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Numbers 16:26-23:23
English Standard Version
Numbers 16:26-23:23
English Standard Version
26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, (A)“Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” 27 So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood (B)at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. 28 And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been (C)of my own accord. 29 If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, (D)then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates something new, and (E)the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they (F)go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”
31 (G)And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. 32 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and (H)all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and (I)they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” 35 And (J)fire came out from the Lord and consumed (K)the 250 men offering the incense.
36 [a] Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 37 “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy. 38 As for the censers of (L)these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. (M)Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar, 40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so (N)that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the Lord said to him through Moses.
41 But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel (O)grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” 42 And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, (P)the cloud covered it, and (Q)the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 (R)“Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” (S)And they fell on their faces. 46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for (T)wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and (U)the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, (V)besides those who died in the affair of Korah. 50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, when the plague was stopped.
Aaron's Staff Buds
17 [b] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 (W)“Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers' house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house. 4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, (X)where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man (Y)whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me (Z)the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in (AA)the tent of the testimony.
8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back (AB)the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept (AC)as a sign for the rebels, (AD)that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the Lord commanded him, so he did.
12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. 13 (AE)Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, shall die. Are we all to perish?”
Duties of Priests and Levites
18 So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father's house with you shall (AF)bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, (AG)and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. 2 And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may (AH)join you and (AI)minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 They shall keep guard over you and (AJ)over the whole tent, (AK)but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar (AL)lest they, and you, die. 4 They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, (AM)and no outsider shall come near you. 5 And you shall (AN)keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, (AO)that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. 6 (AP)And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. (AQ)They are a gift to you, given to the Lord, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 7 And (AR)you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and (AS)that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift,[c] and (AT)any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Behold, (AU)I have given you charge of the contributions made to me, all the consecrated things of the people of Israel. I have given them to you (AV)as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual due. 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs and every (AW)sin offering of theirs and every (AX)guilt offering of theirs, which they render to me, shall be most holy to you and to your sons. 10 In a most holy place shall you eat it. Every male may eat it; it is holy to you. 11 This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the (AY)wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to (AZ)you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. (BA)Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. 12 (BB)All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, (BC)the firstfruits of what they give to the Lord, I give to you. 13 The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, (BD)which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. (BE)Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. 14 (BF)Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15 (BG)Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours. Nevertheless, (BH)the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 And their redemption price (BI)(at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels[d] in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, (BJ)which is twenty gerahs. 17 (BK)But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall burn their fat as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 18 But their flesh shall be yours, as (BL)the breast that is waved and as the right thigh are yours. 19 (BM)All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. (BN)It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.” 20 And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. (BO)I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.
21 (BP)“To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, 22 (BQ)so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting, (BR)lest they bear sin and die. 23 But (BS)the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, (BT)and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithe of the people of Israel, which (BU)they present as a contribution to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance (BV)among the people of Israel.”
25 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, (BW)a tithe of the tithe. 27 (BX)And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 So you shall also present a contribution to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the Lord's contribution to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all the gifts to you, you shall present every contribution due to the Lord; from each its best part is to be dedicated.’ 30 Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, (BY)then the rest shall be counted to the Levites as produce of the threshing floor, and as produce of the winepress. 31 And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is (BZ)your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 And you shall (CA)bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not (CB)profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.’”
Laws for Purification
19 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, (CC)and on which a yoke has never come. 3 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and (CD)it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and (CE)sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. (CF)Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take (CG)cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. 7 Then the priest (CH)shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 (CI)The one who burns the heifer (CJ)shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. 9 And a man who is clean shall gather up (CK)the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a (CL)clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for (CM)impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer (CN)shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.
11 (CO)“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12 He (CP)shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. 13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, (CQ)defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, (CR)and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.
14 “This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days. 15 And every (CS)open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean. 16 (CT)Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a (CU)grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 For the unclean they shall take (CV)some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh[e] water shall be added in a vessel. 18 Then a clean person shall take (CW)hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean (CX)on the third day and on the seventh day. (CY)Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall (CZ)wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.
