Bible in 90 Days

²⁷ “‘If you still refuse to listen to me, and if you still turn against me, ²⁸ I will really show my anger. I will punish you seven more times for your sins. ²⁹ You will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters. ³⁰ I will destroy your places where false gods are worshiped. I will cut down your incense altars. I will pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols. I will hate you. ³¹ I will destroy your cities. I will make your holy places empty. I will not smell the pleasing smell of your offerings. ³² I will make the land empty. Your enemies who come to live in it will be shocked at it. ³³ I will scatter you among the nations. I will pull out my sword and destroy you. Your land will become empty. Your cities will become waste. ³⁴ You will be taken to your enemy’s country. So your land will finally get its rest. It will enjoy its time of rest all the time it lies empty. ³⁵ During the time the land is empty, it will rest. It will have the rest you should have given it while you lived in it.

³⁶ “‘Those who are left alive will lose their courage in the land of their enemies. They will be frightened of everything. They will be frightened by even the sound of a leaf being blown by the wind. They will run as if someone were chasing them with a sword. They will fall even when no one is chasing them. ³⁷ They will run as if someone were chasing them with a sword. They will fall over each other, even though no one is chasing them. You will not be strong enough to stand up against your enemies. ³⁸ You will die among other nations. You will disappear in your enemies’ countries. ³⁹ So those who are left alive will rot away in their enemies’ countries. They will rot away because of their sins and their ancestors’ sins.

There Is Always Hope

⁴⁰ “‘But maybe the people will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors. Maybe they will admit they turned against me and sinned against me. ⁴¹ That made me turn against them. So I sent them into the land of their enemies. These disobedient people might be sorry for what they did. They might accept punishment for their sin. ⁴² If they do, I will remember my agreement with Jacob. I will remember my agreement with Isaac and Abraham. And I will remember the land. ⁴³ The land will be empty. It will enjoy its time of rest. Then those who are left alive will accept the punishment for their sins. They will learn that they were punished because they hated my laws. And they refused to obey my rules. ⁴⁴ They truly sinned. But if they come to me for help, I will not turn away from them. I will listen to them even in the land of their enemies. I will not completely destroy them. I will not break my agreement with them. This is because I am the Lord their God. ⁴⁵ For their good I will remember the agreement with their ancestors. I brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt. I did it so I could become their God. The other nations saw these things. I am the Lord.’”

⁴⁶ These are the laws, rules and teachings the Lord gave the people of Israel. He gave these laws to the Israelites through Moses. This was at Mount Sinai.

Promises Are Important

27 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Someone might make a special promise to the Lord. He might promise to give himself or another person as a servant to the Lord. That person will then begin to serve the Lord in a special way. The priest must set a certain price for that person. That is the price that would have to be paid to free the person from his special promise to the Lord. ³ The price for a man 20 to 60 years old is about 1¼ pounds of silver. (You must use the measure as set by the Holy Place.) ⁴ The price for a woman 20 to 60 years old is about 12 ounces of silver. ⁵ The price for a man 5 to 20 years old is about 8 ounces of silver. The price for a woman 5 to 20 years old is about 4 ounces of silver. ⁶ The price for a baby boy 1 month to 5 years old is about 2 ounces of silver. For a baby girl the price is about 1½ ounces of silver. ⁷ The price for a man 60 years old or older is about 6 ounces of silver. The price for a woman 60 years old or older is about 4 ounces of silver.

⁸ “‘A person might be too poor to pay the price. If he is, bring him to the priest. The priest will decide how much money the person can afford to pay.

Gifts to the Lord

⁹ “‘Some animals may be used as sacrifices to the Lord. If someone promises to bring one of these animals, it will become holy. ¹⁰ That person must not try to put another animal in its place. He must not try to exchange it for something else. He must not try to exchange a good animal for a bad animal. And he must not exchange a bad animal for a good animal. If he tries to exchange animals, both animals will become holy.

¹¹ “‘Unclean animals cannot be offered as sacrifices to the Lord. Someone might bring one of them to the Lord. If he does, that animal must be brought to the priest. ¹² The priest will decide a price for the animal. The price will be according to whether the animal is good or bad. If the priest decides a price, that is the price for the animal. ¹³ If the person wants to buy back the animal, he must add an additional one-fifth to the price.

