Cleansing the Camps

¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

²“Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease,anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body.

³You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.”

⁴So the Israelites did this, sending such people outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses.

Confession and Restitution

⁵And the LORD said to Moses,

⁶“Tell the Israelites that when a man or woman acts unfaithfully against the LORD by committing any sin against another, that person is guilty

⁷and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution, add a fifth to its value, and give all this to the one he has wronged.

⁸But if the man has no relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest along with the ram of atonement, by which the atonement is made for him.

⁹Every sacred contribution the Israelites bring to the priest shall belong to him.

¹⁰Each man’s sacred gifts are his own, but whatever he gives to the priest will belong to the priest.”

The Adultery Test

¹¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹²“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him

¹³by sleeping with another man, and it is concealed from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she was not caught in the act),

¹⁴and if a feeling of jealousy comes over her husband and he suspects his wife who has defiled herself—or if a feeling of jealousy comes over him and he suspects her even though she has not defiled herself—

¹⁵then he is to bring his wife to the priest.He must also bring for her an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour.He is not to pour oil over it or put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, an offering of memorial as a reminder of iniquity.

¹⁶The priest is to bring the wife forward and have her stand before the LORD.

¹⁷Then he is to take some holy water in a clay jar and put some of the dust from the tabernacle floor into the water.

¹⁸After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse.

¹⁹And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.

²⁰But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority and have defiled yourself and lain carnally with a man other than your husband’—

²¹and the priest shall have the woman swear under the oath of the curse—‘then may the LORD make you an attested curse among your people by making your thigh shrivel and your belly swell.

²²May this water that brings a curse enter your stomach and cause your belly to swell and your thigh to shrivel.’Then the woman is to say, ‘Amen, Amen.’

²³And the priest shall write these curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water.

²⁴He is to have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and may cause her bitter suffering.

²⁵The priest shall take from her hand the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the LORD, and bring it to the altar.

²⁶Then the priest is to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar; after that he is to have the woman drink the water.

²⁷When he has made her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, her thigh will shrivel, and she will become accursed among her people.

²⁸But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will be unaffected and able to conceive children.

²⁹This is the law of jealousy when a wife goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband’s authority,

³⁰or when a feeling of jealousy comes over a husband and he suspects his wife. He is to have the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest is to apply to her this entire law.

³¹The husband will be free from guilt, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.”

The Sons of Aaron

¹This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

²These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

³These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

⁴Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorizedfire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

The Duties of the Levites

⁵Then the LORD said to Moses,

⁶“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.

⁷They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle.

⁸They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.

⁹Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to himfrom among the Israelites.

¹⁰So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”

¹¹Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹²“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,

¹³for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.”

The Numbering of the Levites

¹⁴Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying,

¹⁵“Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.”

¹⁶So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.

¹⁷These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁸These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.

¹⁹The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

²⁰And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families.

The Gershonites

²¹From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans.

²²The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500.

²³The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle,

²⁴and the leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.

²⁵The duties of the Gershonites at the Tent of Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its covering, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

²⁶the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, and the cords—all the service for these items.

The Kohathites

²⁷From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.

²⁸The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600.They were responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

²⁹The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,

³⁰and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphanson of Uzziel.

³¹Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.

³²The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

The Merarites

³³From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.

³⁴The number of all the males a month old or more was 6,200.

³⁵The leader of the families of the Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

³⁶The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items,

³⁷as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.

Moses and Aaron

³⁸Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

³⁹The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s command, including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000.

The Redemption of the Firstborn

⁴⁰Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites a month old or more, and list their names.

⁴¹You are to take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.”

⁴²So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him.

⁴³The total number of the firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.

⁴⁴Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

⁴⁵“Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites belong to Me; I am the LORD.

⁴⁶To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites,

⁴⁷you are to collect five shekelsfor each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs.

⁴⁸Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the excess among the Israelites.”

⁴⁹So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites.

