Numbers 7-14

New American Standard Bible

Offerings of the Leaders

7 Now on ^(A)the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, he ^(B)anointed it and consecrated it with all its furnishings, and the altar and all its utensils; he anointed them and consecrated them also. ² Then ^(C)the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ households, ^(D)made an offering (they were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ^[a]supervisors over the ^[b]numbered men). ³ When they brought their offering before the Lord, six ^(E)covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders and an ox for each one, then they presented them in front of the tabernacle. ⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁵ “Accept these things from them, that they may be ^[c]used in the service of the tent of meeting, and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.” ⁶ So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. ⁷ Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to ^(F)their service, ⁸ and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to ^(G)their service, ^[d]under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. ⁹ But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath, because theirs was ^(H)the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder.

¹⁰ And the leaders offered the dedication offering ^[e]for the altar ^[f]when ^(I)it was anointed, so the leaders offered their offering before the altar. ¹¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “They shall present their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

¹² Now the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah; ¹³ and his offering was one silver ^[g](J)dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels ^(K)in ^[h]sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ¹⁴ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; ¹⁵ one ^[i]bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ^16 (L)one male goat as a sin offering; ¹⁷ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of ^(M)Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

¹⁸ On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering; ¹⁹ he presented as his offering one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ²⁰ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; ²¹ one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ²² one male goat as a sin offering; ²³ and for the sacrifice of ^(N)peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

²⁴ On the third day it was Eliab the son of Helon, leader of the sons of Zebulun; ²⁵ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ²⁶ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; ²⁷ one bull, one ram, and one ^(O)male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ²⁸ one male goat as a sin offering; ²⁹ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

³⁰ On the fourth day it was Elizur the son of Shedeur, leader of the sons of Reuben; ³¹ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ³² one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; ³³ one bull, one ram, and one ^(P)male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ³⁴ one male goat as a sin offering; ³⁵ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

³⁶ On the fifth day it was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, leader of the sons of Simeon; ³⁷ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ³⁸ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; ³⁹ one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ⁴⁰ one male goat as a sin offering; ⁴¹ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

⁴² On the sixth day it was ^(Q)Eliasaph the son of Deuel, leader of the sons of Gad; ⁴³ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of ^(R)fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁴⁴ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; ^45 (S)one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ⁴⁶ one male goat as a sin offering; ⁴⁷ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

⁴⁸ On the seventh day it was ^(T)Elishama the son of Ammihud, leader of the sons of Ephraim; ⁴⁹ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁵⁰ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of ^(U)incense; ^51 (V)one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ⁵² one male goat as a sin offering; ⁵³ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴ On the eighth day it was ^(W)Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader of the sons of Manasseh; ⁵⁵ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁵⁶ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of ^(X)incense; ⁵⁷ one bull, one ram, and one ^(Y)male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ⁵⁸ one male goat as a sin offering; ⁵⁹ and for the ^(Z)sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰ On the ninth day it was ^(AA)Abidan the son of Gideoni, leader of the sons of Benjamin; ⁶¹ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁶² one gold pan of ten shekels, full of ^(AB)incense; ⁶³ one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ⁶⁴ one male goat as a ^(AC)sin offering; ⁶⁵ and for the sacrifice of ^(AD)peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶ On the tenth day it was ^(AE)Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader of the sons of Dan; ⁶⁷ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary ^(AF)shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁶⁸ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of ^(AG)incense; ⁶⁹ one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ⁷⁰ one male goat as a sin offering; ⁷¹ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

⁷² On the eleventh day it was ^(AH)Pagiel the son of Ochran, leader of the sons of Asher; ⁷³ his offering was also one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁷⁴ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of ^(AI)incense; ⁷⁵ one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ⁷⁶ one male goat as a sin offering; ⁷⁷ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.

⁷⁸ On the twelfth day it was ^(AJ)Ahira the son of Enan, leader of the sons of Naphtali; ⁷⁹ his offering was also one ^(AK)silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels in sanctuary shekels, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁸⁰ one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁸¹ one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; ⁸² one male goat as a sin offering; ⁸³ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.

⁸⁴ This was ^(AL)the dedication offering ^[j]for the altar from the leaders of Israel ^[k]when ^(AM)it was anointed: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold pans, ⁸⁵ each silver dish weighing 130 shekels and each bowl seventy; all the silver of the utensils totaled 2,400 in sanctuary shekels; ⁸⁶ the twelve gold pans full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece in sanctuary ^(AN)shekels, all the gold of the pans totaled 120 shekels. ⁸⁷ All the oxen for the burnt offering totaled twelve bulls, all the rams, twelve, the male lambs one year old with their grain offering, twelve, and the male goats as a sin offering, twelve; ⁸⁸ and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings totaled twenty-four bulls, all the rams, sixty, the male goats, sixty, and the male lambs one year old, sixty. ^(AO)This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.

⁸⁹ Now when ^(AP)Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above ^(AQ)the ^[l]atoning cover that was on the ark of the testimony, from ^(AR)between the two ^[m]cherubim; so He spoke to him.

The Seven Lamps

8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you ^[n]mount the lamps, the seven lamps will ^(AS)provide light in the front of the lampstand.’” ³ Therefore Aaron did so; he ^[o]mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ^4 (AT)Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flower ornamentation it was hammered work; ^(AU)according to the ^[p]pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing the Levites

⁵ Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶ “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and ^(AV)cleanse them. ⁷ This is what you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle ^[q]purifying ^(AW)water on them, and have them ^[r](AX)use a razor over their whole ^[s]body, and they shall ^(AY)wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. ⁸ Then have them take a ^[t]bull with ^(AZ)its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and you shall take a second ^[u]bull as a sin offering. ⁹ So ^(BA)you shall present the Levites in front of the tent of meeting. ^(BB)You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel ^(BC)shall lay their hands on the Levites. ¹¹ Aaron then shall ^[v]present the Levites before the Lord as a ^(BD)wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may ^[w]qualify to perform the service of the Lord. ¹² Now ^(BE)the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then you are to offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. ¹³ And you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

¹⁴ “So you shall single out the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and ^(BF)the Levites shall be Mine. ¹⁵ Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and ^(BG)present them as a wave offering; ¹⁶ for they are ^(BH)exclusively given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself ^(BI)instead of the firstborn of every womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. ¹⁷ For ^(BJ)every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the people and among the animals; on the day that I fatally struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for Myself. ¹⁸ But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel. ¹⁹ And ^(BK)I have given the Levites as ^[x]a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no ^(BL)affliction among the sons of Israel due to ^[y]their approaching the sanctuary.”

²⁰ So this is what Moses, Aaron, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel did to the Levites; according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses regarding the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. ^21 (BM)The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²² Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement for the Levites

²³ Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ “This is what applies to the Levites: from ^(BN)twenty-five years old and upward ^[z]they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. ²⁵ But at the age of fifty years they shall ^[aa]retire from service in the work and not work anymore. ²⁶ They may, however, ^[ab]assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, ^(BO)to fulfill an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. In this way you shall deal with the Levites in their obligations.”

The Passover

9 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in ^(BP)the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ² “Now the sons of Israel are to ^[ac]celebrate the Passover at ^(BQ)its appointed time. ³ On the fourteenth day of this month, ^[ad]at twilight, you shall celebrate it at its appointed time; you shall celebrate it in accordance with all its statutes and all its ordinances.” ⁴ So Moses ^[ae]told the sons of Israel to celebrate the Passover. ⁵ And ^(BR)they celebrated the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; ^(BS)in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. ⁶ But there were some men who were ^(BT)unclean because of contact with a ^[af]dead person, so that they could not celebrate Passover on that day; and ^(BU)they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. ⁷ Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of a ^[ag]dead person, why are we kept from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” ⁸ Moses then said to them, “^[ah](BV)Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”

⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead ^[ai]person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, celebrate the Passover to the Lord. ¹¹ In the second month on the ^(BW)fourteenth day at twilight, they shall celebrate it; they ^(BX)shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ¹² They ^(BY)shall not leave any of it until morning, ^(BZ)nor break a bone of it; they shall celebrate it in accordance with the whole statute of the Passover. ^13 (CA)But the person who is clean and is not on a journey, yet refrains from celebrating the Passover, that ^[aj]person shall then be cut off from his people, because he did not present the offering of the Lord at its appointed time. That person ^(CB)will bear the responsibility for his sin. ¹⁴ And ^(CC)if a stranger resides among you and ^[ak]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and its ordinance, so he shall celebrate it; you shall have ^[al]the ^(CD)same statute, both for the stranger and for the native of the land.’”

The Cloud on the Tabernacle

¹⁵ Now on ^(CE)the day that the tabernacle was erected, ^(CF)the cloud covered the tabernacle, the ^(CG)tent of the testimony, and ^(CH)in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle until morning. ¹⁶ That is how it was continuously; ^(CI)the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. ^17 (CJ)Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. ¹⁸ At the ^[am]command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the ^[an]command of the Lord they would camp; ^(CK)as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. ¹⁹ Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, ^[ao]the sons of Israel would comply with the Lord’s ordinance and not set out. ²⁰ If ^[ap]sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, ^(CL)in accordance with the ^[aq]command of the Lord they remained camped. Then in accordance with the ^[ar]command of the Lord they set out. ²¹ If ^[as]sometimes the cloud ^[at]remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning they would set out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. ²² Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but ^(CM)when it was lifted, they did set out. ^23 (CN)At the ^[au]command of the Lord they camped, and at the ^[av]command of the Lord they set out; they did what the Lord required, in accordance with the ^[aw]command of the Lord through Moses.

The Silver Trumpets

10 The Lord spoke further to Moses, saying, ² “Make yourself two trumpets of silver, you shall make them of hammered work; and you shall use them for ^(CO)summoning the congregation and breaking camp. ³ Now ^(CP)when both are blown, all the congregation shall meet you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁴ But if only one is blown, then the ^(CQ)leaders, the heads of the ^[ax]divisions of Israel, shall meet you. ⁵ And when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched ^(CR)on the east side shall set out. ⁶ Then when you sound an alarm the second time, the camps that are pitched on ^(CS)the south side shall set out; an alarm is to be sounded for them to break camp. ⁷ When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow the trumpets without ^(CT)sounding an alarm. ^8 (CU)The sons of Aaron, moreover, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be a permanent statute for you throughout your generations. ⁹ And when you go to war in your land against the enemy who ^(CV)attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, so that you will be ^(CW)thought of by the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies. ¹⁰ Also on the day of your joy and at your appointed ^[ay]feasts, and on the first days of your months, ^(CX)you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”

The Tribes Leave Sinai

¹¹ Now in ^(CY)the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from above the ^[az]tabernacle of the testimony; ¹² and the sons of Israel set out on ^(CZ)their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled in the ^(DA)wilderness of Paran. ^13 (DB)So they moved on for the first time in accordance with the ^[ba]command of the Lord through Moses. ¹⁴ The ^[bb]flag of the camp of the sons of Judah, by their armies, ^(DC)set out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army, ¹⁵ and Nethanel the son of Zuar, over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar; ¹⁶ and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.

^17 (DD)Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out. ¹⁸ Next ^(DE)the flag of the camp of Reuben, by their armies, set out with Elizur the son of Shedeur, over its army, ¹⁹ and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon, ²⁰ and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.

^21 (DF)Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy objects; and ^(DG)the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. ^22 (DH)Next the flag of the camp of the sons of Ephraim, by their armies, set out, with Elishama the son of Ammihud over its army, ²³ and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh; ²⁴ and Abidan the son of Gideoni over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.

^25 (DI)Then the flag of the camp of the sons of Dan, by their armies, which formed the ^(DJ)rear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army, ²⁶ and Pagiel the son of Ochran over the tribal army of the sons of Asher; ²⁷ and Ahira the son of Enan over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali. ^28 [bc]This was the order of marching for the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.

²⁹ Then Moses said to ^(DK)Hobab the son of ^(DL)Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the Lord said, ‘^(DM)I will give it to you.’ ^(DN)Come with us and we will do you good, for the Lord ^(DO)has ^[bd]promised good concerning Israel.” ³⁰ But he said to him, “^(DP)I will not come, but rather will go to my own land and relatives.” ³¹ Then he said, “Please do not leave us, since you know ^[be]where we should camp in the wilderness, and you ^(DQ)will be as eyes for us. ³² So it will be, if you go with us, that ^[bf](DR)whatever good the Lord ^[bg]does for us, ^(DS)we will ^[bh]do for you.”

^33 (DT)So they moved on from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey, with ^(DU)the ark of the covenant of the Lord going on in front of them for the ^[bi]three days, to seek out ^(DV)a resting place for them. ^34 (DW)And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

³⁵ Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said,

³⁶ And when it came to rest, he said,

The People Complain

11 Now the people became like ^(EB)those who complain of adversity ^(EC)in the ears of the Lord; and the Lord heard them and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp. ^2 (ED)The people then cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire ^[bj]died out. ³ So that place was named ^[bk](EE)Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

⁴ Now the ^(EF)rabble who were among them ^[bl]had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, “^(EG)Who will give us ^[bm]meat to eat? ^5 (EH)We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; ⁶ but now ^(EI)our ^[bn]appetite is gone. There is nothing at all ^[bo]to look at except this manna!”

^7 (EJ)Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of ^[bp](EK)bdellium. ⁸ The people would roam about and gather it and grind it ^[bq]between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of ^[br]cake baked with oil. ^9 (EL)When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna would come down ^[bs]with it.

The Complaint of Moses

¹⁰ Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of the Lord became very hot, and ^[bt]Moses was displeased. ^11 (EM)So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You ^[bu]been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me? ¹² Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them ^[bv]in your arms, as a ^[bw](EN)nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which ^(EO)You swore to their fathers’? ¹³ Where am I to get meat to give to ^(EP)all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat!’ ^14 (EQ)I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too ^[bx]burdensome for me. ^15 (ER)So if You are going to deal with me this way, please kill me now, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my misery.”

Seventy Elders to Assist Moses

¹⁶ The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me ^(ES)seventy men from the elders of Israel, ^(ET)whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their stand there with you. ^17 (EU)Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of ^(EV)the Spirit who is upon you, and put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it by yourself. ¹⁸ And you shall say to the people, ‘^(EW)Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept ^(EX)in the ears of the Lord, saying, “^[by]Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. ¹⁹ You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, ^20 [bz]but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nose and ^[ca]makes you nauseated; because ^(EY)you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” ²¹ But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am included, are six hundred thousand on foot! Yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ ²² Are flocks and herds to be slaughtered for them, so that it will be sufficient for them? Or are all the fish of the sea to be ^[cb]caught for them, so that it will be sufficient for them?” ²³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Is ^(EZ)the Lord’s ^[cc]power too little? Now you shall see whether ^(FA)My word will ^[cd]come true for you or not.”

²⁴ So Moses went out and ^(FB)told the people the words of the Lord. He also gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and positioned them around the tent. ^25 (FC)Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took away some of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Yet they did not do it again.

²⁶ But two men had remained in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the ^[ce]other, Medad. And ^(FD)the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ So a young man ran and informed Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸ Then ^(FE)Joshua the son of Nun, the personal servant of Moses from his youth, responded and said, “^(FF)My lord Moses, restrain them!” ²⁹ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? ^(FG)If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” ³⁰ Then Moses ^[cf]returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

^31 (FH)Now a wind burst forth from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and dropped them beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side all around the camp, and about ^[cg]two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. ³² And the people ^[ch]spent all that day, all night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered ^[ci]ten ^(FI)homers) and spread them out for themselves all around the camp. ^33 (FJ)While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. ³⁴ So that place was named ^[cj](FK)Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy. ³⁵ From Kibroth-hattaavah ^(FL)the people set out for Hazeroth, and they ^[ck]remained at Hazeroth.

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

12 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a ^(FM)Cushite woman); ^2 (FN)and they said, “Is it a fact that the Lord has spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard this. ³ (Now the man Moses was ^(FO)very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth.) ⁴ And the Lord suddenly said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “You three go out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. ^5 (FP)Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent; and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, ⁶ He said,

⁹ And the anger of the Lord burned against them and ^(FW)He departed. ¹⁰ But when the cloud had withdrawn from above the tent, behold, ^(FX)Miriam was leprous, as ^(FY)white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. ¹¹ Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, ^(FZ)do not ^[cn]hold us responsible for this sin by which we have turned out to be foolish, and by which we have sinned. ¹² Oh, do not let her be like a dead person, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” ¹³ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “God, ^(GA)heal her, please!” ¹⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had only ^(GB)spit in her face, would she not be put to shame for seven days? Have her shut ^(GC)outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” ¹⁵ So ^(GD)Miriam was shut outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

¹⁶ Afterward, however, the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Spies View the Land

13 Then ^(GE)the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(GF)Send out men for yourself to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” ³ So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the ^[co]command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. ⁴ These then were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; ⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; ⁶ from the tribe of Judah, ^(GG)Caleb the son of Jephunneh; ⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; ⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, ^(GH)Hoshea the son of Nun; ⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; ¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; ¹¹ from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; ¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; ¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; ¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; ¹⁵ and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. ¹⁶ These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called ^(GI)Hoshea the son of Nun, ^[cp]Joshua.

¹⁷ When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into ^(GJ)the ^[cq]Negev; then go up into the hill country. ¹⁸ See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many. ¹⁹ And how is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are the people in open camps or in fortifications? ²⁰ And ^(GK)how is the land, is it ^[cr]productive or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? And ^(GL)show yourselves courageous and get some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

²¹ So they went up and spied out the land from ^(GM)the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, ^[cs](GN)at Lebo-hamath. ²² When they had gone up into ^(GO)the Negev, ^[ct]they came to Hebron where ^(GP)Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the ^[cu]descendants of ^(GQ)Anak were. (Hebron was built seven years before ^(GR)Zoan in Egypt.)

²³ Then they came to the ^[cv]Valley of ^[cw](GS)Eshcol, and from there they cut off a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of ^[cx]Eshcol, because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut off from there.

The Spies’ Reports

²⁵ When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, ²⁶ they went on and came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ^[cy]in the wilderness of Paran at ^(GT)Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ So they reported to him and said, “We came into the land where you sent us, and ^(GU)it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and ^(GV)this is its fruit. ²⁸ Nevertheless, ^(GW)the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And indeed, we saw ^(GX)the ^[cz]descendants of Anak there! ²⁹ Amalek is living in the land of ^(GY)the Negev, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and ^(GZ)the Amorites are living in the hill country, and ^(HA)the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then Caleb quieted the people ^[da]before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will certainly prevail over it.” ³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “^(HB)We are not able to go up against the people, because they are too strong for us.” ³² So they brought ^(HC)a bad report of the land which they had spied out to the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to spy out is ^(HD)a land that devours its inhabitants; and ^(HE)all the people whom we saw in it are people of great stature. ³³ We also saw the ^[db](HF)Nephilim there (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and ^(HG)we were like ^[dc]grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation ^[dd]raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept ^[de]that night. ² And all the sons of Israel ^(HH)grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “^(HI)If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! ³ So why is the Lord bringing us into this land ^(HJ)to fall by the sword? ^(HK)Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ So they said to one another, “^(HL)Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”

^5 (HM)Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. ⁶ And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; ⁷ and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “^(HN)The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. ^8 (HO)If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—^(HP)a land which flows with milk and honey. ⁹ Only ^(HQ)do not rebel against the Lord; and do not ^(HR)fear the people of the land, for they will be our ^[df]prey. Their ^[dg]protection is gone from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” ^10 (HS)But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then ^(HT)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Moses Pleads for the People

^11 (HU)And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will ^(HV)they not ^[dh]believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? ¹² I will strike them with ^[di](HW)plague and dispossess them, and I ^(HX)will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

^13 (HY)But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people up from their midst, ¹⁴ and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are in the midst of this people, because ^(HZ)You, Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. ¹⁵ Now if You put this people to death ^[dj]all at once, ^(IA)then the nations who have heard of Your fame will ^[dk]say, ¹⁶ ‘Since the Lord ^(IB)could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ ¹⁷ So now, please, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, saying, ¹⁸ ‘^(IC)The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving wrongdoing and violation of His Law; but ^(ID)He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, ^(IE)inflicting the ^[dl]punishment of the fathers on the children ^[dm]to the third and the fourth generations.’ ¹⁹ Please ^(IF)forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

The Lord Pardons and Rebukes

²⁰ So the Lord said, “^(IG)I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; ²¹ however, ^(IH)as I live, ^[dn](II)all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. ²² Certainly ^(IJ)all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet ^(IK)have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, ^23 (IL)shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who were disrespectful to Me see it. ²⁴ But as for My servant Caleb, ^(IM)because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, ^(IN)I will bring him into the land which he ^[do]entered, and his ^[dp]descendants shall take possession of it. ^25 (IO)Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way of the ^[dq]Red Sea.”

²⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron again, saying, ²⁷ “How long shall I put up with this evil congregation who are ^(IP)grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are ^[dr]voicing against Me. ²⁸ Say to them, ‘^(IQ)As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘just as ^(IR)you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; ^29 (IS)your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all ^(IT)your ^[ds]numbered men according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. ³⁰ By no means will you come into the land where I ^[dt]swore to settle you, ^(IU)except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. ^31 (IV)Your children, however, whom you said would become plunder—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. ^32 (IW)But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. ³³ Also, your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for ^(IX)forty years, and they will ^[du]suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your bodies perish in the wilderness. ³⁴ In accordance with the ^(IY)number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your ^[dv]guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. ^35 (IZ)I, the Lord, have spoken, I certainly will do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They shall be worn out in this wilderness, and there they shall die.’”

^36 (JA)As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who returned and led all the congregation to grumble against him by bringing a bad report about the land, ^37 (JB)those men who brought the bad report of the land also died by a ^(JC)plague in the presence of the Lord. ³⁸ But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land.

Israel Repulsed

³⁹ Now when Moses spoke ^(JD)these words to all the sons of Israel, ^(JE)the people mourned greatly. ⁴⁰ In the morning, however, they got up early and went up to the ^[dw]ridge of the hill country, saying, “^(JF)Here we are; and we will go up to the place which the Lord has ^[dx]promised, for ^[dy]we have sinned.” ⁴¹ But Moses said, “^(JG)Why then are you ^(JH)violating the ^[dz]command of the Lord, when doing so will not succeed? ^42 (JI)Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, ^[ea]to prevent you from being defeated ^[eb]by your enemies. ⁴³ For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there ^[ec]to confront you, and you will fall by the sword, since you have turned back from following the Lord. And the Lord will not be with you.” ⁴⁴ But they foolishly dared to go up to the ^[ed]ridge of the hill country; neither ^(JJ)the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses left the camp. ⁴⁵ Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and scattered them as far as ^(JK)Hormah.