Value of a House

¹⁴ “‘A person might give his house as holy to the Lord. If he does, the priest must decide its value. The price will be according to whether the house is good or bad. If the priest decides a price, that is the price for the house. ¹⁵ But the person who gives the house might want to buy it back. If he does, he must add an additional one-fifth to the price. Then the house will belong to him again.

Value of Land

¹⁶ “‘A person might give part of his fields to the Lord. The value of those fields will depend on how much seed is needed to plant them. It will cost about one and one-fourth pounds of silver for each six bushels of barley seed needed. ¹⁷ The person might give his field at the year of Jubilee. Then its value will be what the priest decides. ¹⁸ But he might give his field after the Jubilee. If he does, the priest must decide the exact price. He must count the number of years to the next year of Jubilee. Then he will use that number to decide the exact price. ¹⁹ The person who gave the field might want to buy it back. If he does, he must add one-fifth to that price. Then the field will belong to him again.

²⁰ “‘If he does not buy back the field, it will always belong to the priest. If it is sold to someone else, the first person cannot buy it back. ²¹ But the person might not buy back the land. If he doesn’t, at the year of Jubilee, it will remain holy to the Lord. It will belong to the priest forever. It will become the property of the priests.

²² “‘Someone may give a field he has bought to the Lord. But it may not be a part of his family land. ²³ If he gives a field, the priest must count the years to the next Jubilee. He must decide the price for the land. Then that land will belong to the Lord. ²⁴ At the year of Jubilee, the land will go back to its first owner. It will go back to the family who sold the land.

²⁵ “‘You must use the measure as set by the Holy Place in paying these prices. It weighs two-fifths of an ounce.

Value of Animals

²⁶ “‘People may give cattle and sheep to the Lord. But if an animal is the first one born to its parent, it already belongs to the Lord. So people may not give these animals again. ²⁷ If the animal is unclean, the person must buy it back. The priest will decide the price of the animal. And the person must add one-fifth to that price. If he does not buy it back, the priest must sell it. He will sell it for the price he had decided.

²⁸ “‘There is a special kind of gift that people give to the Lord. It may be a person, animal or field from the family property. That gift cannot be bought back or sold. It is most holy to the Lord.

²⁹ “‘If a person is given for the purpose of being destroyed, he cannot be bought back. He must be put to death.

³⁰ “‘One-tenth of all crops belongs to the Lord. This includes the crops from fields and the fruit from trees. That one-tenth belongs to the Lord. ³¹ A person might want to get back his tenth. If he does, he must add one-fifth to its price and buy it back.

³² “‘The priest will take every tenth animal from a person’s cattle or sheep. It will belong to the Lord. ³³ The owner should not pick out the good animals from the bad. He should not exchange one animal for another. If he does exchange it, both animals will become holy. They cannot be bought back.’”

³⁴ These are the commands the Lord commanded at Mount Sinai. They are for the people of Israel.

The People of Israel Are Counted

1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Meeting Tent. This was in the Desert of Sinai. It was on the first day of the second month. This was in the second year after the people of Israel left Egypt. The Lord said to Moses: ² “Count all the people of Israel. List the name of each man with his family and family group. ³ You and Aaron must count all the men of Israel 20 years old or older. They will serve in the army of Israel. List them by their divisions. ⁴ One man from each tribe will help you. He is to be the leader of his family. ⁵ These are the names of the men who will help you:

¹⁶ All these men were chosen by the people to be leaders of their tribes. They were the leaders of their family groups.

¹⁷ Moses and Aaron took these men who had been picked. ¹⁸ And Moses and Aaron called all the people of Israel together. This was the first day of the second month. Then the people were listed by their families and family groups. All the men who were 20 years old or older were listed by name. ¹⁹ Moses did exactly what the Lord had commanded. Moses listed the people while they were in the Desert of Sinai.

²⁰ The tribe of Reuben was counted. Reuben was the first son born to Israel. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were each listed by name with their families and family groups. ²¹ The tribe of Reuben totaled 46,500 men.

²² The tribe of Simeon was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were each listed by name with their families and family groups. ²³ The tribe of Simeon totaled 59,300 men.

²⁴ The tribe of Gad was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ²⁵ The tribe of Gad totaled 45,650 men.

²⁶ The tribe of Judah was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ²⁷ The tribe of Judah totaled 74,600 men.

²⁸ The tribe of Issachar was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ²⁹ The tribe of Issachar totaled 54,400 men.

³⁰ The tribe of Zebulun was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ³¹ The tribe of Zebulun totaled 57,400 men.

³² The tribe of Ephraim was counted. (Ephraim was a son of Joseph.) All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ³³ The tribe of Ephraim totaled 40,500 men.

³⁴ The tribe of Manasseh was counted. (Manasseh was also a son of Joseph.) All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ³⁵ The tribe of Manasseh totaled 32,200 men.

³⁶ The tribe of Benjamin was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ³⁷ The tribe of Benjamin totaled 35,400 men.

³⁸ The tribe of Dan was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ³⁹ The tribe of Dan totaled 62,700 men.

⁴⁰ The tribe of Asher was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ⁴¹ The tribe of Asher totaled 41,500 men.

⁴² The tribe of Naphtali was counted. All the men 20 years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed by name with their families and family groups. ⁴³ The tribe of Naphtali totaled 53,400 men.

⁴⁴ Moses, Aaron and the 12 leaders of Israel counted these men. There was 1 leader from each of the families. ⁴⁵ Every man of Israel 20 years old or older who was able to serve in the army was counted. Each man was listed with his family. ⁴⁶ The total number of men was 603,550.

⁴⁷ The families from the tribe of Levi were not listed with the others. ⁴⁸ The Lord had told Moses: ⁴⁹ “Do not count the tribe of Levi or include them with the other Israelites. ⁵⁰ But make the Levites responsible for the Holy Tent of the Agreement. They must take care of it and everything that is with it. They must carry the Holy Tent and everything in it. They must take care of it and make their camp around it. ⁵¹ Any time the Holy Tent is moved, the Levites must take it down. Any time it is set up, the Levites must do it. If anyone else goes near the Holy Tent, he will be put to death. ⁵² The Israelites will make their camps in separate divisions, each man near his family flag. ⁵³ But the Levites must make their camp around the Holy Tent of the Agreement. Then I will not be angry with the Israelites. The Levites will take care of the Holy Tent of the Agreement.”

⁵⁴ So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses.

The Camp Arrangement

2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ² “The Israelites should make their camps around the Meeting Tent. But they should not camp too close to it. Each person should camp under the flag of his division near the banner of his family group.”

³ The camp of Judah will be on the east side, where the sun rises. They will camp by divisions there under their flag. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. ⁴ There are 74,600 men in his division.

⁵ Next to them the tribe of Issachar will camp. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. ⁶ There are 54,400 men in his division.

⁷ Next is the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. ⁸ There are 57,400 men in his division.

⁹ There are a total of 186,400 men in the camp of Judah. They are in their divisions. They will be the first to march out of camp.

¹⁰ The divisions of the camp of Reuben will be south of the Holy Tent. They will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. ¹¹ There are 46,500 men in his division.

¹² Next to them the tribe of Simeon will camp. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. ¹³ There are 59,300 men in his division.

¹⁴ Next is the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. ¹⁵ There are 45,650 men in his division.

¹⁶ There are a total of 151,450 men in the camp of Reuben. They are in their divisions. They will be the second group to march out of camp.

¹⁷ When the Levites move the Meeting Tent, they will be in between the other camps. The tribes will move in the same order as they camp. Each person will be with his family flag.

¹⁸ The divisions of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side. They will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. ¹⁹ There are 40,500 men in his division.

²⁰ Next to them the tribe of Manasseh will camp. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. ²¹ There are 32,200 men in his division.

²² Next to them the tribe of Benjamin will camp. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. ²³ There are 35,400 men in his division.

²⁴ There are a total of 108,100 men in the camp of Ephraim. They are in their divisions. They will be the third group to march out of camp.

²⁵ The divisions of the camp of Dan will be on the north side. They will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶ There are 62,700 men in his division.

²⁷ Next to them the tribe of Asher will camp. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. ²⁸ There are 41,500 men in his division.

²⁹ Next is the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. ³⁰ There are 53,400 men in his division.

³¹ There are 157,600 men in the camp of Dan. They will be the last to march out of camp. They will travel under their own flag.

