The Budding of Aaron’s Rod

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. ³ And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. ⁴ Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before ^(A)the Testimony, ^(B)where I meet with you. ⁵ And it shall be that the rod of the man ^(C)whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, ^(D)which they make against you.”

⁶ So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. ⁷ And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in ^(E)the tabernacle of witness.

⁸ Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the ^(F)rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. ⁹ Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring ^(G)Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept ^(H)as a sign against the rebels, ^(I)that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” ¹¹ Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

¹² So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! ^13 (J)Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?”

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 Then the Lord said to Aaron: ^(K)“You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall ^(L)bear the ^[a]iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. ² Also bring with you your brethren of the ^(M)tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be ^(N)joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of ^[b]witness. ³ They shall attend to your ^[c]needs and ^(O)all the needs of the tabernacle; ^(P)but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, ^(Q)lest they die—they and you also. ⁴ They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; ^(R)but an outsider shall not come near you. ⁵ And you shall attend to ^(S)the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, ^(T)that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. ⁶ Behold, I Myself have ^(U)taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; ^(V)they are a gift to you, given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁷ Therefore ^(W)you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and ^(X)behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a ^(Y)gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

Offerings for Support of the Priests

⁸ And the Lord spoke to Aaron: “Here, ^(Z)I Myself have also given you ^[d]charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them ^(AA)as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever. ⁹ This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every ^(AB)grain offering and every ^(AC)sin offering and every ^(AD)trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. ^10 (AE)In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.

¹¹ “This also is yours: ^(AF)the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. ^(AG)Everyone who is ^[e]clean in your house may eat it.

^12 (AH)“All the ^[f]best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, ^(AI)their firstfruits which they offer to the Lord, I have given them to you. ¹³ Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, ^(AJ)which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.

^14 (AK)“Every ^[g]devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.

¹⁵ “Everything that first opens ^(AL)the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless ^(AM)the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. ¹⁶ And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, ^(AN)according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is ^(AO)twenty gerahs. ^17 (AP)But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. ^(AQ)You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. ¹⁸ And their flesh shall be yours, just as the ^(AR)wave^[h] breast and the right thigh are yours.

¹⁹ “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; ^(AS)it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”

²⁰ Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have ^(AT)no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; ^(AU)I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

Tithes for Support of the Levites

²¹ “Behold, ^(AV)I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as ^[i]an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, ^(AW)the work of the tabernacle of meeting. ^22 (AX)Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, ^(AY)lest they bear sin and die. ²³ But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴ For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites ^[j]as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ”

The Tithe of the Levites

²⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁶ “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, ^(AZ)a tenth of the tithe. ²⁷ And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the ^(BA)threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. ²⁸ Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. ²⁹ Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the ^[k]best of them, the consecrated part of them.’ ³⁰ Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. ³¹ You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is ^(BB)your ^[l]reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. ³² And you shall ^(BC)bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not ^(BD)profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”

Laws of Purification

19 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ² “This is the ^[m]ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without ^[n]blemish, in which there is no ^(BE)defect ^(BF)and on which a yoke has never come. ³ You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it ^(BG)outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; ⁴ and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and ^(BH)sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁵ Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: ^(BI)its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. ⁶ And the priest shall take ^(BJ)cedar wood and ^(BK)hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. ^7 (BL)Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. ⁸ And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. ⁹ Then a man who is clean shall gather up ^(BM)the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel ^(BN)for the water of ^[o]purification; it is for purifying from sin. ¹⁰ And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.

^11 (BO)‘He who touches the dead ^[p]body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. ^12 (BP)He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. ¹³ Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and ^(BQ)does not purify himself, ^(BR)defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because ^(BS)the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; ^(BT)his uncleanness is still on him.

¹⁴ ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; ¹⁵ and every ^(BU)open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. ^16 (BV)Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

¹⁷ ‘And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ^(BW)ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and ^[q]running water shall be put on them in a vessel. ¹⁸ A clean person shall take ^(BX)hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. ¹⁹ The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; ^(BY)and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.

²⁰ ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has ^(BZ)defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. ²¹ It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. ^22 (CA)Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and ^(CB)the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”

Moses’ Error at Kadesh^(CC)

20 Then^(CD) the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in ^(CE)Kadesh; and ^(CF)Miriam died there and was buried there.

^2 (CG)Now there was no water for the congregation; ^(CH)so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. ³ And the people ^(CI)contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died ^(CJ)when our brethren died before the Lord! ^4 (CK)Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? ⁵ And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and ^(CL)they ^[r]fell on their faces. And ^(CM)the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^8 (CN)“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus ^(CO)you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” ⁹ So Moses took the rod ^(CP)from before the Lord as He commanded him.

¹⁰ And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, ^(CQ)“Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; ^(CR)and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

¹² Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because ^(CS)you did not believe Me, to ^(CT)hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

^13 (CU)This was the water of ^[s]Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.

Passage Through Edom Refused

^14 (CV)Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of ^(CW)Edom. ^(CX)“Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, ^15 (CY)how our fathers went down to Egypt, ^(CZ)and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, ^(DA)and the Egyptians ^[t]afflicted us and our fathers. ^16 (DB)When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and ^(DC)sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. ¹⁷ Please ^(DD)let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; 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 Then ^(DE)Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.”

¹⁹ So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, ^(DF)then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”

²⁰ Then he said, ^(DG)“You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. ²¹ Thus Edom ^(DH)refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel ^(DI)turned away from him.

Death of Aaron

²² Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from ^(DJ)Kadesh ^(DK)and came to Mount Hor. ²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: ²⁴ “Aaron shall ^[u]be ^(DL)gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. ^25 (DM)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; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.” ²⁷ So Moses did just as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. ^28 (DN)Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and ^(DO)Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. ²⁹ Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron ^(DP)thirty days.

Canaanites Defeated at Hormah

21 The ^(DQ)king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. ^2 (DR)So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then ^(DS)I will utterly destroy their cities.” ³ And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called ^[v]Hormah.

