Numbers 10-12
Complete Jewish Bible
10 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Make two trumpets; make them of hammered silver. Use them for summoning the community and for sounding the call to break camp and move on. 3 When they are sounded, the entire community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 4 If only one is sounded, then just the leaders, the heads of the clans of Isra’el, are to assemble before you.
5 “When you sound an alarm, the camps to the east will commence traveling. 6 When you sound a second alarm, the camps to the south will set out; they will sound alarms to announce when to travel. 7 However, when the community is to be assembled, you are to sound; but don’t sound an alarm. 8 It will be the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, who are to sound the trumpets; this will be a permanent regulation for you through all your generations.
9 “When you go to war in your land against an adversary who is oppressing you, you are to sound an alarm with the trumpets; then you will be remembered before Adonai your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.
10 “Also on your days of rejoicing, at your designated times and on Rosh-Hodesh, you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; these will be your reminder before your God. I am Adonai your God.”
(v) 11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony; 12 and the people of Isra’el moved out in stages from the Sinai Desert. The cloud stopped in the Pa’ran Desert.
13 So they set out on their first journey, in keeping with Adonai’s order through Moshe. 14 In the lead was the banner of the camp of the descendants of Y’hudah, whose companies moved forward; over his company was Nachshon the son of ‘Amminadav. 15 Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Yissakhar was N’tan’el the son of Tzu‘ar. 16 Over the company of the descendants of Z’vulun was Eli’av the son of Helon.
17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the descendants of Gershon and the descendants of M’rari set out, carrying the tabernacle.
18 Next, the banner of the camp of Re’uven moved forward by companies; over his company was Elitzur the son of Sh’de’ur. 19 Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Shim‘on was Shlumi’el the son of Tzurishaddai. 20 Over the company of the descendants of Gad was Elyasaf the son of De‘u’el.
21 Then the descendants of K’hat set out, carrying the sanctuary, so that [at the next camp] the tabernacle could be set up before they arrived.
22 The banner of the camp of the descendants of Efrayim moved forward by companies; over his company was Elishama the son of ‘Ammihud. 23 Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of M’nasheh was Gamli’el the son of P’dahtzur. 24 Over the company of the descendants of Binyamin was Avidan the son of Gid‘oni.
25 The banner of the camp of the descendants of Dan, forming the rearguard for all the camps, moved forward by companies; over his company was Achi‘ezer the son of ‘Ammishaddai. 26 Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Asher was Pag‘i’el the son of ‘Okhran. 27 Over the company of the descendants of Naftali was Achira the son of ‘Enan.
28 This is how the people of Isra’el traveled by companies; thus they moved forward.
(S: vi) 29 Moshe said to Hovav the son of Re‘u’el the Midyani, Moshe’s father-in-law, “We are traveling to the place about which Adonai said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, because Adonai has promised good things to Isra’el.” 30 But he replied, “I will not go; I would rather go back to my own country and my own kinsmen.” 31 Moshe continued, “Please don’t leave us, because you know that we have to camp in the desert, and you can serve as our eyes. 32 If you do go with us, then whatever good Adonai does for us, we will do the same for you.”
33 So they set out from Adonai’s mountain and traveled for three days. Ahead of them on this three-day journey went the ark of Adonai’s covenant, searching for a new place to stop. 34 The cloud of Adonai was over them during the day as they set out from the camp. (A: vi) 35 When the ark moved forward, Moshe said,
“Arise, Adonai! May your enemies be scattered!
Let those who hate you flee before you!”
36 When it stopped, he said,
“Return, Adonai of the many, many
thousands of Isra’el!”
11 But the people began complaining about their hardships to Adonai. When Adonai heard it, his anger flared up, so that fire from Adonai broke out against them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried to Moshe, Moshe prayed to Adonai, and the fire abated. 3 That place was called Tav‘erah [burning] because Adonai’s fire broke out against them.
4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra’el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt — it cost us nothing! — and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, the garlic! 6 But now we’re withering away, we have nothing to look at but this man.”
7 The man, by the way, was like coriander seed and white like gum resin. 8 The people would go around gathering it and would grind it up in mills or pound it to paste with mortar and pestle. Then they would cook it in pots and make it into loaves that tasted like cakes baked with olive oil. 9 When the dew settled on the camp during the night, the man came with it.
10 Moshe heard the people crying, family after family, each person at the entrance to his tent; the anger of Adonai flared up violently; and Moshe too was displeased. 11 Moshe asked Adonai, “Why are you treating your servant so badly? Why haven’t I found favor in your sight, so that you put the burden of this entire people on me? 12 Did I conceive this people? Was I their father, so that you tell me, ‘Carry them in your arms, like a nurse carrying a baby, to the land you swore to their ancestors?’ 13 Where am I going to get meat to give to this entire people? — because they keep bothering me with their crying and saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I can’t carry this entire people by myself alone — it’s too much for me! 15 If you are going to treat me this way, then just kill me outright! — please, if you have any mercy toward me! — and don’t let me go on being this miserable!”
