14 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were all the while seeking to arrest [Jesus] by secrecy and deceit and put [Him] to death,

² For they kept saying, It must not be during the Feast, for fear that there might be a riot of the people.

³ And while He was in Bethany, [a guest] in the house of Simon the leper, as He was reclining [at table], a woman came with an alabaster jar of ointment (^[a]perfume) of pure nard, very costly and precious; and she broke the jar and poured [the perfume] over His head.

⁴ But there were some who were moved with indignation and said to themselves, To what purpose was the ointment (^[b]perfume) thus wasted?

⁵ For it was possible to have sold this [perfume] for more than 300 denarii [a laboring man’s wages for a year] and to have given [the money] to the poor. And they censured and reproved her.

⁶ But Jesus said, Let her alone; why are you troubling her? She has done a good and beautiful thing to Me [praiseworthy and noble].

⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you will not always have Me.^(A)

⁸ She has done what she could; she came beforehand to anoint My body for the burial.

⁹ And surely I tell you, wherever the good news (the Gospel) is proclaimed in the entire world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve [apostles], went off to the chief priests in order to betray and hand Him over to them.

¹¹ And when they heard it, they rejoiced and were delighted, and they promised to give him money. And he [busying himself continually] sought an opportunity to betray Him.

¹² On the first day [of the Feast] of Unleavened Bread, when [as was customary] they killed the Passover lamb, [Jesus’] disciples said to Him, Where do You wish us to go [and] prepare the Passover [supper] for You to eat?

¹³ And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, Go into the city, and a man carrying an [earthen] jar or pitcher of water will meet you; follow him.

¹⁴ And whatever [house] he enters, say to the master of the house, The Teacher says: Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover [supper] with My disciples?

¹⁵ And he will [himself] show you a large upper room, furnished [with carpets and with dining couches properly spread] and ready; there prepare for us.

¹⁶ Then the disciples set out and came to the city and found [everything] just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷ And when it was evening, He came with the Twelve [apostles].

¹⁸ And while they were at the table eating, Jesus said, Surely I say to you, one of you will betray Me, [one] who is eating [here] with Me.^(B)

¹⁹ And they began to show that they were sad and hurt, and to say to Him one after another, Is it I? or, It is not I, is it?

²⁰ He replied to them, It is one of the Twelve [apostles], one who is dipping [bread] into the [same deep] dish with Me.

²¹ For the Son of Man is going as it stands written concerning Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good (profitable and wholesome) for that man if he had never been born.^(C)

²² And while they were eating, He took a loaf [of bread], praised God and gave thanks and asked Him to bless it to their use. [Then] He broke [it] and gave to them and said, Take. Eat. This is My body.

²³ He also took a cup [of the juice of grapes], and when He had given thanks, He gave [it] to them, and they all drank of it.

²⁴ And He said to them, This is My blood [which ratifies] the new covenant, [the blood] which is being poured out for (on account of) many.^(D)

²⁵ Solemnly and surely I tell you, I shall not again drink of the fruit of the vine till that day when I drink it ^[c]of a new and a higher quality in God’s kingdom.

²⁶ And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

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24 When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as he had done each time before [superstitiously] to meet with omens and signs in the natural world, but he set his face toward the wilderness or desert.

² And Balaam lifted up his eyes and he saw Israel abiding in their tents according to their tribes. And the Spirit of God came upon him

³ And he took up his [figurative] discourse and said: Balaam son of Beor, the man whose eye is opened [at last, to see clearly the purposes and will of God],

⁴ He [Balaam] who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes open and uncovered, he says:

⁵ How attractive and considerable are your tents, O Jacob, and your tabernacles, O Israel!

⁶ As valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the riverside, as [rare spice] of lignaloes which the Lord has planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.^(A)

⁷ [Israel] shall pour water out of his own buckets [have his own sources of rich blessing and plenty], and his offspring shall dwell by many waters, and his king shall be higher than ^[a]Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

⁸ God brought [Israel] forth out of Egypt; [Israel] has strength like the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his enemies, crushing their bones and piercing them through with his arrows.

⁹ He couched, he lay down as a lion; and as a lioness, who shall rouse him? Blessed [of God] is he who blesses you [who prays for and contributes to your welfare] and cursed [of God] is he who curses you [who in word, thought, or deed would bring harm upon you].^(B)

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have done nothing but bless them these three times.

¹¹ Therefore now go back where you belong and do it in a hurry! I had intended to promote you to great honor, but behold, the Lord has held you back from honor.

¹² Balaam said to Balak, Did I not say to your messengers whom you sent to me,

¹³ If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the command of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will, but what the Lord says, that will I speak?

¹⁴ And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, I will tell you what this people [Israel] will do to your people [Moab] in the latter days.

¹⁵ And he took up his [figurative] discourse, and said: Balaam son of Beor speaks, the man whose eye is opened speaks,

¹⁶ He speaks, who heard the words of God and knew the knowledge of the Most High, who saw the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes open and uncovered:

¹⁷ I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but He is not near. A ^[b]star (Star) shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter (Scepter) shall rise out of Israel and shall crush all the corners of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth [Moab’s sons of tumult].^(C)

¹⁸ And Edom shall be [taken as] a possession, [Mount] Seir also shall be dispossessed, who were Israel’s enemies, while Israel does valiantly.

