made from grapes or eat any grapes or raisins. ⁴ As long as you are a nazirite, you shall not eat anything that comes from a grapevine, not even the seeds or skins of grapes.

⁵ As long as you are under the nazirite vow, you must not cut your hair or shave. You are bound by the vow for the full time that you are dedicated to the Lord, and you shall let your hair grow. ^6-7 Your hair is the sign of your dedication to God, and so you must not defile yourself by going near a corpse, not even that of your father, mother, brother, or sister. ⁸ As long as you are a nazirite, you are consecrated to the Lord.

⁹ If your consecrated hair is defiled because you are right beside someone who suddenly dies, you must wait seven days and then shave your head; and so you become ritually clean. ¹⁰ On the eighth day you shall bring two doves or two pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence. ¹¹ The priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to perform the ritual of purification for you because of your contact with a corpse. On the same day you shall reconsecrate your hair ¹² and rededicate to the Lord your time as a nazirite. The previous period of time doesn't count, because your consecrated hair was defiled. As a repayment offering you shall bring a one-year-old lamb.

^13 (J)When you complete your nazirite vow, you shall perform this ritual. You shall go to the entrance of the Tent ¹⁴ and present to the Lord three animals without any defects: a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, a one-year-old ewe lamb for a sin offering, and a ram for a fellowship offering. ¹⁵ You shall also offer a basket of bread made without yeast: thick loaves made of flour mixed with olive oil and thin cakes brushed with olive oil, and in addition the required offerings of grain and wine.

¹⁶ The priest shall present all these to the Lord and offer the sin offering and the burnt offering. ¹⁷ He shall sacrifice the ram to the Lord as a fellowship offering, and offer it with the basket of bread; he shall also present the offerings of grain and wine. ¹⁸ At the entrance of the Tent you nazirites shall shave off your hair and put it on the fire on which the fellowship offering is being burned.

¹⁹ Then, when the shoulder of the ram is boiled, the priest shall take it and put it, together with one thick loaf of bread and one thin cake from the basket, into the hands of the nazirite. ²⁰ Next, the priest shall present them as a special gift to the Lord; they are a sacred offering for the priest, in addition to the breast and the leg of the ram which by law belong to the priest. After that, the nazirite may drink wine.

²¹ These are the regulations for you nazirites; but if you promise an offering beyond what your vow requires you to give, you must fulfill exactly the promise you made.

The Priestly Blessing

²² The Lord commanded Moses ²³ to tell Aaron and his sons to use the following words in blessing the people of Israel:

²⁷ And the Lord said, “If they pronounce my name as a blessing upon the people of Israel, I will bless them.”

The Offerings of the Leaders

7 On the day Moses finished setting up the Tent of the Lord's presence, he anointed and dedicated the Tent and all its equipment, and the altar and all its equipment. ² Then the clan chiefs who were leaders in the tribes of Israel, the same men who were in charge of the census, ³ brought their offerings to the Lord: six wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two leaders and an ox for each leader. After they had presented them, ⁴ the Lord said to Moses, ⁵ “Accept these gifts for use in the work to be done for the Tent; give them to the Levites according to the work they have to do.” ⁶ So Moses gave the wagons and the oxen to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites, ⁸ and four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites. All their work was to be done under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron. ⁹ But Moses gave no wagons or oxen to the Kohathites, because the sacred objects they took care of had to be carried on their shoulders.

¹⁰ The leaders also brought offerings to celebrate the dedication of the altar. When they were ready to present their gifts at the altar, ¹¹ the Lord said to Moses, “Tell them that each day for a period of twelve days one of the leaders is to present his gifts for the dedication of the altar.”

^12-83 They presented their offerings in the following order:

The offerings each one brought were identical: one silver bowl weighing 50 ounces and one silver basin weighing 30 ounces, by the official standard, both of them full of flour mixed with oil for the grain offering; one gold dish weighing 4 ounces, full of incense; one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old lamb, for the burnt offering; one goat for the sin offering; and two bulls, five rams, five goats, and five one-year-old lambs, for the fellowship offering.

^84-88 The totals of the offerings brought by the twelve leaders for the dedication of the altar were as follows:

• twelve silver bowls and twelve silver basins weighing a total of 60 pounds
• twelve gold dishes weighing a total of 48 ounces, filled with incense
• twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve one-year-old lambs, plus the grain offerings that go with them, for the burnt offerings
• twelve goats for the sin offerings
• twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty goats, sixty one-year-old lambs, for the fellowship offerings

⁸⁹ When Moses went into the Tent to talk with the Lord, he heard the Lord speaking to him from above the lid on the Covenant Box, between the two winged creatures.^[c]

Placing the Lamps

8 ^(K)The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell Aaron that when he puts the seven lamps on the lampstand, he should place them so that the light shines toward the front.” ³ Aaron obeyed and placed the lamps facing the front of the lampstand. ⁴ From top to bottom the lampstand was made of hammered gold, according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses.

The Purification and Dedication of the Levites

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Separate the Levites from the rest of the people of Israel and purify them ⁷ in the following way: sprinkle them with the water of purification and have them shave their whole bodies and have them wash their clothes. Then they will be ritually clean. ⁸ Then they are to take a young bull and the required grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil; and you are to take another bull for the sin offering. ⁹ Then assemble the whole community of Israel and have the Levites stand in front of the Tent of my presence. ¹⁰ The people of Israel are to place their hands on the heads of the Levites, ¹¹ and then Aaron shall dedicate the Levites to me as a special gift from the Israelites, so that they may do my work. ¹² The Levites shall then put their hands on the heads of the two bulls; one is to be offered as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, in order to perform the ritual of purification for the Levites.

¹³ “Dedicate the Levites as a special gift to me, and put Aaron and his sons in charge of them. ¹⁴ Separate the Levites in this way from the rest of the Israelites, so that they will belong to me.