³² These are the Israelites who were counted by families. The total number of Israelites in the camps, counted by divisions, is 603,550. ³³ Moses did not count the Levites among the other people of Israel. This is what the Lord had commanded.

³⁴ So the Israelites obeyed everything the Lord commanded Moses. They camped under their flags. Each person traveled with his family and family group.

Aaron’s Family, the Priests

3 This is the family history of Aaron and Moses. This was at the time the Lord talked to Moses on Mount Sinai.

² Aaron had four sons. Nadab was the oldest. Then Aaron had Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ³ Those were the names of Aaron’s sons. They were appointed to serve as priests. ⁴ But Nadab and Abihu died when they sinned in the presence of the Lord. They made an offering to the Lord in the Desert of Sinai. But they used the wrong kind of fire. They had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi to Aaron the priest. They must help him. ⁷ They will help him and all the Israelites at the Meeting Tent. They will do the work of the Holy Tent. ⁸ The Levites must take care of everything in the Meeting Tent. They will serve the people of Israel by doing the work in the Holy Tent. ⁹ Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. Of all the Israelites, the Levites are given completely to him. ¹⁰ Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who comes near the holy things must be put to death.”

¹¹ The Lord also said to Moses, ¹² “I am choosing the Levites from all the Israelites. They will take the place of all the firstborn children of Israel. The Levites will be mine. ¹³ All the firstborn are mine. When you were in Egypt, I killed all the firstborn children of the Egyptians. I took all the firstborn of Israel to be mine. Firstborn animals and children are mine. I am the Lord.”

¹⁴ The Lord again talked to Moses in the Desert of Sinai. The Lord said, ¹⁵ “Count the Levites by families and family groups. Count every male one month old or older.” ¹⁶ So Moses obeyed the Lord and counted them all.

¹⁷ Levi had three sons. Their names were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

¹⁸ The Gershonite family groups were Libni and Shimei.

¹⁹ The Kohathite family groups were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

²⁰ The Merarite family groups were Mahli and Mushi.

These were the family groups that belonged to the Levites.

²¹ The family groups of Libni and Shimei belonged to Gershon. They were all the Gershonite family groups. ²² They had 7,500 males one month or older. ²³ The Gershonite family groups camped on the west side, behind the Holy Tent. ²⁴ The leader of the families of Gershon was Eliasaph son of Lael. ²⁵ In the Meeting Tent the Gershonites were responsible for taking care of these things: the Holy Tent, its covering, the curtain at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, ²⁶ the curtains in the courtyard, the curtain at the entry to the courtyard around the Holy Tent and the altar, the ropes and all the work connected with these things.

²⁷ The family groups of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel belonged to Kohath. They were all the Kohathite family groups. ²⁸ They had 8,600 males one month old or older. They were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place. ²⁹ The Kohathite family groups camped south of the Holy Tent. ³⁰ The leader of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. ³¹ They were responsible for the Ark of the Covenant, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the tools of the holy place, the curtain and all the work connected with these things. ³² The main leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. Eleazar was in charge of all those responsible for the Holy Place.

³³ The family groups of Mahli and Mushi belonged to Merari. They were all the Merarite family groups. ³⁴ They had 6,200 males one month old or older. ³⁵ The leader of the Merari families was Zuriel son of Abihail. They were to camp north of the Holy Tent. ³⁶ The Merarites were responsible for the frame of the Holy Tent, the braces, the posts, the bases and all the work connected with these things. ³⁷ They were also responsible for the posts in the courtyard around the Holy Tent and their bases, tent pegs and ropes.

³⁸ Moses, Aaron and his sons camped east of the Holy Tent. They were in front of the Meeting Tent. They were responsible for the Holy Place. They did this for the Israelites. Anyone else who came near the Holy Place was to be put to death.

³⁹ Moses and Aaron counted the Levite men. The Lord commanded this. There were 22,000 males one month old or older.

Levites Take the Place of the Firstborn Sons

⁴⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn sons in Israel one month old or older. List their names. ⁴¹ Take the Levites for me instead of the firstborn sons of Israel. Take the animals of the Levites instead of the firstborn animals from the rest of Israel. I am the Lord.”

⁴² So Moses did what the Lord commanded. Moses counted all the firstborn sons of the Israelites. ⁴³ He listed all the firstborn sons one month old or older. There were 22,273 names.

