Study Desk

"Then the priest is to write these curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water.

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

The priest is to take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman's hand, wave the offering before the Lord , and bring it to the altar.

The priest is to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar. Then he will require the woman to drink the water.

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

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

"This is the law regarding jealousy when a wife goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband's authority,

or when a feeling of jealousy comes over a husband and he becomes jealous of his wife. He is to have the woman stand before the Lord , and the priest will apply this entire ritual to her.

The husband will be free of guilt, but that woman will bear the consequences of her guilt."

The Lord instructed Moses:

"Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow,^(a) to consecrate himself to^[a] the Lord ,

he is to abstain^[b] from wine and beer.^(b) He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from beer. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins.

He is not to eat anything produced by the grapevine, from seeds to skin,^[c] during his vow.

"You must not cut his hair^[d] throughout the time of his vow of consecration. He must be holy until the time is completed during which he consecrates himself to the Lord ; he is to let the hair of his head grow long.

He must not go near a dead body during the time he consecrates himself to the Lord .^(c)

He is not to defile himself for his father or mother, or his brother or sister, when they die, because the hair consecrated to his God is on his head.

He is holy to the Lord ^(d) during the time of consecration.

"If someone suddenly dies near him, defiling his consecrated head of hair, he must shave his head on the day of his purification; he is to shave it on the seventh day.^(e)

On the eighth day he is to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^(f)

The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering^(g) to make atonement on behalf of the Nazirite, since he sinned because of the corpse. On that day he must consecrate^[e] his head again.^(h)

He is to rededicate his time of consecration to the Lord and to bring a year-old male lamb as a restitution offering.⁽ⁱ⁾ But do not count the previous period, because his consecrated hair became defiled.

"This is the law of the Nazirite: On the day his time of consecration is completed, he must be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting.^(j)

He is to present an offering to the Lord ^(k) of one unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, one unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, one unblemished ram as a fellowship offering,^(l)

along with their grain offerings and drink offerings,^(m) and a basket of unleavened cakes made from fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers coated with oil.⁽ⁿ⁾

"The priest is to present these before the Lord and sacrifice the Nazirite's sin offering and burnt offering.

He will also offer the ram as a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord , together with the basket of unleavened bread. Then the priest will offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

"The Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair from his head, and put it on the fire under the fellowship sacrifice.

The priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands^(o) of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head.

The priest is to wave them as a presentation offering before the Lord .^(p) It is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution.^(q) After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

"This is the ritual of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the Lord for his consecration,^(r) in addition to whatever else he can afford; he must fulfill whatever vow he makes in keeping with the ritual for his consecration."

The Lord spoke to Moses:

"Tell Aaron and his sons how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

May Yahweh bless you and protect you;^(s)

may Yahweh make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;^(t)

may Yahweh look with favor on you^[f] and give you peace.^[g](u)

In this way they will pronounce My name over^[h] the Israelites, and I will bless them."

On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle,^(a) he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils. After he anointed and consecrated these things,

the leaders of Israel, the heads of their ancestral houses, presented an offering. They were the tribal leaders who supervised the registration.^(b)

They brought as their offering before the Lord six covered carts and 12 oxen, a cart from every two leaders and an ox from each one, and presented them in front of the tabernacle.

The Lord said to Moses,

"Accept these from them to be used in the work of the tent of meeting, and give this offering to the Levites, to each division according to their service."

So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites.

He gave the Gershonites two carts and four oxen corresponding to their service,^(c)

and gave the Merarites four carts and eight oxen corresponding to their service,^(d) under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since their responsibility was service related to the holy objects^(e) carried on their shoulders.^(f)

The leaders also presented the dedication gift for the altar when it was anointed.^(g) The leaders presented their offerings in front of the altar.

The Lord told Moses, "Each day have one leader present his offering for the dedication of the altar."^(h)

The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab⁽ⁱ⁾ from the tribe of Judah.

His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds^[a] and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds,^[b] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;^(j)

one gold bowl weighing four ounces,^[c] full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;^(k)

one male goat for a sin offering;^(l)

and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice.^(m) This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar,⁽ⁿ⁾ leader of Issachar, presented an offering.

As his offering, he presented one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds^[d] and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds,^[e] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

one gold bowl weighing four ounces,^[f] full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

one male goat for a sin offering;

and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

On the third day Eliab son of Helon,^(o) leader of the Zebulunites, presented an offering.

His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds^[g] and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds,^[h] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

one gold bowl weighing four ounces,^[i] full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

one male goat for a sin offering;

and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur,^(p) leader of the Reubenites, presented an offering.

His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds^[j] and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds,^[k] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

one gold bowl weighing four ounces,^[l] full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

one male goat for a sin offering;

and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai,^(q) leader of the Simeonites, presented an offering.

His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds^[m] and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds,^[n] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

one gold bowl weighing four ounces,^[o] full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

one male goat for a sin offering;

and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel,^[p](r) leader of the Gadites, presented an offering.

His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds^[q] and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds,^[r] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

one gold bowl weighing four ounces,^[s] full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

one male goat for a sin offering;

and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.^[t]

On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud,^(s) leader of the Ephraimites, presented an offering.

His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds^[u] and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds,^[v] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

one gold bowl weighing four ounces,^[w] full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

one male goat for a sin offering;

and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur,^(t) leader of the Manassites, presented an offering.

His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds^[x] and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds,^[y] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

one gold bowl weighing four ounces,^[z] full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

one male goat for a sin offering;

and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.