The Bronze Serpent

⁴ Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to ^(DT)go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very ^[w]discouraged on the way. ⁵ And the people ^(DU)spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul ^[x]loathes this worthless bread.” ⁶ So ^(DV)the Lord sent ^(DW)fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

^7 (DX)Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have ^(DY)sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; ^(DZ)pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(EA)“Make a ^(EB)fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” ⁹ So ^(EC)Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

From Mount Hor to Moab

¹⁰ Now the children of Israel moved on and ^(ED)camped in Oboth. ¹¹ And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at ^[y]Ije Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise. ^12 (EE)From there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered. ¹³ From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; for ^(EF)the 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:

¹⁶ From there they went ^(EH)to Beer, which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” ^17 (EI)Then Israel sang this song:

And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah, ¹⁹ from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, ²⁰ and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the ^[aa]country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks ^(EK)down on the ^[ab]wasteland.

King Sihon Defeated^(EL)

²¹ Then ^(EM)Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, ^22 (EN)“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.” ^23 (EO)But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and ^[ac]went out against Israel in the wilderness, ^(EP)and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. ²⁴ Then ^(EQ)Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. ²⁵ So Israel took all these cities, and Israel ^(ER)dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages. ²⁶ For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon. ²⁷ Therefore those who speak in ^[ad]proverbs say:

³¹ Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. ³² Then Moses sent to ^[ae]spy out ^(FB)Jazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

King Og Defeated^(FC)

^33 (FD)And they turned and went up by the way to ^(FE)Bashan. So Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle ^(FF)at Edrei. ³⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(FG)“Do not fear him, for I have ^[af]delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and ^(FH)you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.” ^35 (FI)So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land.

Balak Sends for Balaam

22 Then ^(FJ)the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho.

² Now ^(FK)Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³ And ^(FL)Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. ⁴ So Moab said to ^(FM)the elders of Midian, “Now this company will ^[ag]lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. ⁵ Then ^(FN)he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at ^(FO)Pethor, which is near ^[ah]the River in the land of ^[ai]the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! ^6 (FP)Therefore please come at once, ^(FQ)curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of 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 the elders of Midian departed with ^(FR)the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. ⁸ And he said to them, ^(FS)“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 (FT)Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”

¹⁰ So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, ¹¹ ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’ ”

¹² And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for ^(FU)they are blessed.”

¹³ So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you.”

¹⁴ And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

¹⁵ Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more ^[aj]honorable than they. ¹⁶ And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; ¹⁷ for I will certainly ^(FV)honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. ^(FW)Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’ ”

¹⁸ Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, ^(FX)“Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, ^(FY)I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. ¹⁹ Now therefore, please, you also ^(FZ)stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”

^20 (GA)And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but ^(GB)only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” ²¹ So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel

²² Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, ^(GC)and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ Now ^(GD)the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. ²⁴ Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. ²⁵ And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. ²⁶ Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. ²⁷ And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

²⁸ Then the Lord ^(GE)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 ^[ak]abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, ^(GF)for now I would kill you!”

^30 (GG)So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever ^[al]disposed to do this to you?”

And he said, “No.”

³¹ Then the Lord ^(GH)opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat 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 ^[am]to stand against you, because your way is ^(GI)perverse^[an] before Me. ³³ The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”

³⁴ And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, ^(GJ)“I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it ^[ao]displeases You, I will turn back.”

³⁵ Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, ^(GK)but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

³⁶ Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, ^(GL)he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, ^(GM)which is on the border at the Arnon, the boundary of the territory. ³⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not earnestly send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able ^(GN)to honor you?”

³⁸ And Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any power at all to say anything? ^(GO)The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.” ³⁹ So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kirjath Huzoth. ⁴⁰ Then Balak offered oxen and sheep, and he sent some to Balaam and to the princes who were with him.

Balaam’s First Prophecy

⁴¹ So it was, the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the ^(GP)high places of Baal, that from there he might observe ^[ap]the extent of the people.

The Prophecies of Balaam

23 Then Balaam said to Balak, ^(GQ)“Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”

² And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam ^(GR)offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ³ Then Balaam said to Balak, ^(GS)“Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come ^(GT)to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a desolate height. ^4 (GU)And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”

⁵ Then the Lord ^(GV)put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” ⁶ So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.

⁷ And he ^(GW)took up his ^[aq]oracle and said:

¹¹ Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^(HE)I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!”

¹² So he answered and said, ^(HF)“Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Second Prophecy

¹³ Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴ So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, ^(HG)and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹⁵ And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I ^[as]meet the Lord over there.”

¹⁶ Then the Lord met Balaam, and ^(HH)put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” ¹⁷ So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

¹⁸ Then he took up his oracle and said:

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”

²⁶ So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ^(HT)‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do’?”

Balaam’s Third Prophecy

²⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” ²⁸ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that ^(HU)overlooks the ^[aw]wasteland. ²⁹ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” ³⁰ And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar.

Balaam Foretells the Happiness of Israel

24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at ^(HV)other times, to seek to use ^[ax]sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness. ² And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel ^(HW)encamped according to their tribes; and ^(HX)the Spirit of God came upon him.

^3 (HY)Then he took up his oracle and said:

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he ^(IL)struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, ^(IM)“I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! ¹¹ Now therefore, flee to your place. ^(IN)I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor.”

¹² So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, ¹³ ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak’? ¹⁴ And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, ^(IO)I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the ^(IP)latter days.”

Balaam’s Fourth Prophecy

¹⁵ So he took up his oracle and said:

²⁰ Then he looked on Amalek, and he took up his oracle and said:

²¹ Then he looked on the Kenites, and he took up his oracle and said:

²³ Then he took up his oracle and said:

²⁵ So Balaam rose and departed and ^(IX)returned to his place; Balak also went his way.