⁴⁴ The Lord also said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites. And take the animals of the Levites instead of the animals of the other people. The Levites are mine. I am the Lord. ⁴⁶ There are 273 more firstborn sons than Levites. ⁴⁷ So collect two ounces of silver for each of the 273 sons. Use the measure as set by the Holy Place. It weighs two-fifths of an ounce. ⁴⁸ Give the silver to Aaron and his sons. It is the payment for the 273 Israelites.”

⁴⁹ So Moses collected the money for the people the Levites could not replace. ⁵⁰ Moses collected the silver from the firstborn of the Israelites. He collected 35 pounds of silver, using the measure set by the Holy Place. ⁵¹ So Moses obeyed the Lord. He gave the silver to Aaron and his sons.

The Jobs of the Kohath Family

4 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Count the Kohathites among the Levites. Count them by family groups and families. ³ Count the men from 30 to 50 years old. They will serve in the Meeting Tent.

⁴ “They are responsible for the most holy things in the Meeting Tent. ⁵ When the Israelites move, Aaron and his sons must go into the Holy Tent. They are to take down the curtain. Then they must cover the Ark of the Covenant with it. ⁶ Over this they must put a covering made from fine leather. Then they must spread the solid blue cloth over it. And they must put the poles in the rings on the Ark of the Covenant.

⁷ “Then they must spread a blue cloth over the table. This is the table for the bread that shows we are in God’s presence. They must put the plates, spoons, bowls and the jars for drink offerings on the table. They must leave the bread on the table. ⁸ Then they must put a red cloth over all of these things. They must cover everything with fine leather. Then they must put the poles in place.

⁹ “With a blue cloth they must cover the lampstand, its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays. They must cover all the jars for the oil used in the lamps. ¹⁰ Then they must wrap everything in fine leather. They must put all these things on a frame for carrying them.

¹¹ “They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar. Then they must cover it with fine leather. They must put its poles in place.

¹² “They must gather everything used for serving in the Holy Place. They must wrap them in a blue cloth. Then they must cover that with fine leather. They must put these things on a frame for carrying them.

¹³ “They must clean the ashes off the bronze altar. Then they must spread a purple cloth over it. ¹⁴ They must gather all the things used for serving at the altar. These are the pans for carrying the fire, meat forks, shovels and bowls. They must put them on the bronze altar. Then they must spread a covering of fine leather over it. They must put the carrying poles in the rings on the altar.

¹⁵ “When the camp is ready to move, have Aaron and his sons cover all the holy things. Then the Kohathites may go in and carry away those things. This way they won’t touch the holy things and die. It is the Kohathites’ job to carry the things that are in the Meeting Tent.

¹⁶ “Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, will be responsible for the Holy Tent. And he is responsible for everything in it: the oil for the lamp, the sweet-smelling incense, the continual grain offering and the oil used to appoint priests and things to the Lord’s service.”

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ¹⁸ “Don’t let the Kohathites be destroyed from the Levites. ¹⁹ Do this for the Kohathites. Then they may go near the Most Holy Place and not die. Aaron and his sons must go in and show each Kohathite what to do. And they must show each man what to carry. ²⁰ The Kohathites must not enter and look at the holy things, even for a second. If they do, they will die.”

The Jobs of the Gershon Family

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, ²² “Count the Gershonites by families and family groups. ²³ Count the men from 30 to 50 years old. Everyone has a job to do in the Meeting Tent.

²⁴ “This is what the Gershonite family groups must do and what they must carry. ²⁵ They must carry the pieces of cloth of the Holy Tent and Meeting Tent. They must also carry its covering and the covering made from fine leather. And they must carry the curtains for the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ²⁶ They must carry the curtains of the courtyard that goes around the Holy Tent and the altar. They must carry the curtain for the entry to the courtyard and the ropes and all the things used with the curtains. They must do everything connected with these things. ²⁷ Aaron and his sons are in charge of what the Gershonites do or carry. You tell them what they are responsible for carrying. ²⁸ This is the work of the Gershonite family group at the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.

The Jobs of the Merari Family

²⁹ “Count the Merarite families and family groups. ³⁰ Count the men from 30 to 50 years old. They will work at the Meeting Tent. ³¹ It is their job to carry the frame of the Meeting Tent, the crossbars, the posts and bases. ³² They must also carry the posts that go around the courtyard. They must carry the bases, tent pegs and ropes. And they must carry everything that is used with the poles around the courtyard. Tell each man exactly what to carry. ³³ This is the work the Merarites will do for the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.”

The Levite Families

³⁴ Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted the Kohathites by families and family groups. ³⁵ The men from 30 to 50 years old were to work at the Meeting Tent. ³⁶ The family group had 2,750 men. ³⁷ This was the total of the Kohath family group who worked at the Meeting Tent. Moses and Aaron counted them as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁸ Also, the Gershon family group was counted by families and family groups. ³⁹ The men from 30 to 50 years old were given work at the Meeting Tent. ⁴⁰ The families and family groups had 2,630 men. ⁴¹ This was the total of the Gershon family group who worked at the Meeting Tent. Moses and Aaron counted them as the Lord had commanded.

⁴² Also, the men in the families and family groups of the Merari family were counted. ⁴³ The men from 30 to 50 years old were to work at the Meeting Tent. ⁴⁴ The family group had 3,200 men. ⁴⁵ This was the total of the Merari family group. Moses and Aaron counted them as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁴⁶ So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites. They counted them by families and family groups. ⁴⁷ The men from 30 to 50 were given work at the Meeting Tent. They also carried the Tent. ⁴⁸ The total number of these men was 8,580. ⁴⁹ Each man was counted as the Lord had commanded Moses. Each man was given his work and told what to carry. This was as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Rules About Cleanliness

5 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the Israelites to send away from camp anyone with a harmful skin disease. Send away anyone who gives off body fluid. And send away anyone who has touched a dead body. ³ Send both men and women away from camp. Then they won’t spread the disease there. I am living among you.” ⁴ So Israel obeyed God’s command. They sent those people outside the camp as the Lord had told Moses.

Paying for Doing Wrong

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Tell the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman does something wrong to another person, that is really sinning against God. That person is guilty. ⁷ He must tell what he has done wrong. And he must fully pay for the wrong he has done. Then he must add one-fifth to it. And he must give it to the person he wronged. ⁸ But that person may be dead. That person may not have any close relatives to receive the payment. Then the one who did wrong owes the Lord. That person must pay the priest. The priest must sacrifice a male sheep to remove the wrong so that person will belong to God. ⁹ When an Israelite brings a holy gift, he should give it to the priest. ¹⁰ No one has to give these holy gifts. But if someone does give them, they belong to the priest.’”

Suspicious Husbands

¹¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹² “Tell the Israelites: ‘A man’s wife might be unfaithful to him. ¹³ She might commit adultery with another man. Her sin might be kept hidden from her husband. Her husband might not know about the wrong thing she did. Perhaps no one saw it, and she wasn’t caught. ¹⁴ But her husband might have feelings of jealousy whether she has sinned or not. ¹⁵ He then should take her to the priest. The husband must also take an offering for her. This offering will be two quarts of barley flour. He must not pour oil or incense on it. This is a grain offering for jealousy. It is to find out if she is guilty.

¹⁶ “‘The priest will bring in the woman and make her stand before the Lord. ¹⁷ He will take some holy water in a clay jar. Then he will put some dirt from the floor of the Holy Tent into the water. ¹⁸ The priest will make the woman stand before the Lord. Then he will loosen her hair. And he will hand her the grain offering for jealousy. He will hold the bitter water that brings a curse on her. ¹⁹ The priest will tell her what the oath says will happen to her. He will ask her, “Has another man committed adultery with you? Have you been unfaithful to your husband? If you haven’t, then this water that brings a curse won’t hurt you. ²⁰ But what if you have been unfaithful to your husband? What if you have committed adultery with a man besides your husband?” ²¹ The priest will tell her the curse that the oath will bring. He will say, “If you are guilty, the Lord will make the people curse you. Your stomach will get big, and you will not be able to have another baby. ²² This water that brings a curse will go inside you. Your stomach will get big, and you will not be able to have another baby.”

“‘The woman must say, “I agree.”

