Chapter 29
Feast of Trumpets.[a] 1 “ ‘On the first day of the seventh month you will have a holy assembly. You are not to do any heavy labor. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. 2 You will offer a pleasing fragrance to the Lord, a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs without defect. 3 The cereal offering is to be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for a young bull, two-tenths of an ephah for a ram, 4 and a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs. 5 The sin offering is one kid goat to make your atonement. 6 These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings along with their cereal offerings and their drink offerings, according to custom. They are offerings made by fire, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.
Day of Atonement. 7 “ ‘On the tenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy assembly. You are to humble yourselves and are not to do any heavy labor.[b] 8 You will present a burnt offering to the Lord as a pleasing fragrance: one young bull, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs, without defect. 9 Their grain offering is to be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the young bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the one ram, 10 and a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs. 11 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular burnt offerings with their cereal and drink offerings.
12 Feast of Tabernacles.[c]“ ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy assembly. You are not to do any heavy labor. You are to celebrate a feast of the Lord for seven days. 13 Present an offering made by fire as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs. They are to be without defect. 14 Their cereal offering is to be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen young bulls, two-tenths of an ephah for each of the two rams, 15 and a tenth of an ephah for each of the fourteen lambs. 16 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.
17 “ ‘On the second day offer twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs without defect. 18 The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. 19 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.
20 “ ‘Then on the third day offer eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. 21 The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. 22 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.
23 “ ‘Then on the fourth day offer ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. 24 The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. 25 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.
26 “ ‘Then on the fifth day offer nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. 27 The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. 28 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.
29 “ ‘Then on the sixth day offer eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. 30 The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. 31 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.
32 “ ‘Then on the seventh day offer seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. 33 The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. 34 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.
35 “ ‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly. You are not to do any heavy labor. 36 You are to present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs, without defect. 37 The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bull, ram, and lambs will be in the customary number. 38 The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.
39 “ ‘You will present these to the Lord on your appointed feast days, in addition to your vow offerings, your free-will offerings, your cereal offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’ ”
40 Moses spoke to the people of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.[d]
Footnotes
- Numbers 29:1 At one time, the first day of the first month of autumn became New Year’s Day for the Israelites. The Feast of Trumpets was instituted during the period when the year began in the autumn. The sounding of the trumpet (ram’s horn) is most often mentioned in the post-Exilic period.
- Numbers 29:7 The Feast of Trumpets prepares the people for fasting from work and food on the Day of Atonement, a time of reparation for the sins of the people.
- Numbers 29:12 The Feast of Tabernacles is a feast both of thanksgiving for the harvest and of commemoration of the period in the wilderness. This is the reason why the Israelites spend the eight days of this solemnity living in huts or tents (i.e., tabernacles). The number of sacrifices offered shows the importance of the feast, which was the most popular in Israel (see Lev 23:33-34; Jn 7:2).
- Numbers 29:40 The recitation of these events by Moses was necessary to show his obedience to the Lord even as his power was being transferred to Joshua.