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Pentateuch · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Numbers 7

Israel's wilderness journey, rebellion, divine faithfulness, and preparation for the land.

Old Testament

Numbers 7

1On 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;

2the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, gave offerings. These were the princes of the tribes. These are they who were over those who were counted;

3and they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox. They presented them before the tabernacle.

4The LORD 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.”

6Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.

7He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.

8He 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.

9But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders.

10The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed. The princes gave their offerings before the altar.

11The LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.”

12He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah,

13and his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

14one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

15one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

16one male goat for a sin offering;

17and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

18On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, gave his offering.

19He offered for his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

20one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

21one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

22one male goat for a sin offering;

23and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

24On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun,

25gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

26one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

27one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

28one male goat for a sin offering;

29and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

30On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben,

31gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

32one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

33one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

34one male goat for a sin offering;

35and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

36On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon,

37gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

38one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

39one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

40one male goat for a sin offering;

41and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

42On the sixth day, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad,

43gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

44one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

45one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

46one male goat for a sin offering;

47and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

48On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim,

49gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

50one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

51one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

52one male goat for a sin offering;

53and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.

54On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh,

55gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

56one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

57one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

58one male goat for a sin offering;

59and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

60On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin,

61gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

62one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

63one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

64one male goat for a sin offering;

65and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

66On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan,

67gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

68one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

69one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

70one male goat for a sin offering;

71and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

72On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of the children of Asher,

73gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

74one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

75one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

76one male goat for a sin offering;

77and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.

78On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali,

79gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

80one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

81one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

82one male goat for a sin offering;

83and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.

84This was the dedication offering of the altar, on the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden ladles;

85each silver platter weighing one hundred thirty shekels, and each bowl seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary;

86the twelve golden ladles, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the ladles weighed one hundred twenty shekels;

87all the cattle for the burnt offering twelve bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs a year old twelve, and their meal offering; and twelve male goats for a sin offering;

88and all the cattle for the sacrifice of peace offerings: twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication offering of the altar, after it was anointed.

89When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, 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.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Israel's wilderness journey, rebellion, divine faithfulness, and preparation for the land. Read Numbers 7 within the complete Numbers overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Numbers 7

Numbers 7 contains 89 verses and about 1855 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “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…” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 89 closes: “When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard his voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from…” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include offering, male, shekels, five, silver, year. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Numbers 7

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Numbers 7:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer