The tabernacle stood finished. Moses had anointed it, sanctified it, and all its furniture, the altar, and all its vessels. The work was complete. Then the princes of Israel—the heads of their fathers' houses, the same men who had overseen the registration—came forward with an offering. They brought six covered wagons and twelve oxen: a wagon for every two princes, and an ox for each one. They presented them before the tabernacle.
The Lord spoke to Moses: “Take it from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.” So Moses took the wagons and the oxen and distributed them. To the sons of Gershon he gave two wagons and four oxen, according to their service. To the sons of Merari he gave four wagons and eight oxen, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them—they carried it on their shoulders.
Then the princes offered for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed. The Lord said to Moses, “They shall offer their oblation, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.” And so they did, one tribe after another, for twelve days.
On the first day, Nahshon the son of Amminadab, prince of Judah, offered. His oblation was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels (both full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering), one golden spoon of ten shekels full of incense, one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, one male goat for a sin offering, and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the oblation of Nahshon.
On the second day, Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, offered. His oblation was identical: the same silver platter, the same silver bowl, the same golden spoon, the same animals for burnt offering, sin offering, and peace offerings. The chapter lists every prince in order, and each one brought exactly the same gifts.
On the third day, Eliab the son of Helon, prince of Zebulun. On the fourth day, Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of Reuben. On the fifth day, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of Simeon. On the sixth day, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of Gad. On the seventh day, Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of Ephraim. On the eighth day, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of Manasseh. On the ninth day, Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of Benjamin. On the tenth day, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of Dan. On the eleventh day, Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of Asher. On the twelfth day, Ahira the son of Enan, prince of Naphtali.
Each one brought the same offering. The chapter does not vary the list. It repeats the full inventory twelve times, as if to press the point: no tribe was greater than another in this act of dedication. Judah came first, but not with more. Naphtali came last, but not with less. The altar received the same from every prince.
Then the chapter sums it up: the total for the dedication of the altar was twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden spoons. The silver vessels weighed two thousand four hundred shekels; the gold of the spoons weighed a hundred and twenty shekels. For the burnt offering: twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve male lambs a year old, with their grain offerings. For the sin offering: twelve male goats. For the peace offerings: twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, sixty male lambs a year old. This 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 upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. And the Lord spoke to him.