The tabernacle stood finished. Moses had anointed it, sanctified it, and done the same for the altar and all its vessels. That same day, the princes of Israel—the heads of their fathers' houses, the men who had been numbered in the census—stepped forward with an oblation. They brought six covered wagons and twelve oxen: one wagon for every two princes, one ox for each prince. They presented these before the tabernacle, and the Lord told Moses to take them and give them to the Levites for the service of the tent of meeting, each man according to his assignment.
Moses distributed the wagons and oxen accordingly. To the sons of Gershon he gave two wagons and four oxen for their service. To the sons of Merari he gave four wagons and eight oxen, under the supervision of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because their service involved the sanctuary itself—they carried it on their shoulders.
Then the princes offered for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed. The Lord instructed Moses that each prince should present his oblation on his own day, one after another, for the dedication. So the offerings began, and they ran for twelve days, each prince bringing precisely the same set of items.
On the first day, Nahshon the son of Amminadab, prince of Judah, presented his oblation: one silver platter weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels (both full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering), one golden spoon weighing 10 shekels and full of incense, one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old for a burnt offering, one male goat for a sin offering, and for the peace offerings—two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old. That was Nahshon's offering.
On the second day, Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, offered the same: the same silver platter, silver bowl, golden spoon, the same animals for burnt offering, sin offering, and peace offerings. The text records the identical list without variation.
Day after day, the pattern held. On the third day, Eliab the son of Helon, prince of Zebulun. On the fourth, Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of Reuben. On the fifth, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of Simeon. On the sixth, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of Gad. On the seventh, Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of Ephraim. On the eighth, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of Manasseh. On the ninth, Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of Benjamin. On the tenth, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of Dan. On the eleventh, Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of Asher. On the twelfth, Ahira the son of Enan, prince of Naphtali. Every single offering was identical in weight, measure, and kind.
The chapter then sums the total dedication of the altar: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden spoons. The silver vessels weighed 2,400 shekels in total by the sanctuary shekel. The gold of the spoons weighed 120 shekels. The animals for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, twelve rams, twelve he-lambs a year old, plus their meal offerings, and twelve male goats for the sin offering. For the peace offerings, there were twenty-four bullocks, sixty rams, sixty he-goats, and sixty he-lambs a year old. That was the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.
And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the Voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. And the Lord spoke to him.