⁵⁰He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels,according to the sanctuary shekel.

⁵¹And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the word of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

Purification after Childbirth

¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

²“Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation.

³And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.

⁴The woman shall continue in purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not touch anything sacred or go into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are complete.

⁵If, however, she gives birth to a daughter, the woman will be unclean for two weeks as she is during her menstruation. Then she must continue in purification from her bleeding for sixty-six days.

⁶When the days of her purification are complete, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.

⁷And the priest will present them before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be ceremonially cleansed from her flow of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or to a female.

⁸But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons,one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

Give Thanks to the LORD, for He Is Good

¹Hallelujah!Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;His loving devotion endures forever.

²Who can describe the mighty acts of the LORDor fully proclaim His praise?

³Blessed are those who uphold justice,who practice righteousness at all times.

⁴Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor to Your people;visit me with Your salvation,

⁵that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,and rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,and give glory with Your inheritance.

⁶We have sinned like our fathers;we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

⁷Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wondersor remember Your abundant kindness;but they rebelled by the sea,there at the Red Sea.

⁸Yet He saved them for the sake of His name,to make His power known.

⁹He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;He led them through the depths as through a desert.

¹⁰He saved them from the hand that hated them;He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

¹¹The waters covered their foes;not one of them remained.

¹²Then they believed His promisesand sang His praise.

¹³Yet they soon forgot His worksand failed to wait for His counsel.

¹⁴They craved intensely in the wildernessand tested God in the desert.

¹⁵So He granted their request,but sent a wasting disease upon them.

¹⁶In the camp they envied Moses,as well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.

¹⁷The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;it covered the assembly of Abiram.

¹⁸Then fire blazed through their company;flames consumed the wicked.

¹⁹At Horebthey made a calfand worshiped a molten image.

²⁰They exchanged their Gloryfor the image of a grass-eating ox.

²¹They forgot God their Savior,who did great things in Egypt,

²²wondrous works in the land of Ham,and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

²³So He said He would destroy them—had not Moses His chosen onestood before Him in the breachto divert His wrath from destroying them.

²⁴They despised the pleasant land;they did not believe His promise.

²⁵They grumbled in their tentsand did not listen to the voice of the LORD.

²⁶So He raised His hand and sworeto cast them down in the wilderness,

²⁷to dispersetheir offspring among the nationsand scatter them throughout the lands.

²⁸They yoked themselves to Baal of Peorand ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.

²⁹So they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,and a plague broke out among them.

³⁰But Phinehas stood and intervened,and the plague was restrained.

³¹It was credited to him as righteousnessfor endless generations to come.

³²At the waters of Meribahthey angered the LORD,and trouble came to Moses because of them.

³³For they rebelled against His Spirit,and Moses spoke rashly with his lips.

³⁴They did not destroy the peoplesas the LORD had commanded them,

³⁵but they mingled with the nationsand adopted their customs.

³⁶They worshiped their idols,which became a snare to them.

³⁷They sacrificed their sonsand their daughters to demons.

³⁸They shed innocent blood—the blood of their sons and daughters,whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,and the land was polluted with blood.

³⁹They defiled themselves by their actionsand prostituted themselves by their deeds.

⁴⁰So the anger of the LORD burned against His people,and He abhorred His own inheritance.

⁴¹He delivered them into the hand of the nations,and those who hated them ruled over them.

⁴²Their enemies oppressed themand subdued them under their hand.

⁴³Many times He rescued them,but they were bent on rebellionand sank down in their iniquity.

⁴⁴Nevertheless He heard their cry;He took note of their distress.

⁴⁵And He remembered His covenant with them,and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.

⁴⁶He made them objects of compassionto all who held them captive.

⁴⁷Save us, O LORD our God,and gather us from the nations,that we may give thanks to Your holy name,that we may glory in Your praise.

⁴⁸Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,from everlasting to everlasting.Let all the people say, “Amen!”Hallelujah!