20 “If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, (DA)that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean. 21 And it shall be a statute forever for them. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22 And (DB)whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”
The Death of Miriam
20 And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came (DC)into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And (DD)Miriam died there and was buried there.
The Waters of Meribah
2 (DE)Now there was no water for the congregation. (DF)And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people (DG)quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished (DH)when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? 5 And (DI)why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and (DJ)fell on their faces. (DK)And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 (DL)“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So (DM)you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff (DN)from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
Moses Strikes the Rock
10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, (DO)“Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, (DP)and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because (DQ)you did not believe in me, (DR)to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 (DS)These are the waters of Meribah,[f] where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.
Edom Refuses Passage
14 (DT)Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to (DU)the king of Edom: “Thus says (DV)your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: 15 (DW)how our fathers went down to Egypt, (DX)and we lived in Egypt a long time. (DY)And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. 16 And (DZ)when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and (EA)sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. 17 (EB)Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, (EC)or drink water from a well. We will go along the King's Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.” 18 But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.” 19 And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, (ED)and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, (EE)then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20 But he said, (EF)“You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. 21 Thus Edom (EG)refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel (EH)turned away from him.
The Death of Aaron
22 And they journeyed from (EI)Kadesh, and the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came to (EJ)Mount Hor. 23 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, 24 (EK)“Let Aaron be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel, because (EL)you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor. 26 And strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron (EM)shall be gathered to his people and shall die there.” 27 Moses did as the Lord commanded. And they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 (EN)And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there (EO)on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, (EP)all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.
Arad Destroyed
21 When (EQ)the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in (ER)the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. 2 (ES)And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.”[g] 3 And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called (ET)Hormah.[h]
The Bronze Serpent
4 From Mount Hor (EU)they set out by the way to the Red Sea, (EV)to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people (EW)spoke against God and against Moses, (EX)“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and (EY)we loathe this worthless food.” 6 (EZ)Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and (FA)they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 (FB)And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. (FC)Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So (FD)Moses made a bronze[i] serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
The Song of the Well
10 And the people of Israel set out and (FE)camped in Oboth. 11 (FF)And they set out from Oboth and (FG)camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 From there they set out and camped in (FH)the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the (FI)Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
“Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15 and the slope of the valleys
that extends to the seat of (FJ)Ar,
and leans to the border of Moab.”
16 And from there they continued (FK)to Beer;[j] that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so that (FL)I may give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!—
18 the well that the princes made,
that the nobles of the people dug,
with (FM)the scepter and with their staffs.”
And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah (FN)that looks down on the desert.[k]
King Sihon Defeated
21 Then (FO)Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 (FP)“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 (FQ)But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and (FR)came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 (FS)And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the (FT)Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the (FU)ballad singers say,
“Come to (FV)Heshbon, let it be built;
let the city of Sihon be established.
28 For (FW)fire came out from (FX)Heshbon,
flame from the city of Sihon.
It devoured (FY)Ar of Moab,
and swallowed[l] the heights of the Arnon.
29 (FZ)Woe to you, O Moab!
You are undone, O people of (GA)Chemosh!
He has made his sons fugitives,
and his daughters captives,
to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 So we overthrew them;
Heshbon, as far as (GB)Dibon, perished;
and we laid waste as far as Nophah;
fire spread as far as (GC)Medeba.”[m]
King Og Defeated
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out (GD)Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle (GE)at Edrei. 34 (GF)But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And (GG)you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land.
Balak Summons Balaam
22 Then (GH)the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. 2 And (GI)Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And (GJ)Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. 4 And Moab said to (GK)the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 (GL)sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor (GM)at Pethor, which is near the River[n] in the land of the people of Amaw,[o] to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 (GN)Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and (GO)the elders of Midian departed with (GP)the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 (GQ)And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for (GR)they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” 14 So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”
15 Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, 17 (GS)for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. (GT)Come, curse this people for me.’” 18 But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, (GU)“Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, (GV)I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. 19 So you, too, (GW)please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.” 20 (GX)And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; (GY)but only do what I tell you.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
Balaam's Donkey and the Angel
22 But God's anger was kindled because he went, (GZ)and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way (HA)as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord (HB)opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord (HC)opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out (HD)to oppose you because your way is perverse[p] before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, (HE)“I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, (HF)but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, (HG)on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border. 37 And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to (HH)honor you?” 38 Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? (HI)The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.” 39 Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.
41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.
Balaam's First Oracle
23 And Balaam said to Balak, (HJ)“Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam (HK)offered on each altar a bull and a ram. 3 And Balaam said to Balak, (HL)“Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come (HM)to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height, 4 (HN)and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 5 And the Lord (HO)put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6 And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. 7 And Balaam (HP)took up his discourse and said,
“From (HQ)Aram Balak has brought me,
the king of Moab (HR)from the eastern mountains:
‘Come, (HS)curse Jacob for me,
and come, denounce Israel!’
8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 For from the top of the crags (HT)I see him,
from the hills I behold him;
behold, (HU)a people dwelling alone,
and (HV)not counting itself among the nations!
10 (HW)Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number the fourth part[q] of Israel?
Let me die (HX)the death of the upright,
and let my end be like his!”
11 And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? (HY)I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” 12 And he answered and said, (HZ)“Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”
Balaam's Second Oracle
13 And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.” 14 And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, (IA)and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, (IB)“Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord over there.” 16 And the Lord met Balaam and (IC)put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.” 17 And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” 18 And Balaam took up his discourse and said,
“Rise, Balak, and hear;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
19 (ID)God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
20 Behold, I received a command to bless:
(IE)he has blessed, and (IF)I cannot revoke it.
21 (IG)He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,
nor has he seen trouble in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
and the shout of a king is among them.
22 (IH)God brings them out of Egypt
and is for them like (II)the horns of the wild ox.
23 For there is no enchantment against Jacob,
no (IJ)divination against Israel;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
(IK)‘What has God wrought!’
Footnotes
- Numbers 16:36 Ch 17:1 in Hebrew
- Numbers 17:1 Ch 17:16 in Hebrew
- Numbers 18:7 Hebrew service of gift
- Numbers 18:16 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- Numbers 19:17 Hebrew living
- Numbers 20:13 Meribah means quarreling
- Numbers 21:2 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verse 3
- Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction
- Numbers 21:9 Or copper
- Numbers 21:16 Beer means well
- Numbers 21:20 Or Jeshimon
- Numbers 21:28 Septuagint; Hebrew the lords of
- Numbers 21:30 Compare Samaritan and Septuagint; Hebrew and we laid waste as far as Nophah, which is as far as Medeba
- Numbers 22:5 That is, the Euphrates
- Numbers 22:5 Or the people of his kindred
- Numbers 22:32 Or reckless
- Numbers 23:10 Or dust clouds
Numbers 16:26-23:23
New International Version
Numbers 16:26-23:23
New International Version
26 He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men!(A) Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away(B) because of all their sins.(C)” 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.(D) Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children(E) and little ones at the entrances to their tents.(F)
28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know(G) that the Lord has sent me(H) to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me.(I) 30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth(J) and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead,(K) then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.(L)”
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart(M) 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them(N) and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead,(O) with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”
35 And fire came out from the Lord(P) and consumed(Q) the 250 men who were offering the incense.
36 The Lord said to Moses, 37 “Tell Eleazar(R) son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers(S) from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— 38 the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives.(T) Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar,(U) for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign(V) to the Israelites.”
39 So Eleazar the priest(W) collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death,(X) and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40 as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense(Y) before the Lord,(Z) or he would become like Korah and his followers.(AA)
41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord’s people,” they said.
42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition(AB) to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord(AC) appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end(AD) to them at once.” And they fell facedown.
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer(AE) and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly(AF) to make atonement(AG) for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord;(AH) the plague(AI) has started.” 47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people,(AJ) but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.(AK) 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.(AL) 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.[a]
The Budding of Aaron’s Staff
17 [b]The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs(AM) from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes.(AN) Write the name of each man on his staff. 3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name,(AO) for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place them in the tent of meeting(AP) in front of the ark of the covenant law,(AQ) where I meet with you.(AR) 5 The staff belonging to the man I choose(AS) will sprout,(AT) and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling(AU) against you by the Israelites.”
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. 7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.(AV)
8 The next day Moses entered the tent(AW) and saw that Aaron’s staff,(AX) which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.(AY) 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs(AZ) from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff(BA) in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious.(BB) This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” 11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!(BC) 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die.(BD) Are we all going to die?”
Duties of Priests and Levites
18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary,(BE) and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood. 2 Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister(BF) before the tent of the covenant law. 3 They are to be responsible to you(BG) and are to perform all the duties of the tent,(BH) but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die.(BI) 4 They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are.(BJ)
5 “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar,(BK) so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6 I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you,(BL) dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting.(BM) 7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain.(BN) I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.(BO) Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.(BP)”
Offerings for Priests and Levites
8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion,(BQ) your perpetual share.(BR) 9 You are to have the part of the most holy offerings(BS) that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain(BT) or sin[c](BU) or guilt offerings,(BV) that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it.(BW) You must regard it as holy.(BX)
11 “This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings(BY) of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share.(BZ) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean(CA) may eat it.
12 “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain(CB) they give the Lord(CC) as the firstfruits of their harvest.(CD) 13 All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours.(CE) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.(CF)
14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted[d] to the Lord(CG) is yours. 15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours.(CH) But you must redeem(CI) every firstborn(CJ) son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.(CK) 16 When they are a month old,(CL) you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels[e](CM) of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel,(CN) which weighs twenty gerahs.(CO)
17 “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy.(CP) Splash their blood(CQ) against the altar and burn their fat(CR) as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(CS) 18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering(CT) and the right thigh are yours.(CU) 19 Whatever is set aside from the holy(CV) offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt(CW) before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”
20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them;(CX) I am your share and your inheritance(CY) among the Israelites.
21 “I give to the Levites all the tithes(CZ) in Israel as their inheritance(DA) in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.(DB) 22 From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.(DC) 23 It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance(DD) for the generations to come.(DE) They will receive no inheritance(DF) among the Israelites.(DG) 24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.(DH) That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you(DI) as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.(DJ) 27 Your offering will be reckoned(DK) to you as grain from the threshing floor(DL) or juice from the winepress.(DM) 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes(DN) you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’
30 “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.(DO) 31 You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting.(DP) 32 By presenting the best part(DQ) of it you will not be guilty in this matter;(DR) then you will not defile the holy offerings(DS) of the Israelites, and you will not die.’”
The Water of Cleansing
19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer(DT) without defect or blemish(DU) and that has never been under a yoke.(DV) 3 Give it to Eleazar(DW) the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp(DX) and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle(DY) it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.(DZ) 6 The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop(EA) and scarlet wool(EB) and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7 After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water.(EC) He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8 The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer(ED) and put them in a ceremonially clean place(EE) outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing;(EF) it is for purification from sin.(EG) 10 The man who gathers up(EH) the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening.(EI) This will be a lasting ordinance(EJ) both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.(EK)
11 “Whoever touches a human corpse(EL) will be unclean for seven days.(EM) 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;(EN) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.(EO) 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,(EP) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.(EQ) They must be cut off from Israel.(ER) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;(ES) their uncleanness remains on them.
14 “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15 and every open container(ET) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,(EU) or anyone who touches a human bone(EV) or a grave,(EW) will be unclean for seven days.(EX)
17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes(EY) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water(EZ) over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,(FA) dip it in the water and sprinkle(FB) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave(FC) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle(FD) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.(FE) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes(FF) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20 But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled(FG) the sanctuary of the Lord.(FH) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.(FI) 21 This is a lasting ordinance(FJ) for them.
