The Wilderness Years

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with 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 a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

So these were the offerings from the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes.

Each silver platter weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each silver bowl seventy shekels. The total weight of the silver articles was two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. The total weight of the gold dishes was a hundred and twenty shekels.

All the livestock for the burnt offering totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old—together with their grain offerings—and twelve male goats for the sin offering.

All the livestock sacrificed for the peace offering totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.

When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony. Thus the LORD spoke to him.

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to Aaron and tell him: ‘When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.’”

And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps facing toward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

This is how the lampstand was constructed: it was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms, fashioned according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.

This is what you must do to cleanse them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.

Then have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.

Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel.

You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them.

Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.

And the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.

You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and then present them before the LORD as a wave offering.

In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me.

After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting.