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Moab Seduces Israel

25 While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove,[a] some of the men defiled themselves by having[b] sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people.

The Lord issued the following command to Moses: “Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the Lord in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel.”

So Moses ordered Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death the men under your authority who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”

Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into his tent, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as everyone was weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle.[c] When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. He took a spear and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man’s body and into the woman’s stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, but not before 24,000 people had died.

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest has turned my anger away from the Israelites by being as zealous among them as I was. So I stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended to do in my zealous anger. 12 Now tell him that I am making my special covenant of peace with him. 13 In this covenant, I give him and his descendants a permanent right to the priesthood, for in his zeal for me, his God, he purified the people of Israel, making them right with me.[d]

14 The Israelite man killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon. 15 The woman’s name was Cozbi; she was the daughter of Zur, the leader of a Midianite clan.

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, 17 “Attack the Midianites and destroy them, 18 because they assaulted you with deceit and tricked you into worshiping Baal of Peor, and because of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed at the time of the plague because of what happened at Peor.”

The Second Registration of Israel’s Troops

26 After the plague had ended,[e] the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war.”

So there on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued these instructions to the leaders of Israel: “List all the men of Israel twenty years old and older, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”

This is the record of all the descendants of Israel who came out of Egypt.

The Tribe of Reuben

These were the clans descended from the sons of Reuben, Jacob’s[f] oldest son:

The Hanochite clan, named after their ancestor Hanoch.
The Palluite clan, named after their ancestor Pallu.
The Hezronite clan, named after their ancestor Hezron.
The Carmite clan, named after their ancestor Carmi.

These were the clans of Reuben. Their registered troops numbered 43,730.

Pallu was the ancestor of Eliab, and Eliab was the father of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. This Dathan and Abiram are the same community leaders who conspired with Korah against Moses and Aaron, rebelling against the Lord. 10 But the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, and fire devoured 250 of their followers. This served as a warning to the entire nation of Israel. 11 However, the sons of Korah did not die that day.

The Tribe of Simeon

12 These were the clans descended from the sons of Simeon:

The Jemuelite clan, named after their ancestor Jemuel.[g]
The Jaminite clan, named after their ancestor Jamin.
The Jakinite clan, named after their ancestor Jakin.
13 The Zoharite clan, named after their ancestor Zohar.[h]
The Shaulite clan, named after their ancestor Shaul.

14 These were the clans of Simeon. Their registered troops numbered 22,200.

The Tribe of Gad

15 These were the clans descended from the sons of Gad:

The Zephonite clan, named after their ancestor Zephon.
The Haggite clan, named after their ancestor Haggi.
The Shunite clan, named after their ancestor Shuni.
16 The Oznite clan, named after their ancestor Ozni.
The Erite clan, named after their ancestor Eri.
17 The Arodite clan, named after their ancestor Arodi.[i]
The Arelite clan, named after their ancestor Areli.

18 These were the clans of Gad. Their registered troops numbered 40,500.

The Tribe of Judah

19 Judah had two sons, Er and Onan, who had died in the land of Canaan. 20 These were the clans descended from Judah’s surviving sons:

The Shelanite clan, named after their ancestor Shelah.
The Perezite clan, named after their ancestor Perez.
The Zerahite clan, named after their ancestor Zerah.

21 These were the subclans descended from the Perezites:

The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron.
The Hamulites, named after their ancestor Hamul.

22 These were the clans of Judah. Their registered troops numbered 76,500.

The Tribe of Issachar

23 These were the clans descended from the sons of Issachar:

The Tolaite clan, named after their ancestor Tola.
The Puite clan, named after their ancestor Puah.[j]
24 The Jashubite clan, named after their ancestor Jashub.
The Shimronite clan, named after their ancestor Shimron.

25 These were the clans of Issachar. Their registered troops numbered 64,300.

The Tribe of Zebulun

26 These were the clans descended from the sons of Zebulun:

The Seredite clan, named after their ancestor Sered.
The Elonite clan, named after their ancestor Elon.
The Jahleelite clan, named after their ancestor Jahleel.

27 These were the clans of Zebulun. Their registered troops numbered 60,500.

The Tribe of Manasseh

28 Two clans were descended from Joseph through Manasseh and Ephraim.

29 These were the clans descended from Manasseh:

The Makirite clan, named after their ancestor Makir.
The Gileadite clan, named after their ancestor Gilead, Makir’s son.

30 These were the subclans descended from the Gileadites:

The Iezerites, named after their ancestor Iezer.
The Helekites, named after their ancestor Helek.
31 The Asrielites, named after their ancestor Asriel.
The Shechemites, named after their ancestor Shechem.
32 The Shemidaites, named after their ancestor Shemida.
The Hepherites, named after their ancestor Hepher.
33 (One of Hepher’s descendants, Zelophehad, had no sons, but his daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.)

