21. יהוה spoke to Moses , saying,
22. “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses, by their families;
23. From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shall you number them; all who enter in to wait on the service, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.
24. This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens:
25. They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above on it, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,
26. And the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatever shall be done with them. Therein shall they serve.
27. At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden, and in all their service; and you shall appoint to them in charge all their burden.
28. This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the Tent of Meeting: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29. “As for the sons of Merari , you shall number them by their families, by their fathers’ houses;
30. From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old shall you number them, everyone who enters on the service, to do the work of the Tent of Meeting.
31. This is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,
32. And the pillars of the court around it, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name you shall appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden.
33. This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari , according to all their service, in the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
34. Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,
35. From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting.
36. Those who were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred fifty.
37. These are those who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of יהוה by Moses .
38. Those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon , their families, and by their fathers’ houses,
39. From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,
40. Even those who were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty.
41. These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon , all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of יהוה .
42. Those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari , by their families, by their fathers’ houses,
43. From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,
44. Even those who were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred.
45. These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari , whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of יהוה by Moses .
46. All those who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,
47. From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the Tent of Meeting,
48. Even those who were numbered of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty.
49. According to the commandment of יהוה they were numbered by Moses , everyone according to his service, and according to his burden. Thus were they numbered by him, as יהוה commanded Moses .
Chapter 5
1. יהוה spoke to Moses , saying,
2. “Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, and everyone who has an issue, and whoever is unclean by the dead.
3. Both male and female shall you put out, outside of the camp shall you put them; that they not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.”
4. The children of Israel did so, and put them out outside of the camp; as יהוה spoke to Moses , so did the children of Israel.
5. יהוה spoke to Moses , saying,
6. “Speak to the children of Israel: When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against יהוה , and that soul is guilty;
7. Then he shall confess his sin which he has done, and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add to it the fifth part of it, and give it to him in respect of whom he has been guilty.
8. But if the man has no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made to יהוה shall be the priest’s; besides the ram of the atonement, by which atonement shall be made for him.
9. Every heave offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present to the priest, shall be his.
10. Every man’s holy things shall be his: whatever any man gives the priest, it shall be his.”
11. יהוה spoke to Moses , saying,
12. “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: If any man’s wife goes astray, and is unfaithful to him,
13. And a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and is kept close, and she is defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she isn’t taken in the act;
14. And the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she is defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she isn’t defiled:
15. Then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering for her: the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to memory.
16. The priest shall bring her near, and set her before יהוה ;
17. And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water.
18. The priest shall set the woman before יהוה , and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal offering of jealousy. The priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings a curse.
19. The priest shall cause her to swear, and shall tell the woman, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you haven’t gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse.
20. But if you have gone astray, being under your husband, and if you are defiled, and some man has lain with you besides your husband:’
21. Then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall tell the woman, ‘ יהוה make you a curse and an oath among your people, when יהוה allows your thigh to fall away, and your body to swell;
22. And this water that brings a curse will go into your bowels, and make your body swell, and your thigh fall away.’ The woman shall say, ‘Amen, Amen.’
23. “The priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness.
24. He shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causes the curse; and the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter.
25. The priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the meal offering before יהוה , and bring it to the altar.
26. The priest shall take a handful of the meal offering, as the memorial of it, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.
27. When he has made her drink the water, then it shall happen, if she is defiled, and has committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causes the curse will enter into her and become bitter, and her body will swell, and her thigh will fall away: and the woman will be a curse among her people.
28. If the woman isn’t defiled, but is clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
29. “This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, and is defiled;
30. Or when the spirit of jealousy comes on a man, and he is jealous of his wife; then he shall set the woman before יהוה , and the priest shall execute on her all this law.
31. The man shall be free from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.”
Chapter 6
1. יהוה spoke to Moses , saying,
2. “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to יהוה ,
3. He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.
4. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.
5. “All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come on his head, until the days are fulfilled, in which he separates himself to יהוה . He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
6. All the days that he separates himself to יהוה he shall not go near a dead body.
7. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his separation to God is on his head.
8. All the days of his separation he is holy to יהוה .
9. “If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it.
10. On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting.
11. The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall make his head holy that same day.
12. He shall separate to יהוה the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.
13. “This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting,
14. And he shall offer his offering to יהוה , one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings,
15. And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings.
16. The priest shall present them before יהוה , and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering.
17. He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to יהוה , with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering, and its drink offering.
18. The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
19. The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the head of his separation;
20. And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before יהוה . This is holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.
21. “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows, and of his offering to יהוה for his separation, besides that which he is able to get. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.”
22. יהוה spoke to Moses , saying,
23. “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,
24. ‘ יהוה bless you, and keep you.