Israel’s Harlotry in Moab

25 Now Israel remained in ^(IY)Acacia Grove,^[be] and the ^(IZ)people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. ^2 (JA)They invited the people to ^(JB)the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and ^(JC)bowed down to their gods. ³ So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and ^(JD)the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(JE)“Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, ^(JF)that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”

⁵ So Moses said to ^(JG)the judges of Israel, ^(JH)“Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”

⁶ And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, ^(JI)who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁷ Now ^(JJ)when Phinehas ^(JK)the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; ⁸ and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So ^(JL)the plague was ^(JM)stopped among the children of Israel. ⁹ And ^(JN)those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^11 (JO)“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in ^(JP)My zeal. ¹² Therefore say, ^(JQ)‘Behold, I give to him My ^(JR)covenant of peace; ¹³ and it shall be to him and ^(JS)his descendants after him a covenant of ^(JT)an everlasting priesthood, because he was ^(JU)zealous for his God, and ^(JV)made ^[bf]atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”

¹⁴ Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites. ¹⁵ And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of ^(JW)Zur; he was head of the people of a father’s house in Midian.

¹⁶ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^17 (JX)“Harass the Midianites, and ^[bg]attack them; ¹⁸ for they harassed you with their ^(JY)schemes^[bh] by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.”

The Second Census of Israel

26 And it came to pass, after the ^(JZ)plague, that the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying: ^2 (KA)“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel ^(KB)from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go to war in Israel.” ³ So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them ^(KC)in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying: ⁴ “Take a census of the people from twenty years old and above, just as the Lord ^(KD)commanded Moses and the children of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.”

^5 (KE)Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The children of Reuben were: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; ⁶ of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. ⁷ These are the families of the Reubenites: those who were numbered of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty. ⁸ And the son of Pallu was Eliab. ⁹ The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, ^(KF)representatives of the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord; ^10 (KG)and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; ^(KH)and they became a sign. ¹¹ Nevertheless ^(KI)the children of Korah did not die.

¹² The sons of Simeon according to their families were: of ^[bi]Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of ^[bj]Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; ¹³ of ^[bk]Zerah, the family of the Zarhites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. ¹⁴ These are the families of the Simeonites: twenty-two thousand two hundred.

¹⁵ The sons of Gad according to their families were: of ^[bl]Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; ¹⁶ of ^[bm]Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; ¹⁷ of ^[bn]Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites. ¹⁸ These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered of them: forty thousand five hundred.

^19 (KJ)The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ And ^(KK)the sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Parzites; of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites. ²¹ And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. ²² These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them: seventy-six thousand five hundred.

²³ The sons of Issachar according to their families were: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of ^[bo]Puah, the family of the ^[bp]Punites; ²⁴ of ^[bq]Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. ²⁵ These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them: sixty-four thousand three hundred.

^26 (KL)The sons of Zebulun according to their families were: of Sered, the family of the Sardites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. ²⁷ These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them: sixty thousand five hundred.

^28 (KM)The sons of Joseph according to their families, by Manasseh and Ephraim, were: ²⁹ The sons of ^(KN)Manasseh: of ^(KO)Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir begot Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. ³⁰ These are the sons of Gilead: of ^[br]Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites; ³¹ of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; ³² of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. ³³ Now ^(KP)Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ³⁴ These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

³⁵ These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites; of ^[bs]Becher, the family of the Bachrites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. ³⁶ And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. ³⁷ These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them: thirty-two thousand five hundred.

These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.

^38 (KQ)The sons of Benjamin according to their families were: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of ^(KR)Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; ³⁹ of ^(KS)Shupham,^[bt] the family of the Shuphamites; of ^[bu]Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. ⁴⁰ And the sons of Bela were ^[bv]Ard and Naaman: ^(KT)of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. ⁴¹ These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred.

⁴² These are the sons of Dan according to their families: of ^[bw]Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families. ⁴³ All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them, were sixty-four thousand four hundred.

^44 (KU)The sons of Asher according to their families were: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites; of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. ⁴⁵ Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. ⁴⁶ And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. ⁴⁷ These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them: fifty-three thousand four hundred.

^48 (KV)The sons of Naphtali according to their families were: of ^[bx]Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; ⁴⁹ of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of ^(KW)Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. ⁵⁰ These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand four hundred.

^51 (KX)These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.

⁵² Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^53 (KY)“To these the land shall be ^(KZ)divided as an inheritance, according to the number of names. ^54 (LA)To a large tribe you shall give a larger inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a smaller inheritance. Each shall be given its inheritance according to those who were numbered of them. ⁵⁵ But the land shall be ^(LB)divided by lot; they shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. ⁵⁶ According to the lot their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller.”

^57 (LC)And these are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. ⁵⁸ These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, and the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begot Amram. ⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife was ^(LD)Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. ^60 (LE)To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹ And ^(LF)Nadab and Abihu died when they offered profane fire before the Lord.

^62 (LG)Now those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and above; ^(LH)for they were not numbered among the other children of Israel, because there was ^(LI)no inheritance given to them among the children of Israel.

⁶³ These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel ^(LJ)in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ^64 (LK)But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the ^(LL)Wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They ^(LM)shall surely die in the wilderness.” So there was not left a man of them, ^(LN)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Inheritance Laws

27 Then came the daughters of ^(LO)Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ² And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: ³ “Our father ^(LP)died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the Lord, ^(LQ)in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. ⁴ Why should the name of our father be ^(LR)removed^[by] from among his family because he had no son? ^(LS)Give us a ^[bz]possession among our father’s brothers.”

⁵ So Moses ^(LT)brought their case before the Lord.

⁶ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ⁷ “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; ^(LU)you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. ⁸ And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the relative closest to him in his family, and he shall possess it.’ ” And it shall be to the children of Israel ^(LV)a statute of judgment, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Joshua the Next Leader of Israel^(LW)

¹² Now the Lord said to Moses: ^(LX)“Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. ¹³ And when you have seen it, you also ^(LY)shall ^[ca]be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. ¹⁴ For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you ^(LZ)rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the ^(MA)waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵ Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: ¹⁶ “Let the Lord, ^(MB)the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, ^17 (MC)who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be ^(MD)like sheep which have no shepherd.”

¹⁸ And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man ^(ME)in whom is the Spirit, and ^(MF)lay your hand on him; ¹⁹ set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and ^(MG)inaugurate^[cb] him in their sight. ²⁰ And ^(MH)you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel ^(MI)may be obedient. ^21 (MJ)He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him ^(MK)by the judgment of the Urim. ^(ML)At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.”

