Numbers 7-8

Easy-to-Read Version

Dedicating the Holy Tent

7 Moses finished setting up the Holy Tent. On that day he dedicated it to God. Moses anointed the Tent and everything in it. He also anointed the altar and all the things used with it.

² Then the leaders of Israel gave offerings to God. These men were the heads of their families and leaders of their tribes. These were the same men who were in charge of counting the people. ³ These leaders brought gifts and gave them to the Lord in front of the Holy Tent. They brought six covered wagons and twelve oxen for pulling the wagons. Each leader gave an ox and joined with another leader to give a wagon.

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ⁵ “Accept these gifts from the leaders. These gifts can be used in the work of the Meeting Tent. Give them to the Levites to help them do their work.”

⁶ So Moses accepted the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two wagons and four oxen to the men in Gershon’s group. They needed the wagons and the oxen for their work. ⁸ Then Moses gave four wagons and eight oxen to the men in Merari’s group. They needed the wagons and oxen for their work. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest was responsible for the work of all these men. ⁹ Moses did not give any oxen or wagons to the men in Kohath’s group, because their job was to carry the holy things on their shoulders.

¹⁰ When Moses anointed the altar, the leaders brought offerings for its dedication. They gave their offerings to the Lord at the altar. ¹¹ The Lord told Moses, “Each day one leader must bring his gift for the dedication of the altar.”

^12-83 [a] Each of the twelve leaders brought these gifts:

Each leader brought one silver plate that weighed about 3 1/4 pounds.^[b] Each leader brought one silver bowl that weighed about 1 3/4 pounds.^[c] Both of these gifts were weighed by the official measure. The bowl and the plate were each filled with fine flour mixed with oil. This was to be used as a grain offering. Each leader also brought a large gold spoon that weighed about 4 ounces.^[d] The spoon was filled with incense.

Each leader also brought 1 young bull, 1 ram, and 1 male lamb a year old. These animals were for a burnt offering. Each leader also brought 1 male goat to be used as a sin offering. Each leader brought 2 cattle, 5 rams, 5 male goats, and 5 male lambs a year old. All of them were sacrificed for a fellowship offering.

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

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

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

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

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

On the sixth day, the leader of the tribe of Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel^[e] brought his gifts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁸⁴ So all these things were the gifts from the leaders of the Israelites. They brought them during the time that Moses dedicated the altar by anointing it. They brought 12 silver plates, 12 silver bowls, and 12 gold spoons. ⁸⁵ Each silver plate weighed about 3 1/4 pounds. And each bowl weighed about 1 3/4 pounds. The silver plates and the silver bowls together all weighed about 60 pounds,^[f] using the official measure. ⁸⁶ The 12 gold spoons filled with incense weighed 4 ounces each, using the official measure. The 12 gold spoons all together weighed about 3 pounds.^[g]

⁸⁷ The total number of animals for the burnt offering was 12 bulls, 12 rams, and 12 one-year-old male lambs. There were also the grain offerings that must be given with these offerings. And there were 12 male goats to be used for a sin offering. ⁸⁸ The leaders also gave animals to be killed and used as a fellowship offering. The total number of these animals was 24 bulls, 60 rams, 60 male goats, and 60 one-year-old male lambs. In this way they dedicated the altar after Moses anointed it.

⁸⁹ When Moses went into the Meeting Tent to speak to the Lord, he heard the Lord’s voice speaking to him. The voice was coming from the area between the two Cherub angels on the mercy-cover on top of the Box of the Agreement. In this way the Lord spoke to Moses.

The Lampstand

8 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps in the place I showed you. These lamps will light the area in front of the lampstand.”

³ Aaron did this. He put the lamps in the right place so that they lighted the area in front of the lampstand. He obeyed the command that the Lord gave Moses. ⁴ This is how the lampstand was made: It was made from hammered gold, all the way from the gold base at the bottom to the gold flowers at the top. It looked just like the pattern that the Lord had shown to Moses.

Dedicating the Levites

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Separate the Levites from the other Israelites. Make these Levites clean. ⁷ This is what you should do to make them clean: Sprinkle the special water from the sin offering^[h] on them. This water will make them clean. Then they must shave their bodies and wash their clothes. This will make their bodies clean.

⁸ “They must take a young bull and the grain offering that must be offered with it. This grain offering will be flour mixed with oil. Then take another young bull for a sin offering. ⁹ Bring the Levites to the area in front of the Meeting Tent. Then bring all the Israelites together at that place. ¹⁰ Bring the Levites before the Lord. The Israelites will put their hands on them.^{[i] 11} Aaron will give the Levites to the Lord as an offering from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do their special work for the Lord.

¹² “Tell the Levites to put their hands on the heads of the bulls. One bull will be a sin offering and the other bull will be used as a burnt offering to the Lord. These offerings will make the Levites pure. ¹³ Tell the Levites to stand in front of Aaron and his sons. Then give the Levites to the Lord. They will be like an offering. ¹⁴ This will make the Levites holy. They will be different from the other Israelites. The Levites will belong to me.

¹⁵ “So make the Levites pure and give them to the Lord as a special offering.^[j] After you do this, they can come and do their work at the Meeting Tent. ¹⁶ The Israelites will give me the Levites. They will belong to me. In the past I told every Israelite family to give me their firstborn son. But now I am taking the Levites in place of these firstborn sons from the other families in Israel. ¹⁷ Every firstborn in Israel—man or animal—is mine, because I killed all the firstborn children and animals in Egypt. And I chose to take the firstborn sons to belong to me. ¹⁸ But now I will take the Levites in their place. I will take the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons from the other families in Israel. ¹⁹ I chose the Levites from among all the Israelites. And I give them as gifts to Aaron and his sons. I want them to do the work at the Meeting Tent. They will serve for all the Israelites. They will help make the sacrifices that make the Israelites pure. Then no great sickness or trouble will come to the Israelites when they come near the holy place.”

²⁰ So Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites obeyed the Lord. They did with the Levites everything that the Lord commanded Moses. ²¹ The Levites washed themselves and their clothes. Then Aaron gave them to the Lord as special offerings. Aaron gave the offerings that covered their sins and made them pure. ²² After that the Levites came to the Meeting Tent to do their work. Aaron and his sons watched them. They were responsible for the work of the Levites. Aaron and his sons did what the Lord commanded Moses.

²³ Then the Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “This is a special command for the Levites: Every Levite man who is 25 years old or older must come and share in the work at the Meeting Tent. ²⁵ But when a man is 50 years old, he will retire from this hard work. ²⁶ Men who are at least 50 years old will be on duty to help their brothers, but they will not do the work themselves. That is what you must do for the Levites so that they can do their duty.”