34 These were the clans of Manasseh. Their registered troops numbered 52,700.

The Tribe of Ephraim

35 These were the clans descended from the sons of Ephraim:

The Shuthelahite clan, named after their ancestor Shuthelah.
The Bekerite clan, named after their ancestor Beker.
The Tahanite clan, named after their ancestor Tahan.

36 This was the subclan descended from the Shuthelahites:

The Eranites, named after their ancestor Eran.

37 These were the clans of Ephraim. Their registered troops numbered 32,500.

These clans of Manasseh and Ephraim were all descendants of Joseph.

The Tribe of Benjamin

38 These were the clans descended from the sons of Benjamin:

The Belaite clan, named after their ancestor Bela.
The Ashbelite clan, named after their ancestor Ashbel.
The Ahiramite clan, named after their ancestor Ahiram.
39 The Shuphamite clan, named after their ancestor Shupham.[k]
The Huphamite clan, named after their ancestor Hupham.

40 These were the subclans descended from the Belaites:

The Ardites, named after their ancestor Ard.[l]
The Naamites, named after their ancestor Naaman.

41 These were the clans of Benjamin. Their registered troops numbered 45,600.

The Tribe of Dan

42 These were the clans descended from the sons of Dan:

The Shuhamite clan, named after their ancestor Shuham.

43 These were the Shuhamite clans of Dan. Their registered troops numbered 64,400.

The Tribe of Asher

44 These were the clans descended from the sons of Asher:

The Imnite clan, named after their ancestor Imnah.
The Ishvite clan, named after their ancestor Ishvi.
The Beriite clan, named after their ancestor Beriah.

45 These were the subclans descended from the Beriites:

The Heberites, named after their ancestor Heber.
The Malkielites, named after their ancestor Malkiel.

46 Asher also had a daughter named Serah.

47 These were the clans of Asher. Their registered troops numbered 53,400.

The Tribe of Naphtali

48 These were the clans descended from the sons of Naphtali:

The Jahzeelite clan, named after their ancestor Jahzeel.
The Gunite clan, named after their ancestor Guni.
49 The Jezerite clan, named after their ancestor Jezer.
The Shillemite clan, named after their ancestor Shillem.

50 These were the clans of Naphtali. Their registered troops numbered 45,400.

Results of the Registration

51 In summary, the registered troops of all Israel numbered 601,730.

52 Then the Lord said to Moses, 53 “Divide the land among the tribes, and distribute the grants of land in proportion to the tribes’ populations, as indicated by the number of names on the list. 54 Give the larger tribes more land and the smaller tribes less land, each group receiving a grant in proportion to the size of its population. 55 But you must assign the land by lot, and give land to each ancestral tribe according to the number of names on the list. 56 Each grant of land must be assigned by lot among the larger and smaller tribal groups.”

The Tribe of Levi

57 This is the record of the Levites who were counted according to their clans:

The Gershonite clan, named after their ancestor Gershon.
The Kohathite clan, named after their ancestor Kohath.
The Merarite clan, named after their ancestor Merari.

58 The Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, and the Korahites were all subclans of the Levites.

Now Kohath was the ancestor of Amram, 59 and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She also was a descendant of Levi, born among the Levites in the land of Egypt. Amram and Jochebed became the parents of Aaron, Moses, and their sister, Miriam. 60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they burned before the Lord the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded.

62 The men from the Levite clans who were one month old or older numbered 23,000. But the Levites were not included in the registration of the rest of the people of Israel because they were not given an allotment of land when it was divided among the Israelites.

63 So these are the results of the registration of the people of Israel as conducted by Moses and Eleazar the priest on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 64 Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, “They will all die in the wilderness.” Not one of them survived except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

The Daughters of Zelophehad

27 One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. These women stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle.[m] “Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the Lord; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.”

So Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord replied to Moses, “The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.

“And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters. And if he has no daughter either, transfer his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Joshua Chosen to Lead Israel

12 One day the Lord said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river,[n] and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron, 14 for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh[o] in the wilderness of Zin.)

15 Then Moses said to the Lord, 16 “O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. 17 Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

18 The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. 20 Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. 21 When direction from the Lord is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim—one of the sacred lots cast before the Lord—to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.”

22 So Moses did as the Lord commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. 23 Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Footnotes

  1. 25:1a Hebrew Shittim.
  2. 25:1b As in Greek version; Hebrew reads some of the men began having.
  3. 25:6 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting.
  4. 25:13 Or he made atonement for the people of Israel.
  5. 26:1 The initial phrase in verse 26:1 is numbered 25:19 in Hebrew text.
  6. 26:5 Hebrew Israel’s; see note on 1:20-21b.
  7. 26:12 As in Syriac version (see also Gen 46:10; Exod 6:15); Hebrew reads Nemuelite . . . Nemuel.
  8. 26:13 As in parallel texts at Gen 46:10 and Exod 6:15; Hebrew reads Zerahite . . . Zerah.
  9. 26:17 As in Samaritan Pentateuch and Greek and Syriac versions (see also Gen 46:16); Hebrew reads Arod.
  10. 26:23 As in Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate (see also 1 Chr 7:1); Hebrew reads The Punite clan, named after its ancestor Puvah.
  11. 26:39 As in some Hebrew manuscripts, Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts read Shephupham.
  12. 26:40 As in Samaritan Pentateuch, some Greek manuscripts, and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew lacks named after their ancestor Ard.
  13. 27:2 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting.
  14. 27:12 Or the mountains of Abarim.
  15. 27:14 Hebrew waters of Meribath-kadesh.

Israel Commits Idolatry

25 While Israel was staying at Shittim, the men began to have sex with Moabite women who invited the people to the sacrifices offered to their gods. The people ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped these gods. Since the Israelites joined in worshiping the god Baal of Peor, the Lord became angry with Israel.

The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, and execute them in broad daylight in the Lord’s presence. This will turn the Lord’s anger away from Israel.”

So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill the men who have joined in worshiping the god Baal of Peor.”

One of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman to his brothers. He did this right in front of Moses and the whole community of Israel while they were crying at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of the priest Aaron, saw this. So he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand, and went into the tent after the Israelite man. He drove the spear through the man and into the woman’s body. Because of this, the plague that the Israelites were experiencing stopped. However, 24,000 people died from that plague.

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of the priest Aaron, turned my fury away from the Israelites. Since he stood up for me, I didn’t have to stand up for myself and destroy them. 12 So tell Phinehas that I’m making a promise of peace to him. 13 My promise is that he and his descendants will be priests permanently because he stood up for his God and he made peace with the Lord for the Israelites.”

14 The name of the Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu. (Salu was the leader of a family from Simeon.) 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi, daughter of Zur. (Zur was the head of a family from the Midianite tribes.)

16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Treat the Midianites as your enemies, and kill them 18 because they treated you as enemies. They plotted to trick you in the incident that took place at Peor. They used their sister Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed on the day of the plague caused by the incident at Peor.”

Moses Takes Another Census of Israel

26 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, “Take a census of the whole community of Israel by households. List those who are at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty.”

So Moses and the priest Eleazar spoke to the Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. They said, “Take a census of those at least 20 years old, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

These are the Israelites who came from Egypt:

Reuben was Israel’s firstborn. The descendants of Reuben were the family of Hanoch, the family of Pallu, the family of Hezron, and the family of Carmi.

These were the families of Reuben. The total number of men was 43,730.

Eliab was the son [a] of Pallu, and Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. (It was Dathan and Abiram, men chosen by the community, who defied Moses and Aaron’s authority. They joined Korah’s followers when they defied the Lord’s authority. 10 The ground opened up and swallowed them along with Korah. They and their followers died when the fire consumed the 250 men. This was a warning. 11 But the descendants of Korah didn’t die.)

12 The families descended from Simeon were the family of Nemuel, the family of Jamin, the family of Jakin, 13 the family of Zerah, and the family of Shaul.

14 These were the families of Simeon. The total number of men was 22,200.

15 The families descended from Gad were the family of Zephon, the family of Haggi, the family of Shuni, 16 the family of Ozni, the family of Eri, 17 the family of Arodi,[b] and the family of Areli.

18 These were the families of Gad’s descendants. The total number of men was 40,500.

19 Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan. 20 The families descended from Judah were the family of Shelah, the family of Perez, and the family of Zerah.

21 The descendants of Perez were the family of Hezron and the family of Hamul.

22 These were the families of Judah. The total number of men was 76,500.

23 The families descended from Issachar were the family of Tola, the family of Puah,[c] 24 the family of Jashub, and the family of Shimron.

25 These were the families of Issachar. The total number of men was 64,300.

26 The families descended from Zebulun were the family of Sered, the family of Elon, and the family of Jahleel.

27 These were the families of Zebulun. The total number of men was 60,500.

28 The families descended from Joseph ⌞through⌟ Manasseh and Ephraim were 29 (from Manasseh) the family of Machir (Machir was the father of Gilead) and the family of Gilead.

30 The descendants of Gilead were the family of Iezer, the family of Helek, 31 the family of Asriel, the family of Shechem, 32 the family of Shemida, and the family of Hepher. 33 (Zelophehad, son of Hepher, had no sons—only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.)

