Punishment for Disobedience (LEV 26:14-46)

[26:14] The Lord said, “If you will not obey my commands, you will be punished.

[26:15] If you refuse to obey my laws and commands and break the covenant I have made with you,

[26:16] I will punish you. I will bring disaster on you—incurable diseases and fevers that will make you blind and cause your life to waste away. You will plant your crops, but it will do you no good, because your enemies will conquer you and eat what you have grown.

[26:17] I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated, and those who hate you will rule over you; you will be so terrified that you will run when no one is chasing you.

[26:18] “If even after all of this you still do not obey me, I will increase your punishment seven times.

[26:19] I will break your stubborn pride; there will be no rain, and your land will be dry and as hard as iron.

[26:20] All your hard work will do you no good, because your land will not produce crops and the trees will not bear fruit.

[26:21] “If you still continue to resist me and refuse to obey me, I will again increase your punishment seven times.

[26:22] I will send dangerous animals among you, and they will kill your children, destroy your livestock, and leave so few of you that your roads will be deserted.

[26:23] “If after all of this punishment you still do not listen to me, but continue to defy me,

[26:24] then I will turn on you and punish you seven times harder than before.

[26:25] I will bring war on you to punish you for breaking our covenant, and if you gather in your cities for safety, I will send incurable diseases among you, and you will be forced to surrender to your enemies.

[26:26] I will cut off your food supply, so that ten women will need only one oven to bake all the bread they have. They will ration it out, and when you have eaten it all, you will still be hungry.

[26:27] “If after all of this you still continue to defy me and refuse to obey me,

[26:28] then in my anger I will turn on you and again make your punishment seven times worse than before.

[26:29] Your hunger will be so great that you will eat your own children.

[26:30] 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

[26:31] I will turn your cities into ruins, destroy your places of worship, and refuse to accept your sacrifices.

[26:32] I will destroy your land so completely that the enemies who occupy it will be shocked at the destruction.

[26:33] I will bring war on you and scatter you in foreign lands. Your land will be deserted, and your cities left in ruins.

[26:36] “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.

[26:37] You will stumble over one another when no one is chasing you, and you will be unable to fight against any enemy.

[26:38] You will die in exile, swallowed up by the land of your enemies.

[26:39] 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.

[26:40] “But your descendants will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors, who resisted me and rebelled against me,

[26:41] 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,

[26:42] 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.

[26:43] 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.

[26:44] 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.

[26:45] 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.”

[26:46] 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 (LEV 27:1-34)

[27:1] The Lord gave Moses

[27:2] 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, – –adult male, twenty to sixty years old: 50 pieces of silver – –adult female: 30 pieces of silver – –young male, five to twenty years old: 20 pieces of silver – –young female: 10 pieces of silver – –infant male under five: 5 pieces of silver – –infant female: 3 pieces of silver – –male above sixty years of age: 15 pieces of silver – –female above sixty: 10 pieces of silver

[27:8] 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.

[27:9] If your vow concerns an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the Lord, then every gift made to the Lord is sacred,

[27:10] and you may not substitute another animal for it. If you do, both animals belong to the Lord.

[27:11] 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.

[27:12] The priest shall set a price for it, according to its good or bad qualities, and the price will be final.

[27:13] If you wish to buy it back, you must pay the price plus an additional 20 percent.

[27:14] 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.

[27:15] If you wish to buy your house back, you must pay the price plus an additional 20 percent.

[27:16] 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.

[27:17] If you dedicate the land immediately after a Year of Restoration, the full price applies.

[27:18] 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.

[27:19] If you wish to buy your field back, you must pay the price plus an additional 20 percent.

[27:20] If you sell the field to someone else without first buying it back from the Lord, you lose the right to buy it back.

[27:21] At the next Year of Restoration the field will become the Lord's permanent property; it shall belong to the priests.

[27:22] If you dedicate to the Lord a field that you have bought,

[27:23] 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.

[27:24] At the Year of Restoration the field shall be returned to the original owner or to the descendants.

[27:25] All prices shall be set according to the official standard.

[27:26] 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,

[27:27] 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.

[27:28] None of you may sell or buy back what you have unconditionally dedicated to the Lord, whether it is a human being, an animal, or land. It belongs permanently to the Lord.

[27:29] Not even human beings who have been unconditionally dedicated may be bought back; they must be put to death.

[27:30] One tenth of all the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the Lord.

[27:31] If you wish to buy any of it back, you must pay the standard price plus an additional 20 percent.

[27:32] One of every ten domestic animals belongs to the Lord. When the animals are counted, every tenth one belongs to the Lord.

[27:33] 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.

[27:34] These are the commands that the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the people of Israel.

The First Census of Israel (NUM 1:1-54)

[1:1] 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,

[1:2] “You and Aaron are to take a census of the people of Israel by clans and families. List the names of all the men

[1:3] twenty years old or older who are fit for military service.

