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Numbers 31-33
Easy-to-Read Version
Numbers 31-33
Easy-to-Read Version
Israel Fights Back Against the Midianites
31 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Moses, tell the Israelites this: ‘Go and attack the Midianites, and do to them what they did to you.’ After that Moses, you will die.”[a]
3 So Moses spoke to the people. He said, “Choose some of your men to be soldiers. The Lord will use these men to do to the Midianites what they did to you. 4 Choose 1000 men from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 There will be a total of 12,000 soldiers from the tribes of Israel.”
6 Moses sent these 12,000 men to war. He sent Phinehas son of Eleazar with them as the priest. Phinehas took the holy things and the horns and trumpets with him. 7 The Israelites fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded. They killed all the Midianite men. 8 Among the people who they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword.
9 The Israelites took the Midianite women and children as prisoners. They also took all their sheep, cattle, and other things. 10 Then they burned all their towns and villages. 11 They took all the people and animals 12 and brought them to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the other Israelites. They brought all the things they took in war to the camp of Israel. The Israelites were camped in the Jordan Valley in Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River across from Jericho. 13 Then Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the people went out of the camp to meet with the soldiers.
14 Moses was very angry with the leaders of the army, the commanders of 1000 men, and the commanders of 100 men, who came back from the war. 15 Moses said to them, “Why did you let the women live? 16 These are the women who listened to Balaam and caused the men of Israel to turn away from the Lord that time at Peor. The disease will come to the Lord’s people again. 17 Now, kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations with a man. 18 You can let all the young girls live—but only if they never had sexual relations with any man. 19 And then, all you men who killed other people must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must stay outside the camp even if you just touched a dead body. On the third day you and your prisoners must make yourselves pure. You must do the same thing again on the seventh day. 20 You must wash all of your clothes. You must wash anything made with leather, wool, or wood. You must purify yourselves.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest spoke to the soldiers. He said, “These are the rules that the Lord gave to Moses for soldiers coming back from war. 22-23 You must put gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead into the fire and then wash these things with the special water to make them pure. If something can be put in the fire, you must put it in fire to purify it. If things cannot be put in fire, you must still wash them with the special water. 24 On the seventh day you must wash all of your clothes. Then you will be pure. After that you can come into camp.”
25 Then the Lord said to Moses, 26 “You, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders should count all the prisoners, animals, and everything the soldiers took in war. 27 Then divide these things between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the Israelites. 28 Take part of these things from the soldiers who went to war. That part will belong to the Lord. His share is one from every 500 items. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, and sheep. 29 Take that share from the soldiers’ half of the things they took in war. Then give these things to Eleazar the priest. That part will belong to the Lord. 30 And then, from the people’s half, take one thing for every 50 items. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or any other animal. Give that share to the Levites, because they take care of the Lord’s Holy Tent.”
31 So Moses and Eleazar did what the Lord commanded Moses. 32 The soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 women. (These are only the women who had not had sexual relations with any man.) 36 The soldiers who went to war got 337,500 sheep. 37 They gave 675 sheep to the Lord. 38 The soldiers got 36,000 cattle. They gave 72 cattle to the Lord. 39 The soldiers got 30,500 donkeys. They gave 61 donkeys to the Lord. 40 The soldiers got 16,000 women. They gave 32 women to the Lord. 41 Moses gave all these gifts for the Lord to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded him.
42 Then Moses counted the people’s half. This was their share that Moses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war. 43 The people got 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 women. 47 Moses took one out of every 50 women and animals. He gave them to the Levites because they took care of the Lord’s Holy Tent. Moses did this as the Lord had commanded.
48 Then the leaders of the army (the leaders over 1000 men and the leaders over 100 men) came to Moses. 49 They told Moses, “We, your servants, have counted our soldiers. We have not missed any of them. 50 So we are bringing the Lord’s gift from every soldier. We are bringing things that are made of gold—armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This gift to the Lord is to make us pure.”
51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted all these gold items from them. 52 The gold that the commanders[b] and captains[c] gave to the Lord weighed about 424 pounds.[d] 53 The soldiers kept the rest of their share of the things they took in war. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders and captains and then put that gold in the Meeting Tent. This present was a memorial[e] before the Lord for the Israelites.