²² So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. ²³ And he laid his hands on him ^(MM)and ^[cc]inaugurated him, just as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

Daily Offerings^(MN)

28 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘My offering, ^(MO)My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time.’

³ “And you shall say to them, ^(MP)‘This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs in their first year without blemish, day by day, as a regular burnt offering. ⁴ The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, ⁵ and ^(MQ)one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a ^(MR)grain offering mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil. ⁶ It is ^(MS)a regular burnt offering which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. ⁷ And its drink offering shall be one-fourth of a hin for each lamb; ^(MT)in a holy place you shall pour out the drink to the Lord as an offering. ⁸ The other lamb you shall offer in the evening; as the morning grain offering and its drink offering, you shall offer it as an offering made by fire, a ^[cd]sweet aroma to the Lord.

Sabbath Offerings

⁹ ‘And on the Sabbath day two lambs in their first year, without blemish, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, with its drink offering— ¹⁰ this is ^(MU)the burnt offering for every Sabbath, besides the regular burnt offering with its drink offering.

Monthly Offerings

^11 (MV)‘At the beginnings of your months you shall present a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish; ^12 (MW)three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram; ¹³ and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with oil, as a grain offering for each lamb, as a burnt offering of sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. ¹⁴ Their drink offering shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, one-third of a hin for a ram, and one-fourth of a hin for a lamb; this is the burnt offering for each month throughout the months of the year. ¹⁵ Also ^(MX)one kid of the goats as a sin offering to the Lord shall be offered, besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

Offerings at Passover^(MY)

^16 (MZ)‘On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the Lord. ^17 (NA)And on the fifteenth day of this month is the feast; unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days. ¹⁸ On the ^(NB)first day you shall have a holy ^[ce]convocation. You shall do no ^[cf]customary work. ¹⁹ And you shall present an offering made by fire as a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year. ^(NC)Be sure they are without blemish. ²⁰ Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah you shall offer for a bull, and two-tenths for a ram; ²¹ you shall offer one-tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs; ²² also ^(ND)one goat as a sin offering, to make ^[cg]atonement for you. ²³ You shall offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a regular burnt offering. ²⁴ In this manner you shall offer the food of the offering made by fire daily for seven days, as a sweet aroma to the Lord; it shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. ²⁵ And ^(NE)on the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work.

Offerings at the Feast of Weeks^(NF)

²⁶ ‘Also ^(NG)on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the Lord at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. ²⁷ You shall present a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: ^(NH)two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, ²⁸ with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram, ²⁹ and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; ³⁰ also one kid of the goats, to make ^[ch]atonement for you. ^31 (NI)Be sure they are without ^[ci]blemish. You shall present them with their drink offerings, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering.

Offerings at the Feast of Trumpets^(NJ)

29 ‘And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you ^(NK)it is a day of blowing the trumpets. ² You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish. ³ Their grain offering shall be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, ⁴ and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; ⁵ also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, to make atonement for you; ⁶ besides ^(NL)the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, ^(NM)the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, ^(NN)according to their ordinance, as a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Offerings on the Day of Atonement^(NO)

^7 (NP)‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall ^(NQ)afflict your souls; you shall not do any work. ⁸ You shall present a burnt offering to the Lord as a sweet aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year. ^(NR)Be sure they are without blemish. ⁹ Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, ¹⁰ and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; ¹¹ also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides ^(NS)the sin offering for atonement, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

Offerings at the Feast of Tabernacles^(NT)

^12 (NU)‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work, and you shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days. ^13 (NV)You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year. They shall be without blemish. ¹⁴ Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, ¹⁵ and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; ¹⁶ also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

¹⁷ ‘On the ^(NW)second day present twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, ¹⁸ and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, ^(NX)according to the ordinance; ¹⁹ also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

²⁰ ‘On the third day present eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, ²¹ and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, ^(NY)according to the ordinance; ²² also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

²³ ‘On the fourth day present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year, without blemish, ²⁴ and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; ²⁵ also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

²⁶ ‘On the fifth day present nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, ²⁷ and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; ²⁸ also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

²⁹ ‘On the sixth day present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, ³⁰ and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; ³¹ also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

³² ‘On the seventh day present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, ³³ and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; ³⁴ also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

³⁵ ‘On the eighth day you shall have a ^(NZ)sacred^[cj] assembly. You shall do no customary work. ³⁶ You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, seven lambs in their first year without blemish, ³⁷ and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; ³⁸ also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

³⁹ ‘These you shall present to the Lord at your ^(OA)appointed feasts (besides your ^(OB)vowed offerings and your freewill offerings) as your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, as your drink offerings and your peace offerings.’ ”

⁴⁰ So Moses told the children of Israel everything, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Law Concerning Vows

30 Then Moses spoke to ^(OC)the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ^2 (OD)If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or ^(OE)swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall ^(OF)do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

³ “Or if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house in her youth, ⁴ and her father hears her vow and the agreement by which she has bound herself, and her father ^[ck]holds his peace, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement with which she has bound herself shall stand. ⁵ But if her father overrules her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will release her, because her father overruled her.

⁶ “If indeed she takes a husband, while bound by her vows or by a rash utterance from her lips by which she bound herself, ⁷ and her husband hears it, and makes no response to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her agreements by which she bound herself shall stand. ⁸ But if her husband ^(OG)overrules her on the day that he hears it, he shall make void her vow which she took and what she uttered with her lips, by which she bound herself, and the Lord will release her.

⁹ “Also any vow of a widow or a divorced woman, by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.

¹⁰ “If she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an agreement with an oath, ¹¹ and her husband heard it, and made no response to her and did not overrule her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement by which she bound herself shall stand. ¹² But if her husband truly made them void on the day he heard them, then whatever proceeded from her lips concerning her vows or concerning the agreement binding her, it shall not stand; her husband has made them ^[cl]void, and the Lord will release her. ¹³ Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her soul, her husband may confirm it, or her husband may make it void. ¹⁴ Now if her husband makes no response whatever to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all the agreements that bind her; he confirms them, because he made no response to her on the day that he heard them. ¹⁵ But if he does make them void after he has heard them, then he shall bear her guilt.”

