The Guilt Offering

¹“Now this is the law of the guilt offering, which is most holy:

²The guilt offering must be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and the priest shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.

³And all the fat from it shall be offered: the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,

⁴both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys.

⁵The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering to the LORD; it is a guilt offering.

⁶Every male among the priests may eat of it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

⁷The guilt offering is like the sin offering; the same law applies to both. It belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.

⁸As for the priest who presents a burnt offering for anyone, the hide of that offering belongs to him.

⁹Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in an oven or cooked in a panor on a griddlebelongs to the priest who presents it,

¹⁰and every grain offering, whether dry or mixed with oil, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.

The Peace Offering

¹¹Now this is the law of the peace offering that one may present to the LORD:

¹²If he offers it in thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.

¹³Along with his peace offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of leavened bread.

¹⁴From the cakes he must present one portion of each offering as a contribution to the LORD. It belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering.

¹⁵The meat of the sacrifice of his peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day he offers it; none of it may be left until morning.

¹⁶If, however, the sacrifice he offers is a vow or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, but the remainder may be eaten on the next day.

¹⁷But any meat of the sacrifice remaining until the third day must be burned up.

¹⁸If any of the meat from his peace offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who presented it; it shall be an abomination, and the one who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

¹⁹Meat that touches anything unclean must not be eaten; it is to be burned up. As for any other meat, anyone who is ceremonially clean may eat it.

²⁰But if anyone who is unclean eats meat from the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.

²¹If one touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean, detestable thing, and then eats any of the meat of the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.”

Fat and Blood Forbidden

²²Then the LORD said to Moses,

²³“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘You are not to eat any of the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat.

²⁴The fat of an animal found dead or mauled by wild beasts may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it.

²⁵If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be presented to the LORD, the one who eats it must be cut off from his people.

²⁶You must not eat the blood of any bird or animal in any of your dwellings.

²⁷If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.’”

The Priests’ Portion

²⁸Then the LORD said to Moses,

²⁹“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Anyone who presents a peace offering to the LORD must bring it as his sacrifice to the LORD.

³⁰With his own hands he is to bring the food offerings to the LORD; he shall bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast as a wave offering before the LORD.

³¹The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.

³²And you are to give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from your peace offering.

³³The son of Aaron who presents the blood and fat of the peace offering shall have the right thigh as a portion.

³⁴I have taken from the sons of Israel the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as a permanent portion from the sons of Israel.’”

³⁵This is the portion of the food offerings to the LORD for Aaron and his sons since the day they were presented to serve the LORD as priests.

³⁶On the day they were anointed, the LORD commanded that this be given them by the sons of Israel. It is a permanent portion for the generations to come.

³⁷This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the peace offering,

³⁸which the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai on the day He commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai.

The Altar of Incense

¹“You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.

²It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high.Its horns must be of one piece.

³Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.

⁴And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.

⁵Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

⁶Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.

⁷And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.

⁸When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight,he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.

⁹On this altar you must not offer unauthorizedincense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.

¹⁰Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offeringof atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”

The Census Offering

¹¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹²“When you take a census of the Israelites to number them, each man must pay the LORD a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will come upon them when they are numbered.

¹³Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel,according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.

¹⁴Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.

¹⁵In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.

¹⁶Take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to make atonement for your lives.”

The Bronze Basin

¹⁷And the LORD said to Moses,

¹⁸“You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it,

¹⁹with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.

²⁰Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.

²¹Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

The Anointing Oil

²²Then the LORD said to Moses,

²³“Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh,half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon,250 shekels of fragrant cane,

²⁴500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.

²⁵Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.

²⁶Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,

²⁷the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,

²⁸the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.

²⁹You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

³⁰Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.

³¹And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.

³²It must not be used to anoint an ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.

³³Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

³⁴The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,

³⁵and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

³⁶Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimonyin the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

³⁷You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.

³⁸Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”

The Duties of the Kohathites

¹Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

²“Take a census of the Kohathites among the Levites by their clans and families,

³men from thirty to fifty years old—everyone who is qualified to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

⁴This service of the Kohathites at the Tent of Meeting regards the most holy things.

⁵Whenever the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the veil of the curtain, and cover the ark of the Testimonywith it.

⁶They are to place over this a covering of fine leather,spread a solid blue cloth over it, and insert its poles.