16 Adonai said to Moshe, “Bring me seventy of the leaders of Isra’el, people you recognize as leaders of the people and officers of theirs. Bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit which rests on you and put it on them. Then they will carry the burden of the people along with you, so that you won’t carry it yourself alone.
18 “Tell the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat; because you cried in the ears of Adonai, “If only we had meat to eat! We had the good life in Egypt!” All right, Adonai is going to give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You won’t eat it just one day, or two days, or five, or ten, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month! — until it comes out of your nose and you hate it! — because you have rejected Adonai, who is here with you, and distressed him with your crying and asking, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”
21 But Moshe said, “Here I am with six hundred thousand men on foot, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 If whole flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would it be enough? If all the fish in the sea were collected for them, would even that be enough?” 23 Adonai answered Moshe, “Has Adonai’s arm grown short? Now you will see whether what I said will happen or not!”
24 Moshe went out and told the people what Adonai had said. Then he collected seventy of the leaders of the people and placed them all around the tent. 25 Adonai came down in the cloud, spoke to him, took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied — then but not afterwards.
26 There were two men who stayed in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad, and the Spirit came to rest on them. They were among those listed to go out to the tent, but they hadn’t done so, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moshe, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” 28 Y’hoshua, the son of Nun, who from his youth up had been Moshe’s assistant, answered, “My lord, Moshe, stop them!” 29 But Moshe replied, “Are you so zealous to protect me? I wish all of Adonai’s people were prophets! I wish Adonai would put his Spirit on all of them!”
(vii) 30 Moshe and the leaders of Isra’el went back into the camp; 31 and Adonai sent out a wind which brought quails from across the sea and let them fall near the camp, about a day’s trip away on each side of the camp and all around it, covering the ground to a depth of three feet. 32 The people stayed up all that day, all night and all the next day gathering the quails — the person gathering the least collected ten heaps; then they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still in their mouth, before they had chewed it up, the anger of Adonai flared up against the people, and Adonai struck the people with a terrible plague. 34 Therefore that place was named Kivrot-HaTa’avah [graves of greed], because there they buried the people who were so greedy.
35 From Kivrot-HaTa’avah the people traveled to Hatzerot, and they stayed at Hatzerot.
12 Miryam and Aharon began criticizing Moshe on account of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had in fact married an Ethiopian woman. 2 They said, “Is it true that Adonai has spoken only with Moshe? Hasn’t he spoken with us too?” Adonai heard them. 3 Now this man Moshe was very humble, more so than anyone on earth. 4 Suddenly Adonai told Moshe, Aharon and Miryam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” The three of them went out.
5 Adonai came down in a column of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent. He summoned Aharon and Miryam, and they both went forward. 6 He said, “Listen to what I say: when there is a prophet among you, I, Adonai, make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. 7 But it isn’t that way with my servant Moshe. He is the only one who is faithful in my entire household. 8 With him I speak face to face and clearly, not in riddles; he sees the image of Adonai. So why weren’t you afraid to criticize my servant Moshe?” 9 The anger of Adonai flared up against them, and he left.
10 But when the cloud was removed from above the tent, Miryam had tzara‘at, as white as snow. Aharon looked at Miryam, and she was as white as snow. 11 Aharon said to Moshe, “Oh, my lord, please don’t punish us for this sin we committed so foolishly. 12 Please don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, with its body half eaten away when it comes out of its mother’s womb!” 13 Moshe cried to Adonai, “Oh God, I beg you, please, heal her!” (Maftir) 14 Adonai answered Moshe, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she hide herself in shame for seven days? So let her be shut out of the camp for seven days; after that, she can be brought back in.” 15 Miryam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not travel until she was brought back in. 16 Afterwards, the people went on from Hatzerot and camped in the Pa’ran Desert.
Haftarah B’ha‘alotkha: Z’kharyah (Zechariah) 2:14 – 4:7
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah B’ha‘alotkha: Yochanan (John) 19:31–37; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 3:1–6
Bamidbar 10-12
Orthodox Jewish Bible
10 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
2 Make thee two tzotzerot (trumpets) of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them; that thou mayest use them for the calling of the Edah, and for the setting out of the machanot.
3 And when they shall sound them, Kol HaEdah shall assemble themselves to thee at the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed.
4 And if they sound but with one, then the Nasi’im, which are heads of Yisroel’s thousands, shall gather themselves unto thee.
5 When ye sound a teruah, then the machanot that camp on the east shall go forward.
6 When ye sound a teruah the second time, then the machanot that camp on the south shall set out; they shall sound a teruah for their settings out.