¹⁶ These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter in her youth in her father’s house.

Vengeance on the Midianites

31 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^2 (OH)“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall ^(OI)be gathered to your people.”

³ So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on ^(OJ)Midian. ⁴ A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.”

⁵ So there were recruited from the divisions of Israel one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. ⁶ Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from each tribe; he sent them to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy articles and ^(OK)the signal trumpets in his hand. ⁷ And they warred against the Midianites, just as the Lord commanded Moses, and ^(OL)they killed all the ^(OM)males. ⁸ They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed—^(ON)Evi, Rekem, ^(OO)Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. ^(OP)Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword.

⁹ And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. ¹⁰ They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts. ¹¹ And ^(OQ)they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast.

Return from the War

¹² Then they brought the captives, the booty, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ¹³ And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.

¹⁵ And Moses said to them: “Have you kept ^(OR)all the women alive? ¹⁶ Look, ^(OS)these women caused the children of Israel, through the ^(OT)counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and ^(OU)there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now therefore, ^(OV)kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. ¹⁸ But keep alive ^(OW)for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately. ¹⁹ And as for you, ^(OX)remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and ^(OY)whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. ²⁰ Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ^[cm]ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses: ²² Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, ²³ everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified ^(OZ)with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water. ^24 (PA)And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.”

Division of the Plunder

²⁵ Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²⁶ “Count up the plunder that was ^[cn]taken—of man and beast—you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation; ²⁷ and ^(PB)divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. ²⁸ And levy a ^[co]tribute for the Lord on the men of war who went out to battle: ^(PC)one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep; ²⁹ take it from their half, and ^(PD)give it to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering to the Lord. ³⁰ And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take ^(PE)one of every fifty, drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from all the livestock, and give them to the Levites ^(PF)who ^[cp]keep charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.” ³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

³² The booty remaining from the plunder, which the men of war had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, ³³ seventy-two thousand cattle, ³⁴ sixty-one thousand donkeys, ³⁵ and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man intimately. ³⁶ And the half, the portion for those who had gone out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep; ³⁷ and the Lord’s ^[cq]tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five. ³⁸ The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the Lord’s tribute was seventy-two. ³⁹ The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the Lord’s tribute was sixty-one. ⁴⁰ The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord’s tribute was thirty-two persons. ⁴¹ So Moses gave the tribute which was the Lord’s heave offering to Eleazar the priest, ^(PG)as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴² And from the children of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who fought— ⁴³ now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, ⁴⁴ thirty-six thousand cattle, ⁴⁵ thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, ⁴⁶ and sixteen thousand persons— ⁴⁷ and ^(PH)from the children of Israel’s half Moses took one of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴⁸ Then the officers who were over thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; ⁴⁹ and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a count of the men of war who are under our command, and not a man of us is missing. ⁵⁰ Therefore we have brought an offering for the Lord, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces, ^(PI)to make ^[cr]atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” ⁵¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments. ⁵² And all the gold of the offering that they offered to the Lord, from the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. ^53 (PJ)(The men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.) ⁵⁴ And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of meeting ^(PK)as a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.

The Tribes Settling East of the Jordan^(PL)

32 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of ^(PM)Jazer and the land of ^(PN)Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, ² the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, ³ “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, ^(PO)Nimrah, ^(PP)Heshbon, Elealeh, ^(PQ)Shebam, Nebo, and ^(PR)Beon, ⁴ the country ^(PS)which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” ⁵ Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”

⁶ And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? ⁷ Now why will you ^(PT)discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? ⁸ Thus your fathers did ^(PU)when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea ^(PV)to see the land. ⁹ For ^(PW)when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. ^10 (PX)So the Lord’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying, ¹¹ ‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, ^(PY)from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because ^(PZ)they have not wholly followed Me, ¹² except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, ^(QA)for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ ¹³ So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them ^(QB)wander in the wilderness forty years, until ^(QC)all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. ¹⁴ And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the ^(QD)fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. ¹⁵ For if you ^(QE)turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”

¹⁶ Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, ¹⁷ but ^(QF)we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. ^18 (QG)We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has ^[cs]received his inheritance. ¹⁹ For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, ^(QH)because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”

²⁰ Then ^(QI)Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, ²¹ and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, ²² and ^(QJ)the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward ^(QK)you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and ^(QL)this land shall be your possession before the Lord. ²³ But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure ^(QM)your sin will find you out. ^24 (QN)Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do ^[ct]what has proceeded out of your mouth.”

²⁵ And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands. ^26 (QO)Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead; ^27 (QP)but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, just as my lord says.”

²⁸ So Moses gave command ^(QQ)concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel. ²⁹ And Moses said to them: “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession. ³⁰ But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

³¹ Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. ³² We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”

³³ So ^(QR)Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, ^(QS)the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country. ³⁴ And the children of Gad built ^(QT)Dibon and Ataroth and ^(QU)Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth and Shophan and ^(QV)Jazer and Jogbehah, ^36 (QW)Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, ^(QX)fortified cities, and folds for sheep. ³⁷ And the children of Reuben built ^(QY)Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim, ^38 (QZ)Nebo and ^(RA)Baal Meon ^(RB)(their names being changed) and Shibmah; and they gave other names to the cities which they built.

³⁹ And the children of ^(RC)Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and ^[cu]dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. ⁴⁰ So Moses ^(RD)gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it. ⁴¹ Also ^(RE)Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its small towns, and called them ^(RF)Havoth Jair.^{[cv] 42} Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.

Israel’s Journey from Egypt Reviewed

33 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the ^(RG)hand of Moses and Aaron. ² Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord. And these are their journeys according to their starting points:

³ They ^(RH)departed from Rameses in ^(RI)the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out ^(RJ)with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. ⁴ For the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, ^(RK)whom the Lord had killed among them. Also ^(RL)on their gods the Lord had executed judgments.

