The tabernacle stood finished. Moses had anointed it, sanctified it, and every vessel and the altar itself. The work of setting up was complete. On that same day, the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, the men who had overseen the census, came forward. They brought an oblation before the Lord: six covered wagons and twelve oxen. A wagon for every two princes, an ox for each one. They presented them before the tabernacle.
The Lord spoke to Moses. He told him to accept the gifts, to give them to the Levites for the service of the tent of meeting, each man according to his service. Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. 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 hand 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 the holy things upon their shoulders.
Then the princes offered for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed. They brought their oblation before the altar. The Lord said to Moses, “Let each prince offer his oblation on his own day, for the dedication of the altar.”
Nahshon the son of Amminadab, prince of the tribe of Judah, offered on the first day. 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 meal offering; one golden spoon of ten shekels, 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 sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old.
On the second day, Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, offered. 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 prince offered the same things. The same silver platter, the same silver bowl, the same golden spoon, the same animals for the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the peace offerings. The chapter records the full list twelve times. Twelve identical oblations, one for each tribe, presented in order, day after day.
This was the dedication of the altar, after it was anointed. The total from the twelve princes: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden spoons. The silver of the vessels weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. The gold of the spoons weighed a hundred and twenty shekels. The animals for the burnt offering: twelve bullocks, twelve rams, twelve he-lambs a year old, with their meal offering. The males of the goats for a sin offering: twelve. The animals for the sacrifice of peace offerings: twenty-four bullocks, sixty rams, sixty he-goats, sixty he-lambs a year old.
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.