“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22 Anything that an unclean(FK) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”
Water From the Rock
20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin,(FL) and they stayed at Kadesh.(FM) There Miriam(FN) died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water(FO) for the community,(FP) and the people gathered in opposition(FQ) to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled(FR) with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead(FS) before the Lord!(FT) 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness,(FU) that we and our livestock should die here?(FV) 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.(FW) And there is no water to drink!(FX)”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting(FY) and fell facedown,(FZ) and the glory of the Lord(GA) appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff,(GB) and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.(GC) You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff(GD) from the Lord’s presence,(GE) just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together(GF) in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”(GG) 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water(GH) gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy(GI) in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”(GJ)
13 These were the waters of Meribah,[f](GK) where the Israelites quarreled(GL) with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.(GM)
Edom Denies Israel Passage
14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh(GN) to the king of Edom,(GO) saying:
“This is what your brother Israel says: You know(GP) about all the hardships(GQ) that have come on us. 15 Our ancestors went down into Egypt,(GR) and we lived there many years.(GS) The Egyptians mistreated(GT) us and our ancestors, 16 but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry(GU) and sent an angel(GV) and brought us out of Egypt.(GW)
“Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.(GX) 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.(GY)”
18 But Edom(GZ) answered:
“You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.(HA)”
19 The Israelites replied:
“We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock(HB) drink any of your water, we will pay for it.(HC) We only want to pass through on foot—nothing else.”
20 Again they answered:
“You may not pass through.(HD)”
Then Edom(HE) came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory,(HF) Israel turned away from them.(HG)
The Death of Aaron
22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh(HH) and came to Mount Hor.(HI) 23 At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom,(HJ) the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people.(HK) He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command(HL) at the waters of Meribah.(HM) 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.(HN) 26 Remove Aaron’s garments(HO) and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people;(HP) he will die there.”
27 Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor(HQ) in the sight of the whole community. 28 Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar.(HR) And Aaron died there(HS) on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29 and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died,(HT) all the Israelites mourned for him(HU) thirty days.
Arad Destroyed
21 When the Canaanite king of Arad,(HV) who lived in the Negev,(HW) heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow(HX) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[g](HY) their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites(HZ) over to them. They completely destroyed them(IA) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[h](IB)
The Bronze Snake
4 They traveled from Mount Hor(IC) along the route to the Red Sea,[i](ID) to go around Edom.(IE) But the people grew impatient on the way;(IF) 5 they spoke against God(IG) and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt(IH) to die in the wilderness?(II) There is no bread! There is no water!(IJ) And we detest this miserable food!”(IK)
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes(IL) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.(IM) 7 The people came to Moses(IN) and said, “We sinned(IO) when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord(IP) will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed(IQ) for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;(IR) anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake(IS) and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.(IT)
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.(IU) 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab(IV) toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.(IW) 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon(IX), which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.(IY) 14 That is why the Book of the Wars(IZ) of the Lord says:
“. . . Zahab[j] in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon 15 and[k] the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar(JA)
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 From there they continued on to Beer,(JB) the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:(JC)
“Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18 about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs.”
Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah(JD) overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers(JE) to say to Sihon(JF) king of the Amorites:(JG)
22 “Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.(JH)”
23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory.(JI) He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz,(JJ) he fought with Israel.(JK) 24 Israel, however, put him to the sword(JL) and took over his land(JM) from the Arnon to the Jabbok,(JN) but only as far as the Ammonites,(JO) because their border was fortified. 25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites(JP) and occupied them,(JQ) including Heshbon(JR) and all its surrounding settlements. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon(JS) king of the Amorites,(JT) who had fought against the former king of Moab(JU) and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.(JV)
27 That is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;
let Sihon’s city be restored.