Tribes East of the Jordan River
32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had many cattle. These people looked at the land near Jazer and Gilead. They saw that this land was good for their cattle. 2 So the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad came to Moses. They spoke to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the people. 3-4 They said, “We, your servants, have many cattle. And the land that the Lord let the people of Israel capture is good land for cattle. This land includes the area around Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah,[f] Nebo, and Beon. 5 If it pleases you, we would like this land to be given to us. Don’t take us to the other side of the Jordan River.”
6 Moses told the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad, “Will you let your brothers go and fight while you settle here? 7 Why are you trying to discourage the Israelites? You will make them not want to cross the river and take the land that the Lord has given to them! 8 Your fathers did the same thing to me. In Kadesh Barnea I sent spies to look at the land. 9 These men went as far as Eshcol Valley. They saw the land, and they discouraged the Israelites. These men made the Israelites not want to go into the land that the Lord had given to them. 10 The Lord became very angry with the people. He made this promise: 11 ‘None of the people who came from Egypt and are 20 years old or older will be allowed to see this land. I made a promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I promised to give this land to these people, but they did not really follow me. 12 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun really followed the Lord!’
13 “The Lord was very angry with the Israelites. So he made the people stay in the desert for 40 years. He made them stay there until all the people who had sinned against the Lord were dead. 14 And now you are doing the same thing that your fathers did. You sinful people, do you want the Lord to be even more angry with his people? 15 If you stop following the Lord, he will make Israel stay even longer in the desert. Then you will destroy all these people!”
16 But the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad went to Moses. They said, “We will build cities for our children and barns for our animals here. 17 Then our children can be safe from the other people who live in this land. But we will gladly come and help the other Israelites. We will bring them to their land. 18 We will not come back home until everyone in Israel has taken his part of the land. 19 We will not take any of the land west of the Jordan River. No, our part of the land is east of the Jordan River.”
20 So Moses told them, “If you do all these things, this land will belong to you. But your soldiers must go before the Lord into battle. 21 Your soldiers must cross the Jordan River and be ready to fight for the Lord until he forces the enemy to leave. 22 After the Lord helps us all take the land, you can go back home. Then the Lord and Israel will not think that you are guilty. And the Lord will let you have this land. 23 But if you don’t do these things, you will be sinning against the Lord. And know for sure that you will be punished for your sin. 24 Build cities for your children and barns for your animals. But then, you must do what you promised.”
25 Then the people from the tribes of Gad and Reuben said to Moses, “We are your servants. You are our master, so we will do what you say. 26 Our wives, children, and all our animals will stay in the cities of Gilead. 27 But we, your servants, will cross the Jordan River. We will march before the Lord into battle, as our master says.”
28 So Moses, Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and all the leaders of the tribes of Israel heard them make that promise. 29 Moses said to them, “The people of Gad and Reuben will cross the Jordan River. They will march before the Lord into battle. They will help you take the land. And you will give the land of Gilead as their part of the country. 30 But if they do not cross the river with you ready to fight, they will not get any land on this side. They will get only a share of the land of Canaan with the rest of you.”
31 The people of Gad and Reuben answered, “We promise to do what the Lord commanded. 32 We will cross the Jordan River and march before the Lord into the land of Canaan. And our part of the country is the land east of the Jordan River.”
33 So Moses gave that land to the people of Gad, to the people of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh. (Manasseh was Joseph’s son.) That land included the kingdom of Sihon the Amorite and the kingdom of King Og of Bashan and all the cities around that area.
34 The people of Gad built the cities of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran. They built cities with strong walls, and they built barns for their animals.
37 The people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal Meon, and Sibmah. They used the names of the cities that they rebuilt. But they changed the names of Nebo and Baal Meon.
39 People from Makir’s family group went to Gilead.[g] (Makir was Manasseh’s son.) They defeated the city. They defeated the Amorites who lived there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to Makir from the tribe of Manasseh, and his family settled there. 41 Jair, from the family of Manasseh, defeated the small towns there. Then he called them Towns of Jair. 42 Nobah defeated Kenath and the small towns near it. Then he called that place by his own name.