^5 (RM)Then the children of Israel moved from Rameses and camped at Succoth. ⁶ They departed from ^(RN)Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. ^7 (RO)They moved from Etham and turned back to Pi Hahiroth, which is east of Baal Zephon; and they camped near Migdol. ⁸ They departed ^[cw]from before Hahiroth and ^(RP)passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, went three days’ journey in the Wilderness of Etham, and camped at Marah. ⁹ They moved from Marah and ^(RQ)came to Elim. At Elim were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there.

¹⁰ They moved from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. ¹¹ They moved from the Red Sea and camped in the ^(RR)Wilderness of Sin. ¹² They journeyed from the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. ¹³ They departed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. ¹⁴ They moved from Alush and camped at ^(RS)Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

¹⁵ They departed from Rephidim and camped in the ^(RT)Wilderness of Sinai. ¹⁶ They moved from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped ^(RU)at ^[cx]Kibroth Hattaavah. ¹⁷ They departed from Kibroth Hattaavah and ^(RV)camped at Hazeroth. ¹⁸ They departed from Hazeroth and camped at ^(RW)Rithmah. ¹⁹ They departed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez. ²⁰ They departed from Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah. ²¹ They moved from Libnah and camped at Rissah. ²² They journeyed from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. ²³ They went from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. ²⁴ They moved from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. ²⁵ They moved from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. ²⁶ They moved from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. ²⁷ They departed from Tahath and camped at Terah. ²⁸ They moved from Terah and camped at Mithkah. ²⁹ They went from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. ³⁰ They departed from Hashmonah and ^(RX)camped at Moseroth. ³¹ They departed from Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan. ³² They moved from ^(RY)Bene Jaakan and ^(RZ)camped at Hor Hagidgad. ³³ They went from Hor Hagidgad and camped at Jotbathah. ³⁴ They moved from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. ³⁵ They departed from Abronah ^(SA)and camped at Ezion Geber. ³⁶ They moved from Ezion Geber and camped in the ^(SB)Wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh. ³⁷ They moved from ^(SC)Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom.

³⁸ Then ^(SD)Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. ³⁹ Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰ Now ^(SE)the king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.

⁴¹ So they departed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. ⁴² They departed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. ⁴³ They departed from Punon and ^(SF)camped at Oboth. ^44 (SG)They departed from Oboth and camped at Ije Abarim, at the border of Moab. ⁴⁵ They departed from ^[cy]Ijim and camped ^(SH)at Dibon Gad. ⁴⁶ They moved from Dibon Gad and camped at ^(SI)Almon Diblathaim. ⁴⁷ They moved from Almon Diblathaim ^(SJ)and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. ⁴⁸ They departed from the mountains of Abarim and ^(SK)camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ⁴⁹ They camped by the Jordan, from Beth Jesimoth as far as the ^(SL)Abel Acacia Grove^[cz] in the plains of Moab.

Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan

⁵⁰ Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, ⁵¹ “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ^(SM)‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ^52 (SN)then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their ^[da]high places; ⁵³ you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to ^(SO)possess. ⁵⁴ And ^(SP)you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. ⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be ^(SQ)irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. ⁵⁶ Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’ ”

Rejoicing in Answered Prayer

A Psalm of David.

Praise to God in His Holiness and Majesty

A Psalm of David.

The Parable of the Sower^(A)

4 And ^(B)again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. ² Then He taught them many things by parables, ^(C)and said to them in His teaching:

³ “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds ^[a]of the air came and devoured it. ⁵ Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. ⁷ And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no ^[b]crop. ⁸ But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

⁹ And He said ^[c]to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables^(D)

^10 (E)But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. ¹¹ And He said to them, “To you it has been given to ^(F)know the ^[d]mystery of the kingdom of God; but to ^(G)those who are outside, all things come in parables, ¹² so that

The Parable of the Sower Explained^(I)

¹³ And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? ^14 (J)The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶ These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; ¹⁷ and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. ¹⁸ Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ and the ^(K)cares of this world, ^(L)the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, ^[e]accept it, and bear ^(M)fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Light Under a Basket^(N)

^21 (O)Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? ^22 (P)For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. ^23 (Q)If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁴ Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. ^(R)With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. ^25 (S)For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ And He said, ^(T)“The kingdom of God is as if a man should ^[f]scatter seed on the ground, ²⁷ and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and ^(U)grow, he himself does not know how. ²⁸ For the earth ^(V)yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. ²⁹ But when the grain ripens, immediately ^(W)he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed^(X)

³⁰ Then He said, ^(Y)“To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; ³² but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Jesus’ Use of Parables

^33 (Z)And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. ³⁴ But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, ^(AA)He explained all things to His disciples.

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus^(AB)

^35 (AC)On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” ³⁶ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ^(AD)“Teacher, ^(AE)do You not care that we are perishing?”

³⁹ Then He arose and ^(AF)rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ^(AG)“Peace,^[g] be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? ^(AH)How^[h] is it that you have no faith?” ⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

A Demon-Possessed Man Healed^(AI)

5 Then ^(AJ)they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the ^[i]Gadarenes. ² And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an ^(AK)unclean spirit, ³ who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind ^[j]him, not even with chains, ⁴ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. ⁵ And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. ⁷ And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I ^(AL)implore^[k] You by God that You do not torment me.”

⁸ For He said to him, ^(AM)“Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” ⁹ Then He asked him, “What is your name?”

And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” ¹⁰ Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

¹¹ Now a large herd of ^(AN)swine was feeding there near the mountains. ¹² So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” ¹³ And ^[l]at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

¹⁴ So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been ^(AO)demon-possessed and had the legion, ^(AP)sitting and ^(AQ)clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. ¹⁷ Then ^(AR)they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.

¹⁸ And when He got into the boat, ^(AS)he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. ¹⁹ However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” ²⁰ And he departed and began to ^(AT)proclaim in ^[m]Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all ^(AU)marveled.