7 But when the Kahal is to be gathered together, ye shall sound it, but ye shall not sound a teruah.
8 And the Bnei Aharon, the kohanim, shall sound the tzotzerot; and they shall be to you for a chukkat olam throughout your dorot.
9 And if ye go into milchamah (battle) in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall sound a blast on the tzotzerot; and ye shall be remembered before Hashem Eloheichem, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.
10 Also in the day of your simcha, and in your moadim, and in the Rosh-Chodesh, ye shall sound a blast on the tzotzerot over your olot, and over the zevakhim of your shelamim; that they may be to you for a memorial reminder before Eloheichem: I am Hashem Eloheichem.
11 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the Anan was lifted up from off the Mishkan HaEdut.
12 And the Bnei Yisroel set out in their travels from the Midbar Sinai; and the Anan rested in the Midbar Paran.
13 And they first set out according to the mouth of Hashem by the hand of Moshe.
14 First in place went the degel of the machaneh of the Bnei Yehudah according to their tzivos; and over his division was Nachshon ben Amminadav.
15 And over the division of the tribe of the Bnei Yissakhar was Netanel ben Tzuar.
16 And over the division of the tribe of the Bnei Zevulun was Eliav ben Helon.
17 And the Mishkan was taken down; and the Bnei Gershon and the Bnei Merari set out, bearing the Mishkan.
18 And the degel of the machaneh of Reuven set out according to their tzivos (armies); and over his division was Elitzur ben Shedeur.
19 And over the division of the tribe of the Bnei Shim’on was Shelumiel ben Tzurishaddai.
20 And over the division of the tribe of the Bnei Gad was Elyasaph ben Deuel.
21 And the descendants of Kehat set out, bearing the Mikdash; and they would erect the Mishkan before their arrival.
22 And the degel of the machaneh of the Bnei Ephrayim set out according to their tzivos (armies); and over his division was Elishama ben Ammihud.
23 And over the division of the tribe of the Bnei Menasheh was Gamli’el ben Pedahtzur.
24 And over the division of the tribe of the Bnei Binyamin was Avidan ben Gideoni.
25 And the degel of the machaneh of the Bnei Dan set out, which formed the rear guard of all the machanot throughout their tzivos; and over his division was Achiezer ben Ammishaddai.
26 And over the division of the tribe of the Bnei Asher was Pagiel ben Ochran.
27 And over the division of the tribe of the Bnei Naphtali was Achira ben Enan.
28 Thus was the order of march of the Bnei Yisroel according to their tzivos (armies), when they set out.
29 And Moshe said unto Chovav ben Reuel the Midyani, Moshe’s khoten (father-in-law), We are traveling unto the place of which Hashem said, I will give it you: Come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for Hashem hath promised tov concerning Yisroel.
30 And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my moledet.
31 And he [Moshe] said, Leave us not, please; forasmuch as thou hast da’as how we are to encamp in the midbar, and thou mayest be to us as eyes.
32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what tov Hashem shall do unto us, the same will we share with thee.
33 And they departed from the Mountain of Hashem three days’ journey; the Aron Brit Hashem went before them in the three days’ derech, to search out a menuchah for them.
34 And the Anan of Hashem was upon them by day, when they set out from the machaneh.
35 And it came to pass, when the Aron set out, that Moshe said, Rise up, Hashem, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.
36 And when it rested, he said, Return, Hashem, unto the countless thousands of Yisroel.
11 And when the people complained, it displeased Hashem; Hashem heard it; His anger was kindled; and the Eish Hashem burned among them, and consumed them that were at the edge of the machaneh.
2 And the people cried unto Moshe; and when Moshe davened unto Hashem, the eish was quenched.
3 He called shem hamakom Taverah because the Eish Hashem burned among them.
4 And the rabble that was among them fell a-lusting; and the Bnei Yisroel also wept again, and said, If only we had basar to eat!
5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Mitzrayim at no cost; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic;
6 But now our nefesh is dried up; there is nothing at all, besides this manna, before our eyes.
7 And the manna was like coriander seed, and the color thereof like the color of white gum resin.
8 And the people went about and gathered it, and ground it in handmills, or crushed it in the mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of cakes prepared of shemen.
9 And when the dew fell upon the machaneh in the lailah, the manna fell with it.
10 Then Moshe heard the people wailing throughout their mishpekhot, every man in the entrance of his ohel; and the anger of Hashem was kindled greatly; Moshe also was displeased.
11 And Moshe said unto Hashem, Why hast Thou afflicted Thy eved? And why have I not found chen (favor) in Thy sight, that Thou layest the massa (burden) of all this people upon me?
12 Have I conceived all this people? Have I fathered them, that Thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as the one nursing beareth the nursing infant, unto the land which Thou didst swear unto their avot?