²³ “‘The priest should write these curses on a scroll. Then he should wash the words off into the water. ²⁴ Then he will make the woman drink the water that brings a curse. When she does, it may make her sick. ²⁵ Then the priest will take the grain offering for jealousy from her. He will present it before the Lord. Then he will bring it to the altar. ²⁶ Then the priest will take a handful of the grain. This is a memorial offering. He will burn it on the altar. After that he will make the woman drink the water. ²⁷ He will make her drink it to see if she is not pure. He will know if she has sinned against her husband. When it goes into her, her stomach may get big. And she may not be able to have another baby. Her people will turn against her. ²⁸ But if the woman has not sinned, she is pure. She is not guilty. She will be able to have more babies.

²⁹ “‘So this is the teaching about jealousy. This is what to do when a woman is unfaithful to her husband. ³⁰ It also should be done if the man gets jealous because he suspects his wife. The priest will have her stand before the Lord. Then he will do all these things. This is the teaching. ³¹ If the husband is right, the woman will suffer.’”

The Nazirites

6 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites: ‘A man or a woman might want to promise to belong to the Lord in a special way. This person will be called a Nazirite. ³ During this time, he must not drink wine or beer. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or beer. He must not even drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. ⁴ While he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine. He must not even eat the seeds or the skin.

⁵ “‘During the time he promised to belong to the Lord, he must not cut his hair. He must be holy until this special time is over. He must let his hair grow long. ⁶ During his special time of belonging to the Lord, a Nazirite must not go near a dead body. ⁷ Even if his own father, mother, brother or sister dies, he must not touch them. This would make him unclean. He must still keep his promise to belong to God in a special way. ⁸ While he is a Nazirite, he belongs to the Lord.

⁹ “‘If he is next to someone who dies suddenly, his hair has been made unclean. It was part of his promise. So he must shave his head seven days later to be clean. ¹⁰ Then on the eighth day, he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest. The priest will be at the entrance to the Holy Tent. ¹¹ The priest will offer one as a sin offering. He will offer the other as a burnt offering. This removes sin so the man will belong to God. He had sinned because he was near a dead body. That same day he will again promise to let his hair grow for the Lord. ¹² He must give himself to the Lord for another special time. He must bring a male lamb a year old. It will be a penalty offering. The days of the special time before don’t count. This is because he became unclean during his first special time.

¹³ “‘This is the teaching for a Nazirite. When the promised time is over, he must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. ¹⁴ There he will give his offerings to the Lord. He must offer a year-old male lamb as a burnt offering. It must have nothing wrong with it. He must also offer a year-old female lamb as a sin offering. There must be nothing wrong with it. And he must bring a male sheep for a fellowship offering. There must be nothing wrong with it. ¹⁵ He must also bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with them. And he must bring a basket of bread made without yeast. There must be loaves made with fine flour mixed with oil. And there must be wafers made without yeast spread with oil.

¹⁶ “‘The priest will give these offerings to the Lord. He will make the sin offering and the burnt offering. ¹⁷ Then he will kill the male sheep as a fellowship offering to the Lord. Along with it, he will present the basket of bread. He will also make the grain offering and the drink offering along with it.

¹⁸ “‘The Nazirite must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. There he must shave off his hair that he grew for his promise. The hair will be put in the fire that is under the sacrifice on the fellowship offering.

¹⁹ “‘After the Nazirite cuts off his hair, the priest will give him a boiled shoulder from the male sheep. From the basket he will also give him a loaf and a wafer. Both are made without yeast. ²⁰ Then the priest will present them to the Lord. This is an offering presented before the Lord. They are holy and belong to the priest. Also, he is to present the breast and the thigh from the male sheep to the Lord. They also belong to the priest. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

²¹ “‘This is the teaching for the Nazirite promise. If a person makes the Nazirite promise, he must give all of these gifts to the Lord. If he promised to do more, he must keep his promise. That is also the teaching of the Nazirite promise.’”

The Priests’ Blessings

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you should bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁷ “So Aaron and his sons will bless the Israelites with my name. And I will bless them.”

The Holy Tent

7 When Moses finished setting up the Holy Tent, he gave it for service to the Lord. Moses poured olive oil on the Tent and on everything used in the Tent. He also poured oil on the altar and all its tools. In this way he prepared them for service to the Lord. ² Then the leaders of Israel made offerings. These were the heads of the families and leaders of each tribe. They were the men who counted the people. ³ They brought to the Lord 6 covered carts and 12 oxen. Each leader gave an ox. Every two leaders gave a cart. They gave these to the Holy Tent.

