Numbers 29

On the first day of the seventh month, you are to hold a holy gathering. You must not do any of your ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets.

1And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

NoteThe seventh month is Tishri, falling in our September–October; Israel's religious year began in the spring, so this is the seventh month counting from then, at the close of the harvest. A "holy convocation" (here "holy gathering") was a day on which the whole people were summoned to assemble and normal labor stopped, like a sabbath. "Servile work" in the King James does not mean slaves' work; it means heavy or occupational work, the everyday business by which a person made a living. The trumpets are horns sounded as a signal; this day was later known as Rosh Hashanah.

2You are to present a burnt offering, whose smoke pleases the LORD: one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all of them without any flaw.

2And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish:

NoteA burnt offering was an animal burned whole on the altar, with no part kept back to be eaten. "A sweet savour unto the LORD" is a fixed Hebrew phrase, literally "a soothing smell", used of sacrifices accepted by God; it is a formula, not a comment on God's sense of smell. "Without blemish" means physically unflawed: no injury, disease or defect.

3With them bring a grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil: three tenths of a measure with the bull, and two tenths with the ram,

3And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,

NoteThe King James "meat offering" means a food offering of grain, not of flesh; "meat" in 1611 English meant food of any kind. A "tenth deal" is a tenth of an ephah, roughly two dry quarts or two liters of flour, about four or five pounds. The oil is olive oil, the ordinary cooking fat of the region.

4and one tenth with each lamb, for all seven lambs.

4And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:

5Also bring one male goat as a sin offering, to make things right between you and God.

5And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:

NoteA sin offering was the sacrifice prescribed to deal with wrongdoing and ritual uncleanness. "Atonement" translates a Hebrew word meaning to wipe clean or cover over, so that what stood between the people and God was removed.

6These come in addition to the monthly burnt offering with its grain offering, and the daily burnt offering with its grain offering, along with the drink offerings that go with them, as the rules require. Their smoke pleases the LORD; they are offerings burned in fire to him.

6Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.

NoteA drink offering was wine poured out at the altar alongside the animal and grain. "The burnt offering of the month" is the sacrifice appointed for the first day of every month, when the new moon appeared (Numbers 28:11–15); "the daily burnt offering" is the lamb offered every morning and every evening (Numbers 28:3–8). The point is that these festival sacrifices were added on top of the regular ones, not substituted for them.

7On the tenth day of this same seventh month, you are to hold a holy gathering. You are to go without food and humble yourselves. You must not do any work at all that day.

7And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:

NoteThis is the Day of Atonement, the most solemn day of the year (Leviticus 16), later called Yom Kippur. "Ye shall afflict your souls" is a Hebrew idiom for self-denial, chiefly going without food, and abstaining from ordinary comforts. Note the stricter rule here: on the other festival days no ordinary work was allowed, but on this day no work of any kind.

8You are to present a burnt offering to the LORD, whose smoke pleases him: one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. They must be without any flaw.

8But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD for a sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish:

9With them bring a grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil: three tenths of a measure with the bull, two tenths with the one ram,

9And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram,

10and one tenth for each lamb, for all seven lambs.

10A several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:

11Bring one male goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering that makes things right between you and God on this day, and in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day with its grain offering and their drink offerings.

11One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.

Note"The sin offering of atonement" is the separate, elaborate ceremony belonging to this day, described in Leviticus 16, in which one goat was sacrificed and another sent away into the wilderness. The goat commanded here is an addition to it.

12On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, you are to hold a holy gathering. You must not do any of your ordinary work. You are to keep a feast to the LORD for seven days.

12And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:

NoteThis seven-day festival is the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles (Sukkot), held after the grain, grape and olive harvests were gathered in; during it the people lived in temporary shelters made of branches.

13You are to present a burnt offering, an offering burned in fire, whose smoke pleases the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must be without any flaw.

13And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish:

NoteThe number of bulls falls by one on each of the seven days (thirteen, twelve, eleven, and so on down to seven) making seventy bulls in all. Rams, lambs and the goat stay the same each day. Ancient Jewish interpreters connected the seventy to the seventy nations listed in Genesis 10, but the text itself gives no reason for the descending count.

14With them bring a grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil: three tenths of a measure with each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths with each of the two rams,

14And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams,

15and one tenth with each of the fourteen lambs.

15And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs:

16Also bring one male goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day, with its grain offering and its drink offering.

16And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

17On the second day you are to present twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, with no flaw on them.

17And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:

18Bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, in the amounts set for each, following the rules.

18And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

19Also bring one male goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day, with its grain offering and their drink offerings.

19And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings.

20On the third day, bring eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without any flaw.

20And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish;

21Bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, in the amounts set for each, following the rules.

21And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

22Also bring one goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day, with its grain offering and its drink offering.

22And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

23On the fourth day, bring ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without any flaw.

23And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

24Bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, in the amounts set for each, following the rules.

24Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

25Also bring one male goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day, with its grain offering and its drink offering.

25And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

26On the fifth day, bring nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, with no flaw on them.

26And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:

27Bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, in the amounts set for each, following the rules.

27And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

28Also bring one goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day, with its grain offering and its drink offering.

28And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

29On the sixth day, bring eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without any flaw.

29And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

30Bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, in the amounts set for each, following the rules.

30And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

31Also bring one goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day, with its grain offering and its drink offering.

31And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

32On the seventh day, bring seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without any flaw.

32And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

33Bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, in the amounts set for each, following the rules.

33And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

34Also bring one goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day, with its grain offering and its drink offering.

34And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

35On the eighth day you are to hold a closing assembly. You must not do any of your ordinary work that day.

35On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:

NoteThe Hebrew word rendered "solemn assembly" means a closing or concluding gathering: an extra eighth day rounding off the seven-day feast, with a much smaller set of sacrifices. Later Jewish practice calls it Shemini Atzeret.

36You are to present a burnt offering, an offering burned in fire, whose smoke pleases the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all without any flaw.

36But ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: one bullock, one ram, seven lambs of the first year without blemish:

37Bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with the bull, the ram, and the lambs, in the amounts set for each, following the rules.

37Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

38Also bring one goat as a sin offering. This is in addition to the burnt offering that is made every day, with its grain offering and its drink offering.

38And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

39These are the offerings you are to bring to the LORD at your appointed festivals. They come in addition to whatever you bring because you promised it, or because you freely chose to give it, whether burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, or peace offerings.

39These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.

NoteThree different kinds of voluntary giving are distinguished from the fixed festival calendar. A vow offering was one a person had promised in advance, often conditional on some request being granted. A freewill offering was given with no obligation at all. A peace offering (also called a fellowship offering) was the one sacrifice largely eaten: the fat was burned, certain portions went to the priests, and the worshiper and his household ate the rest as a shared meal.

40And Moses told the people of Israel everything the LORD had commanded him.

40And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.