Israel’s Journey From Egypt
33 Here is a list of the places the Israelites went when they left Egypt. They were organized in groups like an army and were led by Moses and Aaron. 2 Following the Lord’s command, Moses kept a record of each place they stayed before moving on to the next place. These are all the places they went:
3 On the 15th day of the first month, they left Rameses. That morning after Passover, the Israelites marched out of Egypt with their arms raised in victory. All the people of Egypt saw them. 4 The Egyptians were burying all the people the Lord killed. They were burying all their firstborn sons. The Lord had shown his judgment against the gods[h] of Egypt.
5 The Israelites left Rameses and traveled to Succoth. 6 From Succoth they traveled to Etham. They camped there at the edge of the desert. 7 They left Etham and went to Pi Hahiroth. This was near Baal Zephon. They camped near Migdol.
8 They left Pi Hahiroth and walked through the middle of the sea. They went toward the desert. Then they traveled for three days through the desert of Etham. The people camped at Marah.
9 They left Marah and went to Elim and camped there. There were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees there.
10 They left Elim and camped near the Red Sea.[i]
11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the western Sinai desert.[j]
12 They left there and camped at Dophkah.
13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.
14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim. There was no water for the people to drink at that place.
15 They left Rephidim and camped in the desert of Sinai.
16 They left the desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.
17 They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.
20 They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.
21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah.
28 They left Terah and camped at Mithcah.
29 They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah.
30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.
32 They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.
33 They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.
36 They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the desert of Zin.
37 They left Kadesh and camped at Hor. This was the mountain at the border of the country of Edom. 38 Aaron the priest obeyed the Lord and went up Mount Hor. Aaron died at that place on the first day of the fifth month. That was the 40th year after the Israelites had left Egypt. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 Arad was a town in the Negev, in the land of Canaan. The Canaanite king in that place heard that the Israelites were coming. 41 The people left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42 They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.
44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim. This was at the border of the country of Moab.
45 They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.
46 They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.
47 They left Almon Diblathaim and camped on the mountains of Abarim near Nebo.
48 They left the mountains of Abarim and camped in the Jordan Valley in Moab. This was near the Jordan River across from Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan River in the Jordan Valley in Moab. Their camp went from Beth Jeshimoth to Acacia Field.
50 There, the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 51 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them this: You will cross the Jordan River. You will go into the land of Canaan. 52 You will take the land from the people you find there. You must destroy all of their carved statues and idols. You must destroy all of their high places. 53 You will take the land and you will settle there, because I am giving this land to you. It will belong to your family groups. 54 Each of your family groups will get part of the land. You will throw lots to decide which family group gets each part of the country. Large family groups will get large parts of the land. Small family groups will get small parts of the land. The lots will show which family group gets which part of the land. Each tribe will get its part of the land.
55 “You must force these other people to leave the country. If you let them stay in your country, they will bring many troubles to you. They will be like a needle[k] in your eye and a thorn in your side. They will bring many troubles to the country where you will be living. 56 I showed you what I would do—and I will do that to you!”
Footnotes
- Numbers 31:2 you will die Literally, “you will be gathered to your people.”
- Numbers 31:52 commanders Literally, “leaders of 1000 men.”
- Numbers 31:52 captains Literally, “leaders of 100 men.”
- Numbers 31:52 424 pounds Literally, “16,750 shekels” (190 kg).
- Numbers 31:54 memorial Something that helps people remember things that happened in the past.
- Numbers 32:3 Sibmah Or “Sebam.”
- Numbers 32:39 Gilead Here, this seems to refer to a city, perhaps Ramoth Gilead. But it might refer to the whole area. See Hos. 6:8.
- Numbers 33:4 gods This might be the false gods of Egypt. Or here, it might mean the king and other powerful leaders in Egypt.
- Numbers 33:10 Red Sea Or “Reed Sea,” but see 1 Kings 9:26.
- Numbers 33:11 western Sinai desert Literally, “desert of Sin.”