25. יהוה make his face to shine on you, And be gracious to you.
26. יהוה lift up his face toward you, And give you peace.’
27. “So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
Chapter 7
1. It happened on the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, with all its furniture, and the altar with all its vessels, and had anointed and sanctified them;
2. That the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, offered. These were the princes of the tribes. These are they who were over those who were numbered:
3. And they brought their offering before יהוה , six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they presented them before the tabernacle.
4. יהוה spoke to Moses , saying,
5. “Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the service of the Tent of Meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”
6. Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.
7. He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon , according to their service:
8. And he gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari , according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
9. But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders.
10. The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes gave their offerings before the altar.
11. יהוה said to Moses , “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.”
12. He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab , of the tribe of Judah,
13. And his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
14. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
15. One young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
16. One male goat for a sin offering;
17. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab .
18. On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, gave his offering.
19. He offered for his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
20. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
21. One young bull,one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
22. One male goat for a sin offering;
23. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.
24. On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun
25. Gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
26. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
27. One young bull,one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
28. One male goat for a sin offering;
29. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.
30. On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben
31. Gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
32. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
33. One young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
34. One male goat for a sin offering;
35. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
36. On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon
37. Gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
38. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
39. One young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
40. One male goat for a sin offering;
41. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
42. On the sixth day, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad
43. Gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
44. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
45. One young bull,one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
46. One male goat for a sin offering;
47. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
48. On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim
49. Gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
50. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
51. One young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
52. One male goat for a sin offering;
53. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.
54. On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh
55. Gave his offering:one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
56. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
57. One young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
58. One male goat for a sin offering;
59. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
60. On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin
61. Gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
62. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
63. One young bull,one ram,one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
64. One male goat for a sin offering;
65. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and fivemale lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.
66. On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan
67. Gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
68. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
69. One young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
70. One male goat for a sin offering;
71. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
72. On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of the children of Asher
73. Gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
74. One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
75. One young bull,one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
76. One male goat for a sin offering;
77. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.
78. On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali
79. Gave his offering:one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
80. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;
81. One young bull,one ram,one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
82. One male goat for a sin offering;
83. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and fivemale lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.
84. This was the dedication of the altar, on the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden ladles;
85. Each silver platter weighing one hundred thirty shekels, and each bowl seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary;
86. The twelve golden ladles, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the ladles weighed one hundred twenty shekels;
87. All the oxen for the burnt offering twelve bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs a year old twelve, and their meal offering; and the male goats for a sin offering twelve;
88. And all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, the male lambs a year old sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after it was anointed.
89. When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with יהוה , he heard his voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spoke to him.
Haftarah - Judges 13:2-13:25
2. There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.
3. יהוה ’s angel appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren and childless; but you shall conceive, and bear a son.
4. Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing:
5. For, behold, you shall conceive, and give birth to a son. No razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
6. Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me, and his face was like the face of the angel of God, very awesome; and I didn’t ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name;
7. But he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”
8. Then Manoah entreated יהוה , and said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us, and teach us what we should do to the child who shall be born.”
9. God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field, but Manoah, her husband, wasn’t with her.
10. The woman hurried and ran, and told her husband, and said to him, “Behold, the man who came to me that day has appeared to me,”
11. Manoah arose, and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” He said, “I am.”
12. Manoah said, “Now let your words happen. What shall the child’s way of life and mission be?”
13. יהוה ’s angel said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her beware.
14. She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. Let her observe all that I commanded her.”
15. Manoah said to יהוה ’s angel, “Please stay with us, that we may make a young goat ready for you.”
16. יהוה ’s angel said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I won’t eat your bread. If you will prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to יהוה .” For Manoah didn’t know that he was יהוה ’s angel.
17. Manoah said to יהוה ’s angel, “What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?”
18. יהוה ’s angel said to him, “Why do you ask about my name, since it is incomprehensible?”
19. So Manoah took the young goat with the meal offering, and offered it on the rock to יהוה . Then the angel did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched.
20. For when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar, יהוה ’s angel ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife watched; and they fell on their faces to the ground.
21. But יהוה ’s angel didn’t appear to Manoah or to his wife any more. Then Manoah knew that he was יהוה ’s angel.
22. Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”
23. But his wife said to him, “If יהוה were pleased to kill us, he wouldn’t have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, and he wouldn’t he have shown us all these things, nor would he have told us such things as these at this time.”
24. The woman bore a son, and named him Samson. The child grew, and יהוה blessed him.
25. יהוה ’s Spirit began to move him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Etz Chaim
It is a tree of life for those who cling to it,
and those who uphold it are happy.
Its ways are pleasant and all of its paths
are peaceful.
Return us to you, Lord, so that we shall return,
Renew our days as of old.