28 “Fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.(JW)
It consumed(JX) Ar(JY) of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon’s heights.(JZ)
29 Woe to you, Moab!(KA)
You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!(KB)
He has given up his sons as fugitives(KC)
and his daughters as captives(KD)
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 “But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon’s dominion has been destroyed all the way to Dibon.(KE)
We have demolished them as far as Nophah,
which extends to Medeba.(KF)”
31 So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.(KG)
32 After Moses had sent spies(KH) to Jazer,(KI) the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan(KJ),(KK) and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.(KL)
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.(KM)”
35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors.(KN) And they took possession of his land.(KO)
Balak Summons Balaam
22 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab(KP) and camped along the Jordan(KQ) across from Jericho.(KR)
2 Now Balak son of Zippor(KS) saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread(KT) because of the Israelites.
4 The Moabites(KU) said to the elders of Midian,(KV) “This horde is going to lick up everything(KW) around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.(KX)”
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor,(KY) who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River,(KZ) in his native land. Balak said:
“A people has come out of Egypt;(LA) they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a curse(LB) on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land.(LC) For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.(LD) When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.(LE)” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.
9 God came to Balaam(LF) and asked,(LG) “Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’”
12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.(LH)”
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said:
“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely(LI) and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse(LJ) on these people for me.”
18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.(LK) 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.(LL)”
20 That night God came to Balaam(LM) and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”(LN)
Balaam’s Donkey
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry(LO) when he went, and the angel of the Lord(LP) stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword(LQ) in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it(LR) to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry(LS) and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth,(LT) and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?(LU)”
29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.(LV)”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”
“No,” he said.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes,(LW) and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
32 The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.[l] 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now,(LX) but I would have spared it.”
34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned.(LY) I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”
35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
36 When Balak(LZ) heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon(MA) border, at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”
38 “Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”(MB)
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep,(MC) and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal,(MD) and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.(ME)
Balaam’s First Message
23 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams(MF) for me.” 2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(MG)
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me.(MH) Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.
4 God met with him,(MI) and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5 The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth(MJ) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”(MK)
6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials.(ML) 7 Then Balaam(MM) spoke his message:(MN)
“Balak brought me from Aram,(MO)
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.(MP)
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’(MQ)
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?(MR)
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?(MS)
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.(MT)
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.(MU)
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob(MV)
or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,(MW)
and may my final end be like theirs!(MX)”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies,(MY) but you have done nothing but bless them!”(MZ)
12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”(NA)
Balaam’s Second Message
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place(NB) where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp.(NC) And from there, curse them for me.(ND)” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah,(NE) and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(NF)
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth(NG) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials.(NH) Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Then he spoke his message:(NI)
“Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.(NJ)
19 God is not human,(NK) that he should lie,(NL)
not a human being, that he should change his mind.(NM)
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise(NN) and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;(NO)
he has blessed,(NP) and I cannot change it.(NQ)
21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob,(NR)
no misery observed[m] in Israel.(NS)
The Lord their God is with them;(NT)
the shout of the King(NU) is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;(NV)
they have the strength of a wild ox.(NW)
23 There is no divination against[n] Jacob,
no evil omens(NX) against[o] Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
Footnotes
- Numbers 16:50 In Hebrew texts 16:36-50 is numbered 17:1-15.
- Numbers 17:1 In Hebrew texts 17:1-13 is numbered 17:16-28.
- Numbers 18:9 Or purification
- Numbers 18:14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
- Numbers 18:16 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams
- Numbers 20:13 Meribah means quarreling.
- Numbers 21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3.
- Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction.
- Numbers 21:4 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Numbers 21:14 Septuagint; Hebrew Waheb
- Numbers 21:15 Or “I have been given from Suphah and the ravines / of the Arnon 15 to
- Numbers 22:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Numbers 23:21 Or He has not looked on Jacob’s offenses / or on the wrongs found
- Numbers 23:23 Or in
- Numbers 23:23 Or in
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