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed^(AV)

^21 (AW)Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. ^22 (AX)And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet ²³ and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and ^(AY)lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

²⁵ Now a certain woman ^(AZ)had a flow of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and ^(BA)touched His garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

²⁹ Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the ^[n]affliction. ³⁰ And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that ^(BB)power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

³¹ But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

³² And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. ³³ But the woman, ^(BC)fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, ^(BD)your faith has made you well. ^(BE)Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

^35 (BF)While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

³⁶ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only ^(BG)believe.” ³⁷ And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. ³⁸ Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw ^[o]a tumult and those who ^(BH)wept and wailed loudly. ³⁹ When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but ^(BI)sleeping.”

⁴⁰ And they ridiculed Him. ^(BJ)But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. ⁴¹ Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were ^(BK)overcome with great amazement. ⁴³ But ^(BL)He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth^(BM)

6 Then ^(BN)He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. ² And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were ^(BO)astonished, saying, ^(BP)“Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! ³ Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and ^(BQ)brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they ^(BR)were offended at Him.

⁴ But Jesus said to them, ^(BS)“A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” ^5 (BT)Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And ^(BU)He marveled because of their unbelief. ^(BV)Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Sending Out the Twelve^(BW)

^7 (BX)And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out ^(BY)two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. ⁸ He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— ⁹ but ^(BZ)to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.

^10 (CA)Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. ^11 (CB)And ^[p]whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, ^(CC)shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. ^[q]Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

¹² So they went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ And they cast out many demons, ^(CD)and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded^(CE)

^14 (CF)Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore ^(CG)these powers are at work in him.”

^15 (CH)Others said, “It is Elijah.”

And others said, “It is ^[r]the Prophet, ^(CI)or like one of the prophets.”

^16 (CJ)But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” ¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. ¹⁸ Because John had said to Herod, ^(CK)“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ Therefore Herodias ^[s]held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; ²⁰ for Herod ^(CL)feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he ^[t]did many things, and heard him gladly.

^21 (CM)Then an opportune day came when Herod ^(CN)on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. ²² And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” ²³ He also swore to her, ^(CO)“Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

²⁴ So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”

And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

²⁵ Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

^26 (CP)And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his disciples heard of it, they came and ^(CQ)took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

Feeding the Five Thousand^(CR)

^30 (CS)Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. ^31 (CT)And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For ^(CU)there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. ^32 (CV)So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

³³ But ^[u]the multitudes saw them departing, and many ^(CW)knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. ^34 (CX)And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like ^(CY)sheep not having a shepherd. So ^(CZ)He began to teach them many things. ^35 (DA)When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. ³⁶ Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves ^[v]bread; for they have nothing to eat.”

³⁷ But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

And they said to Him, ^(DB)“Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

³⁸ But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”

And when they found out they said, ^(DC)“Five, and two fish.”

³⁹ Then He ^(DD)commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. ⁴¹ And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He ^(DE)looked up to heaven, ^(DF)blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. ⁴² So they all ate and were filled. ⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. ⁴⁴ Now those who had eaten the loaves were ^[w]about five thousand men.

Jesus Walks on the Sea^(DG)

^45 (DH)Immediately He ^[x]made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. ⁴⁶ And when He had sent them away, He ^(DI)departed to the mountain to pray. ⁴⁷ Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and ^(DJ)would have passed them by. ⁴⁹ And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ^(DK)ghost, and cried out; ⁵⁰ for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, ^(DL)“Be^[y] of good cheer! It is I; do not be ^(DM)afraid.” ⁵¹ Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ^(DN)ceased. And they were greatly ^(DO)amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. ⁵² For ^(DP)they had not understood about the loaves, because their ^(DQ)heart was hardened.

Many Touch Him and Are Made Well^(DR)

^53 (DS)When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴ And when they came out of the boat, immediately ^[z]the people recognized Him, ⁵⁵ ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. ⁵⁶ Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that ^(DT)they might just touch the ^(DU)hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

Defilement Comes from Within^(DV)

7 Then ^(DW)the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. ² Now ^[aa]when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with ^(DX)unwashed hands, ^[ab]they found fault. ³ For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ^[ac]in a special way, holding the ^(DY)tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

^5 (DZ)Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

⁶ He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^(EA)hypocrites, as it is written:

⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—^[ad]the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

⁹ He said to them, “All too well ^(EC)you ^[ae]reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ^(ED)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^(EE)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, ^(EF)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), ¹² then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, ¹³ making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

^14 (EG)When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and ^(EH)understand: ¹⁵ There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that ^(EI)defile a man. ^16 (EJ)If^[af] anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”

^17 (EK)When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. ¹⁸ So He said to them, ^(EL)“Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, ^[ag]thus purifying all foods?” ²⁰ And He said, ^(EM)“What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. ^21 (EN)For from within, out of the heart of men, ^(EO)proceed evil thoughts, ^(EP)adulteries, ^(EQ)fornications, murders, ²² thefts, ^(ER)covetousness, wickedness, ^(ES)deceit, ^(ET)lewdness, an evil eye, ^(EU)blasphemy, ^(EV)pride, foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

A Gentile Shows Her Faith^(EW)

^24 (EX)From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre ^[ah]and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be ^(EY)hidden. ²⁵ For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and ^(EZ)fell at His feet. ²⁶ The woman was a ^[ai]Greek, a ^[aj]Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept ^[ak]asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

²⁸ And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

³⁰ And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute^(FA)

^31 (FB)Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. ³² Then ^(FC)they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. ³³ And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and ^(FD)He spat and touched his tongue. ³⁴ Then, ^(FE)looking up to heaven, ^(FF)He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

^35 (FG)Immediately his ears were opened, and the ^[al]impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶ Then ^(FH)He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. ³⁷ And they were ^(FI)astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He ^(FJ)makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Feeding the Four Thousand^(FK)

8 In those days, ^(FL)the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, ² “I have ^(FM)compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. ³ And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

⁴ Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”

^5 (FN)He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven.”

⁶ So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. ⁷ They also had a few small fish; and ^(FO)having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. ⁸ So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. ⁹ Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, ^10 (FP)immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

The Pharisees Seek a Sign^(FQ)

^11 (FR)Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. ¹² But He ^(FS)sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, ^(FT)no sign shall be given to this generation.”