34 These were the families of Manasseh. The total number of men was 52,700.

35 The families descended from Ephraim were the family of Shuthelah, the family of Beker, and the family of Tahan.

36 The descendants of Shuthelah were the family of Eran.

37 These were the families of Ephraim’s descendants. The total number of men was 32,500.

These were the families descended from Joseph.

38 The families descended from Benjamin were the family of Bela, the family of Ashbel, the family of Ahiram, 39 the family of Shupham,[d] and the family of Hupham.

40 The descendants of Bela (⌞through⌟ Ard and Naaman) were the family of Ard and the family of Naaman.

41 These were the families descended from Benjamin. The total number of men was 45,600.

42 The family descended from Dan was the family of Shuham.

This was the family descended from Dan. 43 The total number of men in all the family of Shuham was 64,400.

44 The families descended from Asher were the family of Imnah, the family of Ishvi, and the family of Beriah.

45 The descendants Beriah were the family of Heber and the family of Malchiel.

46 (Asher had a daughter named Serah.)

47 These were the families of Asher’s descendants. The total number of men was 53,400.

48 The families descended from Naphtali were the family of Jahzeel, the family of Guni, 49 the family of Jezer, and the family of Shillem.

50 These were the families of Naphtali. The total number of men was 45,400.

51 The total number of Israelite men was 601,730.

52 Then the Lord said to Moses, 53 “The land these people will possess must be divided using the list of names ⌞from the census⌟. 54 Give more land to larger tribes and less land to smaller ones. Use the totals ⌞from the census⌟ in giving land to each tribe. 55 But the land must be divided by drawing lots. The tribes will receive their land based on the names of their ancestors. 56 Whether the tribes are large or small, the land must be divided by drawing lots.”

57 The families descended from Levi were listed as the family of Gershon, the family of Kohath, and the family of Merari.

58 These were the families of Levi: the Libnite family, the Hebronite family, the Mahlite family, the Mushite family, and the Korahite family.

Kohath was the ancestor of Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born in Egypt. She gave birth to Amram’s children: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu had died because they offered unauthorized fire in the Lord’s presence.

62 The total number of all the ⌞Levite⌟ males at least one month old was 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites, because they were given no land of their own.

63 Moses and the priest Eleazar added up the total number of Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. 64 Among them there wasn’t a single one of the Israelites Moses and the priest Aaron had counted in the Desert of Sinai. 65 The Lord had said, “They must all die in the desert.” The only ones left were Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).

A Request from Zelophehad’s Daughters

27 The daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, grandson of Gilead, descendant of Machir, whose father was Manasseh, belonged to the families of Manasseh, son of Joseph. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They came to Moses and stood in front of him, the priest Eleazar, the leaders, and the whole community at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They said, “Our father died in the desert. He was not a part of Korah’s followers who joined forces against the Lord. He died for his own sin and left no sons. Why should our father’s name be allowed to die out in his family because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

So Moses brought their case to the Lord, and the Lord said to him, “Zelophehad’s daughters are right. You must give them property of their own among their father’s relatives. Turn their father’s property over to them.

“Tell the Israelites: If a man dies and leaves no sons, turn his property over to his daughters. If he has no daughters, give his property to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his property to his uncles on his father’s side of the family. 11 If he has no uncles, give his property to the nearest relative in his family, and that relative will take possession of it. This will be a rule for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

The Lord Appoints Joshua to Succeed Moses

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into the Abarim Mountains, and take a look at the land I will give the Israelites. 13 After you see it, you, too, will join your ancestors ⌞in death⌟, as your brother Aaron did. 14 You both rebelled against my command in the Desert of Zin. You didn’t show the people how holy I am when they were complaining at the oasis.” (This was the oasis of Meribah at Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)

15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 Lord, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone. Please appoint someone over the community 17 who will lead them in and out ⌞of battle⌟ so that the Lord’s community will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit, and place your hand on him. 19 Make him stand in front of the priest Eleazar and the whole community, and give him his instructions in their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so that the whole community of Israel will obey him. 21 He will stand in front of the priest Eleazar, who will use the Urim [e] to make decisions in the Lord’s presence. At his command Joshua and the whole community of Israel will go into battle. And at his command they will return.”

22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand in front of the priest Eleazar and the whole community. 23 Moses placed his hands on Joshua and gave him his instructions as the Lord had told him.

Footnotes

  1. 26:8 Ancient scribal tradition; Masoretic Text “sons.”
  2. 26:17 Genesis 46:16, Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac; Masoretic Text “Arod.”
  3. 26:23 Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac, Latin; Masoretic Text “Puvah.”
  4. 26:39 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek, Syriac, Targum, Latin; Masoretic Text “Shephupham.”
  5. 27:21 The Urim   and Thummim were used by the chief priest to determine God’s answer to questions.