So Moses accepted the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.

He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their service required;

The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah.

You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them as a wave offering to the Lord.

And so you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.

And the Kohathites set out, carrying the articles for the sanctuary; the tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.

I am not able to bear this entire people alone, because it is too heavy for me!

So they went up and investigated the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, at the entrance of Hamath.

Then all the community raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.

And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, two of those who had investigated the land, tore their garments.

But truly, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

they will by no means see the land that I swore to their fathers, nor will any of them who despised me see it.

When Moses told these things to all the Israelites, the people mourned greatly.

But Moses said, “Why are you now transgressing the commandment of the Lord? It will not succeed!

“‘Every native-born person must do these things in this way to present an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Thus you will remember and obey all my commandments and be holy to your God.

When he had finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open,

Then a fire went out from the Lord and devoured the 250 men who offered incense.

Then Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

“Therefore you will say to them, ‘When you offer up the best of it, then it will be credited to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor and as the product of the winepress.