¹⁹ Out of Jacob shall one (One) come having dominion and shall destroy the remnant from the city.

²⁰ [Balaam] looked at Amalek and took up his [prophetic] utterance, and said: Amalek is the foremost of the [neighboring] nations, but in his latter end he shall ^[c]come to destruction.

²¹ And he looked at the Kenites and took up his [prophetic] utterance, and said: Strong is your dwelling place, and you set your nest in the rock.

²² Nevertheless the Kenites shall be wasted. How long shall Asshur (Assyria) take you away captive?

²³ And he took up his [prophetic] speech, and said: Alas, who shall live when God does this and establishes [Assyria]?

²⁴ But ships shall come from Kittim [Cyprus and the greater part of the Mediterranean’s east coast] and shall afflict Assyria and Eber [the Hebrews, certain Arabs, and descendants of Nahor], and he [the victor] also shall come to destruction.

²⁵ And Balaam rose up, returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.

25 Israel settled down and remained in Shittim, and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab,

² Who invited the [Israelites] to the sacrifices of their gods, and [they] ate and bowed down to Moab’s gods.

³ So Israel joined himself to [the god] Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

⁴ And the Lord said to Moses, Take all the leaders or chiefs of the people, and hang them before the Lord in the sun [after killing them], that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.

⁵ And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each one of you slay his men who joined themselves to Baal of Peor.

⁶ And behold, one of the Israelites came and brought to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and of all the congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting [over the divine judgment and the punishment].

⁷ And when Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand

⁸ And went after the man of Israel into the inner room and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her body. Then the [smiting] plague was stayed from the Israelites.

⁹ Nevertheless those who died in the [smiting] plague were 24,000.

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses,

¹¹ Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the Israelites, in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My jealousy.

¹² Therefore say, Behold, I give to Phinehas the priest My covenant of peace.

¹³ And he shall have it, and his descendants after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.^(D)

¹⁴ Now the man of Israel who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a head of a father’s house among the Simeonites.

¹⁵ And the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi daughter of Zur; he was head of a father’s house in Midian.

¹⁶ And the Lord said to Moses,

¹⁷ Provoke hostilities with the Midianites and attack them,

¹⁸ For they harass you with their wiles with which they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.

26 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest,

² Take a census of all the [male] congregation of the Israelites from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel able to go to war.

³ And Moses and Eleazar the priest told [the people] in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho,

⁴ A census of the people shall be taken from twenty years old and upward, as the Lord commanded Moses. And the Israelites who came forth out of the land of Egypt were:

⁵ Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;

⁶ Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.

⁷ These are the families of the Reubenites; and their number was 43,730.

⁸ And the son of Pallu: Eliab.

⁹ The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram chosen from the congregation who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah when they contended against the Lord.

¹⁰ And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died and the fire devoured 250 men; and they became a [warning] sign.

¹¹ But Korah’s sons did not die.

¹² The sons of Simeon according to their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites;

¹³ Of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.

¹⁴ These are the families of the Simeonites, 22,200.

¹⁵ The sons of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites;

¹⁶ Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites;

¹⁷ Of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.

¹⁸ These, the families of the sons of Gad according to their numbering, totaled 40,500.

¹⁹ The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

²⁰ And the sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites.

²¹ And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.

²² These, the families of Judah according to their numbering, totaled 76,500.

²³ The sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites;

²⁴ Of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.

²⁵ These, the families of Issachar according to their numbering, totaled 64,300.

²⁶ The sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites.

²⁷ These, the families of the Zebulunites according to their numbering, totaled 60,500.

²⁸ The sons of Joseph after their families were Manasseh and Ephraim.

²⁹ The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites (and Machir was the father of Gilead); of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.

³⁰ These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites;

³¹ Of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites;

³² Of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.

³³ Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters, and their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

³⁴ These are the families of Manasseh, and their number was 52,700.

³⁵ These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.

³⁶ And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.

³⁷ These, the families of the sons of Ephraim according to their number, totaled 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph after their families.

³⁸ The sons of Benjamin according to their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites;

³⁹ Of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.

⁴⁰ And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman; of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.

⁴¹ These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and their number was 45,600.

⁴² These are the sons of Dan according to their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families.

⁴³ All the families of the Shuhamites according to their number were 64,400.

⁴⁴ Of the sons of Asher according to their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites.

⁴⁵ Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.

⁴⁶ And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.

⁴⁷ These, the families of the sons of Asher according to their number, totaled 53,400.

⁴⁸ Of the sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites;

⁴⁹ Of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.

⁵⁰ These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and their number totaled 45,400.

⁵¹ This was the number of the Israelites, 601,730.

⁵² And the Lord said to Moses,

⁵³ To these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names.

⁵⁴ To a larger tribe you shall give the greater inheritance, and to a small tribe the less inheritance; to each tribe shall its inheritance be given according to its numbers.

⁵⁵ But the land shall be divided by lot; according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.

⁵⁶ According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the larger and the smaller.

⁵⁷ And these 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 Amram’s wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister.

⁶⁰ And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange and unholy fire before the Lord.

⁶² And those numbered of them were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward; for they were not numbered among the Israelites, because there was no inheritance given them among the Israelites.

⁶³ These were those numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the Israelites in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

⁶⁴ But among these there was not a man of those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai.

⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. There was not left a man of them except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.