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod^(FU)

¹³ And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. ^14 (FV)Now ^[am]the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. ^15 (FW)Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the ^[an]leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

¹⁶ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? ^(FX)Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart ^[ao]still hardened? ¹⁸ Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? ^19 (FY)When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

They said to Him, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “Also, ^(FZ)when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

And they said, “Seven.”

²¹ So He said to them, “How is it ^(GA)you do not understand?”

A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida

²² Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a ^(GB)blind man to Him, and begged Him to ^(GC)touch him. ²³ So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when ^(GD)He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”

²⁵ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. ²⁶ Then He sent him away to his house, saying, ^[ap]“Neither go into the town, ^(GE)nor tell anyone in the town.”

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ^(GF)

^27 (GG)Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

²⁸ So they answered, ^(GH)“John the Baptist; but some say, ^(GI)Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered and said to Him, ^(GJ)“You are the Christ.”

^30 (GK)Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(GL)

³¹ And ^(GM)He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be ^(GN)rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be ^(GO)killed, and after three days rise again. ³² He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ³³ But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He ^(GP)rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not ^[aq]mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him^(GQ)

³⁴ When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ^(GR)“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵ For ^(GS)whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? ³⁷ Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ^38 (GT)For whoever ^(GU)is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The Transfiguration of Christ^(GV)

9 And He said to them, ^(GW)“Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see ^(GX)the kingdom of God ^[ar]present with power.”

Jesus Transfigured on the Mount

^2 (GY)Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became shining, exceedingly ^(GZ)white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. ⁴ And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— ⁶ because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

⁷ And a ^(HA)cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is ^(HB)My beloved Son. ^(HC)Hear Him!” ⁸ Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

^9 (HD)Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ So they kept this word to themselves, questioning ^(HE)what the rising from the dead meant.

¹¹ And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say ^(HF)that Elijah must come first?”

¹² Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And ^(HG)how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and ^(HH)be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I say to you that ^(HI)Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”

A Boy Is Healed^(HJ)

^14 (HK)And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. ¹⁵ Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. ¹⁶ And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”

¹⁷ Then ^(HL)one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. ¹⁸ And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

¹⁹ He answered him and said, “O ^(HM)faithless^[as] generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I ^[at]bear with you? Bring him to Me.” ²⁰ Then they brought him to Him. And ^(HN)when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

²¹ So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

And he said, “From childhood. ²² And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

²³ Jesus said to him, ^(HO)“If^[au] you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; ^(HP)help my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He ^(HQ)rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” ²⁶ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

^28 (HR)And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

²⁹ So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but ^(HS)prayer ^[av]and fasting.”

Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection

³⁰ Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. ^31 (HT)For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will ^(HU)kill Him. And after He is killed, He will ^(HV)rise the third day.” ³² But they ^(HW)did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

Who Is the Greatest?^(HX)

^33 (HY)Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you ^[aw]disputed among yourselves on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the road they had ^(HZ)disputed among themselves who would be the ^(IA)greatest. ³⁵ And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ^(IB)“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ Then ^(IC)He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and ^(ID)whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

Jesus Forbids Sectarianism^(IE)

^38 (IF)Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”

³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, ^(IG)for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. ⁴⁰ For ^(IH)he who is not against ^[ax]us is on ^[ay]our side. ^41 (II)For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

Jesus Warns of Offenses^(IJ)

^42 (IK)“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me ^[az]to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. ^43 (IL)If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life ^[ba]maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to ^[bb]hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— ^44 [bc]where

⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into ^[bd]hell, ^[be]into the fire that shall never be quenched— ⁴⁶ where

⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into ^[bf]hell fire— ⁴⁸ where

Tasteless Salt Is Worthless

⁴⁹ “For everyone will be ^(IQ)seasoned with fire, ^(IR)and^[bg] every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. ^50 (IS)Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? ^(IT)Have salt in yourselves, and ^(IU)have peace with one another.”

Marriage and Divorce^(IV)

10 Then ^(IW)He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.

^2 (IX)The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.

³ And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”

⁴ They said, ^(IY)“Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”

⁵ And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this ^[bh]precept. ⁶ But from the beginning of the creation, God ^(IZ)‘made them male and female.’ ^7 (JA)‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, ⁸ and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

¹⁰ In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. ¹¹ So He said to them, ^(JB)“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. ¹² And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children^(JC)

^13 (JD)Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for ^(JE)of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, ^(JF)whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will ^(JG)by no means enter it.” ¹⁶ And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler^(JH)

^17 (JI)Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I ^(JJ)do that I may inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, ^(JK)God. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ^(JL)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

²⁰ And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have ^(JM)kept from my youth.”

²¹ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, ^(JN)sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have ^(JO)treasure in heaven; and come, ^(JP)take up the cross, and follow Me.”

²² But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

With God All Things Are Possible^(JQ)

^23 (JR)Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is ^[bi]for those ^(JS)who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a ^(JT)rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not ^(JU)with God; for with God all things are possible.”

^28 (JV)Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.”

²⁹ So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother ^[bj]or wife or children or ^[bk]lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, ^30 (JW)who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with ^(JX)persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. ^31 (JY)But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(JZ)

^32 (KA)Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. ^(KB)Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: ³³ “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; ³⁴ and they will mock Him, and ^[bl]scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

Greatness Is Serving^(KC)

^35 (KD)Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

³⁷ They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”

³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the ^(KE)cup that I drink, and be baptized with the ^(KF)baptism that I am baptized with?”

³⁹ They said to Him, “We are able.”

So Jesus said to them, ^(KG)“You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; ⁴⁰ but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those ^(KH)for whom it is prepared.”

^41 (KI)And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. ⁴² But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, ^(KJ)“You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ^43 (KK)Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. ⁴⁴ And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even ^(KL)the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and ^(KM)to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus^(KN)

^46 (KO)Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, ^(KP)Son of David, ^(KQ)have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.

Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”

⁵⁰ And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

The blind man said to Him, ^[bm]“Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; ^(KR)your faith has ^[bn]made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.