⁷Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and place the plates and cups on it, along with the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The regular bread offering is to remain on it.

⁸And they shall spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover them with fine leather, and insert the poles.

⁹They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand used for light, together with its lamps, wick trimmers, and trays, as well as the jars of oil with which to supply it.

¹⁰Then they shall wrap it and all its utensils inside a covering of fine leather and put it on the carrying frame.

¹¹Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth, cover it with fine leather, and insert the poles.

¹²They are to take all the utensils for serving in the sanctuary, place them in a blue cloth, cover them with fine leather, and put them on the carrying frame.

¹³Then they shall remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it,

¹⁴and place on it all the vessels used to serve there: the firepans, meat forks, shovels, and sprinkling bowls—all the equipment of the altar. They are to spread over it a covering of fine leather and insert the poles.

¹⁵When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁶Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall oversee the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He has oversight of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including the holy objects and their utensils.”

¹⁷Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

¹⁸“Do not allow the Kohathite tribal clans to be cut off from among the Levites.

¹⁹In order that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go in and assign each man his task and what he is to carry.

²⁰But the Kohathites are not to go in and look at the holy objects, even for a moment, or they will die.”

The Duties of the Gershonites

²¹And the LORD said to Moses,

²²“Take a census of the Gershonites as well, by their families and clans,

²³from thirty to fifty years old, counting everyone who comes to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

²⁴This is the service of the Gershonite clans regarding work and transport:

²⁵They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting with the covering of fine leather over it, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

²⁶the curtains of the courtyard, and the curtains for the entrance at the gate of the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, along with their ropes and all the equipment for their service. The Gershonites will do all that needs to be done with these items.

²⁷All the service of the Gershonites—all their transport duties and other work—is to be done at the direction of Aaron and his sons; you are to assign to them all that they are responsible to carry.

²⁸This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting, and their duties shall be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

The Duties of the Merarites

²⁹As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their clans and families,

³⁰from thirty to fifty years old, counting everyone who comes to serve in the work of the Tent of Meeting.

³¹This is the duty for all their service at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of the tabernacle with its crossbars, posts, and bases,

³²and the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes, including all their equipment and everything related to their use. You shall assign by name the items that they are responsible to carry.

³³This is the service of the Merarite clans according to all their work at the Tent of Meeting, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”

The Numbering of the Levite Clans

³⁴So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the Kohathites by their clans and families,

³⁵everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

³⁶And those numbered by their clans totaled 2,750.

³⁷These were counted from the Kohathite clans, everyone who could serve at the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron numbered them according to the command of the LORD through Moses.

³⁸Then the Gershonites were numbered by their clans and families,

³⁹everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

⁴⁰And those numbered by their clans and families totaled 2,630.

⁴¹These were counted from the Gershonite clans who served at the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the LORD’s command.

⁴²And the Merarites were numbered by their clans and families,

⁴³everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

⁴⁴The men registered by their clans numbered 3,200.

⁴⁵These were counted from the Merarite clans, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the LORD’s command through Moses.

⁴⁶So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered by their clans and families all the Levites

⁴⁷from thirty to fifty years old who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting.

⁴⁸And the number of men was 8,580.

⁴⁹At the LORD’s command through Moses they were numbered, and each one was assigned his work and burden, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Sing for Joy to God Our Strength

¹Sing for joy to God our strength;make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.

²Lift up a song, strike the tambourine,play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.

³Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.

⁴For this is a statute for Israel,an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

⁵He ordained it as a testimony for Josephwhen he went out over the land of Egypt,where I heard an unfamiliar language:

⁶“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;his hands were freed from the basket.

⁷You called out in distress, and I rescued you;I answered you from the cloud of thunder;I tested you at the waters of Meribah.Selah

⁸Hear, O My people, and I will warn you:O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!

⁹There must be no strange god among you,nor shall you bow to a foreign god.

¹⁰I am the LORD your God,who brought you up out of Egypt.Open wide your mouth,and I will fill it.

¹¹But My people would not listen to Me,and Israel would not obey Me.

¹²So I gave them up to their stubborn heartsto follow their own devices.

¹³If only My people would listen to Me,if Israel would follow My ways,

¹⁴how soon I would subdue their enemiesand turn My hand against their foes!

¹⁵Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience,and their doom would last forever.

¹⁶But I would feed you the finest wheat;with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”