[1:4] Ask one clan chief from each tribe to help you.”

[1:17] With the help of these twelve men Moses and Aaron

[1:18] 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,

[1:19] as the Lord had commanded. In the Sinai Desert, Moses registered the people.

[1:47] The Levites were not registered with the other tribes,

[1:48] because the Lord had said to Moses,

[1:49] “When you take a census of the men fit for military service, do not include the tribe of Levi.

[1:50] 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.

[1:51] 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.

[1:52] The rest of the Israelites shall set up camp, company by company, each man with his own group and under his own banner.

[1:53] 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.”

[1:54] So the people of Israel did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Arrangement of the Tribes in Camp (NUM 2:1-34)

[2:1] The Lord gave Moses and Aaron the following instructions.

[2:2] 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. The division of Judah shall march first. The division of Reuben shall march second.

[2:17] 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. The division of Ephraim shall march third. The division of Dan shall march last.

[2:32] The total number of the people of Israel enrolled in the divisions, group by group, was 603,550.

[2:33] As the Lord had commanded Moses, the Levites were not registered with the rest of the Israelites.

[2:34] 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 (NUM 3:1-4)

[3:1] This is the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.

[3:2] Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

[3:3] They were anointed and ordained as priests,

[3:4] 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 (NUM 3:5-11)

[3:5] The Lord said to Moses,

[3:6] “Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest.

[3:7] They shall do the work required for the Tent of my presence and perform duties for the priests and for the whole community.

[3:8] They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites.

[3:9] The only responsibility the Levites have is to serve Aaron and his sons.

[3:10] 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.”

[3:11] The Lord said to Moses,

The Census of the Levites (NUM 3:14-39)

[3:14] In the Sinai Desert the Lord commanded Moses

[3:15] to register the Levites by clans and families, enrolling every male a month old or older,

[3:16] and Moses did so.

[3:21] The clan of Gershon was composed of the families of Libni and Shimei.

[3:22] The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 7,500.

[3:23] This clan was to camp on the west behind the Tent,

[3:24] with Eliasaph son of Lael as chief of the clan.

[3:25] They were responsible for the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the curtain for the entrance,

[3:26] 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.

[3:27] The clan of Kohath was composed of the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

[3:28] The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 8,600.

[3:29] This clan was to camp on the south side of the Tent,

[3:30] with Elizaphan son of Uzziel as chief of the clan.

[3:31] 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.

[3:32] 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.

[3:33] The clan of Merari was composed of the families of Mahli and Mushi.

[3:34] The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 6,200.

[3:35] This clan was to camp on the north side of the Tent, with Zuriel son of Abihail as chief of the clan.

[3:36] 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.

[3:37] They were also responsible for the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes for the outer court.

[3:38] 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.

[3:39] 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 (NUM 3:42-51)

[3:42] Moses obeyed, and registered all the first-born males

[3:43] one month old or older; the total was 22,273.

[3:44] The Lord said to Moses,

[3:45] “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.

[3:46] Since the first-born Israelite sons outnumber the Levites by 273, you must buy back the extra sons.

[3:47] For each one pay five pieces of silver, according to the official standard,

[3:48] and give this money to Aaron and his sons.”

[3:49] Moses obeyed and took

[3:50] the 1,365 pieces of silver

[3:51] and gave them to Aaron and his sons.

The Duties of the Levite Clan of Kohath (NUM 4:1-20)

[4:1] The Lord told Moses

[4:2] to take a census of the Levite clan of Kohath by subclans and families,

[4:3] 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.

[4:4] Their service involves the most holy things.

[4:5] 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.

[4:6] They shall put a fine leather cover over it, spread a cloth of solid blue on top, and then insert the carrying poles.

[4:7] 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.

[4:8] They shall spread a red cloth over all of this, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles.

[4:9] They shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand, with its lamps, tongs, trays, and all the olive oil containers.

[4:10] They shall wrap it and all its equipment in a fine leather cover and place it on a carrying frame.

[4:11] Next they shall spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles.

[4:12] 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.

[4:13] They shall remove the greasy ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

[4:14] 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.

[4:15] 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.

[4:16] 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.

[4:17] The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

[4:18] “Do not let the clan of Kohath

[4:19] 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.

[4:20] But if the Kohathites enter the Tent and see the priests preparing the sacred objects for moving, they will die.”

The Duties of the Levite Clan of Gershon (NUM 4:21-28)

[4:21] The Lord told Moses

[4:22] to take a census of the Levite clan of Gershon by subclans and families,

[4:23] 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.

[4:24] They shall be responsible for carrying the following objects:

[4:25] the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the fine leather cover on top of it, the curtain for the entrance,

[4:26] 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.

[4:27] 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.

[4:28] 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.