The Daily Audio Bible

⁵² And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁵³ “Among these the land shall be divided as an inheritance according to the number of names. ⁵⁴ To the larger tribe you shall give the larger inheritance, and to the smaller tribe the smaller inheritance; each tribe shall be given its inheritance according to its numbers. ⁵⁵ But the land shall be divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers (tribal ancestors). ⁵⁶ According to the [location selected by] lot, their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller [groups].”

⁵⁷ These are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. ⁵⁸ These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. And Kohath was the father of Amram. ⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister. ⁶⁰ To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died [in the presence of God] when they offered [in their ceremonial censers] strange [unholy, unacceptable, unauthorized] fire before the Lord.^{(A) 62} Those numbered of the Levites were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward; for they were not numbered among the sons of Israel, since no inheritance [of land] was given to them among the Israelites.

⁶³ These are those numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel [for the second time] in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [River] at Jericho. ⁶⁴ But among these there was not a man [left] of those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel [for the first time] in the Wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They shall certainly die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

A Law of Inheritance

27 Then the [five] daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the ^[a]tribes of Manasseh [who was] the son of Joseph, approached [with a request]. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ² They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the congregation at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), saying, ³ “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among those who assembled together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but he died for his own sin [as did all those who rebelled at Kadesh], and he had no sons.^{(B) 4} Why should the name of our father be removed from his family because he had no son? Give to us a possession (land) among our father’s brothers.” ⁵ So Moses brought their case before the Lord.

⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, ⁷ “The request of the daughters of Zelophehad is justified. You shall certainly give them a possession as an inheritance among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer their father’s inheritance to them. ⁸ Further, you shall say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. ⁹ If a man has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If a man has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall take possession of it. It shall be a statute and ordinance to the Israelites, just as the Lord has commanded Moses.’”

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain (Nebo) [in the] Abarim [range] and look at the land I have given to the sons of Israel. ¹³ When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people [in death], just as Aaron your brother was gathered; ¹⁴ because in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat me as holy [by following My instruction] before their eyes at the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah in Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.)^(C)

Joshua to Succeed Moses

¹⁵ Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ¹⁶ “^[b]Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation ¹⁷ who will go out and come in before them, and will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be as sheep without a shepherd.” ¹⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; ¹⁹ and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the whole congregation, and give him a commission in their sight. ²⁰ You shall put some of your authority and honor on him, so that all the congregation of the Israelites will obey him. ²¹ He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him by the judgment (decision) of the ^[c]Urim. At Joshua’s command the people shall go out and at his command they shall come in, he and all the congregation of Israel with him.” ²² Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, ²³ and Moses laid his hands on Joshua and commissioned him, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Laws for Offerings

28 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Command the Israelites and say to them, ‘You shall be careful to present at its appointed time [during the year] My offering, My food for My offerings by fire as a sweet and soothing aroma to Me.’ ³ You shall say to the people, ‘This is the offering by fire which you shall present to the Lord every day: two male lambs one year old without blemish as a continual burnt offering. ⁴ You shall offer one lamb in the morning and you shall offer the other lamb at twilight, ⁵ also a tenth of an ephah of finely-milled flour as a grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin of pressed oil. ⁶ It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained on Mount Sinai as a sweet and soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. ⁷ Its drink offering shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb, in the holy place you shall pour out a strong drink offering to the Lord. ⁸ The other lamb you shall offer at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord.

⁹ ‘Then on the Sabbath day two male lambs one year old without blemish, and two-tenths [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering. ¹⁰ This is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

¹¹ ‘Then at the beginning of [each of] your months you shall present a burnt offering to the Lord: two bulls, one ram, seven male lambs one year old without blemish; ¹² and three-tenths [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, for each bull; and two-tenths [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, for the one ram; ¹³ and a tenth [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each lamb, as a burnt offering of a sweet and soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. ¹⁴ Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, and a third of a hin for a ram, and a fourth of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year. ¹⁵ And one male goat as a sin offering to the Lord; it shall be offered with its drink offering in addition to the continual burnt offering.

John the Baptist Preaches

3 Now in the fifteenth year of [Emperor] ^[a]Tiberius Caesar’s reign—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— ² in the high ^[b]priesthood of Annas and ^[c]Caiaphas [his son-in-law], the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. ³ And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin; ⁴ as it is written and forever remains written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

⁷ So he began saying to the crowds who were coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of ^[f]vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath [of God that is] to come? ⁸ Therefore produce fruit that is worthy of [and consistent with your] repentance [that is, live changed lives, turn from sin and seek God and His righteousness]. And do not even begin to say to yourselves [as a defense], ‘We have Abraham for our father [and so our heritage assures us of salvation]’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children (descendants) for Abraham [for God can replace the unrepentant, regardless of their heritage, with those who are obedient].^{(B) 9} Even now the axe [of God’s judgment] is swinging toward the root of the trees; so every tree that does not produce good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ The crowds asked him, “Then what are we to do?” ¹¹ And John replied, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do the same.” ¹² Even some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked, “Teacher, what are we to do?” ¹³ And he told them, “Collect no more than the fixed amount you have been ordered to [collect].” ¹⁴ Some soldiers asked him, “And what about us, what are we to do?” And he replied to them, “Do not ^[g]extort money from anyone or harass or blackmail anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now the people were in a state of expectation, and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). ¹⁶ John answered them all by saying, “As for me, I baptize you [only] ^[h]with water; but One who is mightier [more powerful, more noble] than I is coming, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals [even as His slave]. He will baptize you [who truly repent] with the Holy Spirit and [you who remain unrepentant] with ^[i]fire.^{(C) 17} His ^[j]winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat (believers) into His barn (kingdom); but He will burn up the chaff (the unrepentant) with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So with many other appeals and various admonitions John preached the good news (gospel) to the people. ¹⁹ But when Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch was repeatedly reprimanded [and convicted by John’s disapproval] for having ^[k]Herodias, his brother’s wife [as his own], and for all the wicked things that Herod had done,^{(D) 20} he also added this to them all: he locked up John in prison.

Jesus’ Baptism

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, the [visible] heaven was opened,^{(E) 22} and the ^[l]Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are My Son, My Beloved, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!”^(F)

Confidence in God’s Protection.

To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.