13 Where should I get basar to give unto all this people? For they wail unto me, saying, Give us basar, that we may eat.
14 I am not able to carry all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
15 And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, please, at once, if I have found chen in Thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
16 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Gather unto Me seventy men of the Zekenim of Yisroel, whom thou knowest to be the Ziknei HaAm, and officers over them; and bring them unto the Ohel Moed, that they may stand there with thee.
17 And I will come down and speak with thee there; and I will take of the Ruach [Hakodesh] that is upon thee, and will put [Him] upon them; and they shall bear the massa HaAm (burden of the People) with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
18 And say thou unto the people, Set yourselves apart as kodesh against tomorrow, and ye shall eat basar; for ye have wept in the ears of Hashem, saying, Who shall give us basar to eat? For it was well with us in Mitzrayim; therefore Hashem will give you basar, and ye shall eat.
19 Lo (not) ye shall eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that meastem (ye have rejected) Hashem Who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Mitzrayim?
21 And Moshe said, The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 men on foot; and Thou hast said, I will give them basar, that they may eat a whole month.
22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? Or shall all the dag (fish) of the yam be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
23 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Is the Yad Hashem cut short (i.e., limited in power)? Thou shalt see now whether My Devar shall come to pass unto thee or not.
24 And Moshe went out, and told HaAm the divrei Hashem, and gathered the seventy men of the Ziknei HaAm, and set them round about the Ohel [Moed].
25 And Hashem came down in an Anan, and spoke unto him, and took of the Ruach [Hakodesh] that was upon him, and gave [Him] unto the seventy Zekenim; and it came to pass, that, when the Ruach [Hakodesh] rested upon them, they prophesied, but did not continue. [See Shmuel Alef 10:6; 19:24; Ac 19:6]
26 But there remained two of the anashim in the machaneh, the shem of the one was Eldad, and the shem of the other Medad: and the Ruach [Hakodesh] rested upon them; and they were of them that were listed, but went not out unto the Ohel [Moed]; and they prophesied in the machaneh.
27 And there ran a young man, and told Moshe, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the machaneh.
28 And Yehoshua Ben Nun, the mesharet Moshe, one of his chosen young men, answered and said, Moshe adoni, forbid them.
29 And Moshe said unto him, Are you jealous for my sake? If only kol Am Hashem were neviim, and that Hashem would put His Ruach upon them [see Yoel 2:28 (3:1)]!
30 And Moshe went back to the machaneh, he and the Ziknei Yisroel.
31 And there went forth a wind from Hashem, it drove in quail from the yam, brought them down over the machaneh at a height of two cubits from the ground for the distance of a day’s journey all around the machaneh.
32 And the people stood up all that yom, and kol halailah, and all the next day, and they gathered in the quail; he that gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them all out for themselves round about the machaneh.
33 And while the basar was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of Hashem was kindled against the people, and Hashem struck down the people with a makkah rabbah me’od (a very great plague).
34 And the shem of that place was called Kivrothataavah (graves of greed) because there they buried the people that lusted.
35 And the people set out from Kivrot-hataavah unto Chatzerot; and abode at Chatzerot.
12 And Miryam and Aharon spoke against Moshe because of the Kushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Kushite woman.
2 And they said, Hath Hashem indeed spoken only by Moshe? Hath He not spoken also by us? And Hashem heard it.
3 (Now the man Moshe was anav me’od, above all the men which were upon the face of ha’adamah.)
4 And Hashem spoke suddenly unto Moshe, and unto Aharon, and unto Miryam, Come out ye three unto the Ohel Mo’ed. And they three came out.
5 And Hashem came down in an Ammud Anan, and stood in the entrance of the Ohel, and He called Aharon and Miryam; and they both came forth.
6 And He said, Hear now My words: If there be a navi among you, I Hashem will reveal Myself unto him in a mar’ah (vision), and will speak unto him in a chalom.
7 Avdi Moshe is not so, who is ne’eman (faithful) in all Mine Bais.
8 With him will I speak peh el peh, plainly, and not in dark sayings; and the temuna (form) of Hashem shall he behold; why then were ye not afraid to speak against Avdi Moshe?
9 And the anger of Hashem was kindled against them; and He departed.
10 And the Anan departed from off the Ohel [Mo’ed]; and, hinei, Miryam became metzora’at (leprous), white as snow: and Aharon looked upon Miryam, and, hinei, she was metzora’at.
11 And Aharon said unto Moshe, Alas, adoni, I beseech thee, hold not the chattat (sin) against us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the basar is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.
13 And Moshe cried unto Hashem, saying, El (G-d), refah (heal) her now, I beseech thee.
14 And Hashem said unto Moshe, If her av had but spit in her face, should she not be in disgrace seven days? Let her be exiled from the machaneh seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
15 And Miryam was exiled from the machaneh seven days; and HaAm did not set out till Miryam was received in again.
16 And afterward HaAm removed from Chatzerot, and encamped in the Midbar Paran.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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