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ⁵ “Accept these gifts from the leaders. Use them in the work of the Meeting Tent. Give them to the Levites as they need them.”

⁶ So Moses accepted the carts and the oxen. He gave them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave 2 carts and 4 oxen to the Gershonites. This is what they needed for their work. ⁸ Then Moses gave 4 carts and 8 oxen to the Merarites. This is what they needed for their work. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, directed the work of all of them. ⁹ Moses did not give any oxen or carts to the Kohathites. They were to carry the holy things on their shoulders. This was their job.

¹⁰ The oil was poured on the altar. Then the leaders brought their offerings to it to give to the Lord’s service. ¹¹ The Lord had already told Moses, “Each day one leader must bring his gift. The gifts will make the altar ready for service to me.”

^12-83 Each of the 12 leaders brought these gifts. Each leader brought 1 silver plate that weighed about 3¼ pounds. And each one brought 1 silver bowl that weighed about 1¾ pounds. These weights were set by the Holy Place measure. Each bowl and plate were filled with fine flour mixed with oil. This was for a grain offering. Each leader also brought a large gold dish that weighed about 4 ounces. It was filled with incense.

Each leader also brought 1 young bull, 1 male sheep and 1 male lamb a year old. These were for a burnt offering. Each leader also brought 1 male goat for a sin offering. Each leader brought 2 oxen, 5 male sheep, 5 male goats and 5 male lambs a year old. All of these were sacrificed for a fellowship offering.

On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Judah.

On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Issachar.

On the third day Eliab son of Helon brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Zebulun.

On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Reuben.

On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Simeon.

On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Gad.

On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Ephraim.

On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Manasseh.

On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Benjamin.

On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Dan.

On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Asher.

On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Naphtali.

⁸⁴ So these were the gifts from the Israelite leaders. Moses poured oil on the altar. And they brought their gifts to give the altar for service to the Lord. They brought 12 silver plates, 12 silver bowls and 12 gold dishes. ⁸⁵ Each silver plate weighed about 3¼ pounds. And each bowl weighed about 1¾ pounds. All the silver plates and silver bowls together weighed about 60 pounds. This weight was set by the Holy Place measure. ⁸⁶ The 12 gold dishes filled with incense weighed 4 ounces each. Together the gold dishes weighed about 3 pounds. ⁸⁷ The total number of animals for the burnt offering was 12 bulls, 12 male sheep and 12 male lambs a year old. There was also a grain offering. And there were 12 male goats for a sin offering. ⁸⁸ The total number of animals for the fellowship offering was 24 bulls, 60 male sheep, 60 male goats and 60 male lambs a year old. All these offerings were for giving the altar to the service of the Lord. This was after Moses had poured oil on it.

⁸⁹ Moses went into the Meeting Tent to speak with the Lord. He heard the Lord speaking to him. The voice was coming from between the two gold creatures with wings. They were above the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. And the Lord spoke with him.

The Lampstand

8 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘Put the seven lamps where they can light the area in front of the lampstand.’”

³ Aaron did this. He put the lamps so they lighted the area in front of the lampstand. He obeyed the command the Lord gave Moses. ⁴ The lampstand was made from hammered gold. It was gold from its base to the flowers. It was made exactly the way the Lord had showed Moses.

The Levites

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Take the Levites away from the other Israelites and make them clean. ⁷ This is what you should do to make them clean. Sprinkle the cleansing water on them. Have them shave their bodies and wash their clothes. Then they will be clean. ⁸ They must take a young bull and the grain offering that goes with it. The grain offering will be flour mixed with oil. Then take another young bull for a sin offering. ⁹ Bring the Levites to the front of the Meeting Tent. And gather all the Israelites around. ¹⁰ Bring the Levites before the Lord. Then the Israelites should put their hands on them.^{[a] 11} Aaron will present the Levites before the Lord. They will be like an offering presented from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do the work of the Lord.

¹² “The Levites will put their hands on the bulls’ heads. One bull will be a sin offering to the Lord. The other will be a burnt offering. This will remove the sins of the Levites so they will belong to God. ¹³ Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons. Then present the Levites as an offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ In this way you must set apart the Levites from the other Israelites. The Levites will be mine.