- Numbers 33:55 needle A thin barb or thorn from a plant.
Numbers 31-33
New International Version
Numbers 31-33
New International Version
Vengeance on the Midianites
31 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites(A) for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.(B)”
3 So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance(C) on them. 4 Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5 So twelve thousand men armed for battle,(D) a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. 6 Moses sent them into battle,(E) a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas(F) son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary(G) and the trumpets(H) for signaling.
7 They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses,(I) and killed every man.(J) 8 Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba(K)—the five kings of Midian.(L) They also killed Balaam son of Beor(M) with the sword.(N) 9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women(O) and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder.(P) 10 They burned(Q) all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps.(R) 11 They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals,(S) 12 and brought the captives, spoils(T) and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly(U) at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.(V)
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. 14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army(W)—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.
15 “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. 16 “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice(X) and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident,(Y) so that a plague(Z) struck the Lord’s people. 17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,(AA) 18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.
19 “Anyone who has killed someone or touched someone who was killed(AB) must stay outside the camp seven days.(AC) On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves(AD) and your captives. 20 Purify every garment(AE) as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.(AF)”
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle,(AG) “This is what is required by the law that the Lord gave Moses: 22 Gold, silver, bronze, iron,(AH) tin, lead 23 and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire,(AI) and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing.(AJ) And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water. 24 On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean.(AK) Then you may come into the camp.(AL)”
Dividing the Spoils
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads(AM) of the community are to count all the people(AN) and animals that were captured.(AO) 27 Divide(AP) the spoils equally between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. 28 From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord(AQ) one out of every five hundred, whether people, cattle, donkeys or sheep. 29 Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part. 30 From the Israelites’ half, select one out of every fifty, whether people, cattle, donkeys, sheep or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.(AR)” 31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32 The plunder remaining from the spoils(AS) that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys 35 and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.
36 The half share of those who fought in the battle was:
337,500 sheep, 37 of which the tribute for the Lord(AT) was 675;
38 36,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the Lord was 72;
39 30,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the Lord was 61;
40 16,000 people, of whom the tribute for the Lord was 32.
41 Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part,(AU) as the Lord commanded Moses.(AV)
42 The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men— 43 the community’s half—was 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys 46 and 16,000 people. 47 From the Israelites’ half, Moses selected one out of every fifty people and animals, as the Lord commanded him, and gave them to the Levites, who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.
48 Then the officers(AW) who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—went to Moses 49 and said to him, “Your servants have counted(AX) the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing.(AY) 50 So we have brought as an offering to the Lord the gold articles each of us acquired—armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves(AZ) before the Lord.”
51 Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold—all the crafted articles. 52 All the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the Lord weighed 16,750 shekels.[a] 53 Each soldier had taken plunder(BA) for himself. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting(BB) as a memorial(BC) for the Israelites before the Lord.
The Transjordan Tribes
32 The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks,(BD) saw that the lands of Jazer(BE) and Gilead(BF) were suitable for livestock.(BG) 2 So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community,(BH) and said, 3 “Ataroth,(BI) Dibon,(BJ) Jazer,(BK) Nimrah,(BL) Heshbon,(BM) Elealeh,(BN) Sebam,(BO) Nebo(BP) and Beon(BQ)— 4 the land the Lord subdued(BR) before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock,(BS) and your servants have livestock. 5 If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.(BT)”
6 Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? 7 Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them?(BU) 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.(BV) 9 After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol(BW) and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord’s anger was aroused(BX) that day and he swore this oath:(BY) 11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more(BZ) when they came up out of Egypt(CA) will see the land I promised on oath(CB) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob(CC)— 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’(CD) 13 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel(CE) and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.(CF)
14 “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel.(CG) 15 If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.(CH)”
16 Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens(CI) here for our livestock(CJ) and cities for our women and children. 17 But we will arm ourselves for battle[b] and go ahead of the Israelites(CK) until we have brought them to their place.(CL) Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance.(CM) 19 We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance(CN) has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”(CO)
20 Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle(CP) 21 and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him(CQ)— 22 then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return(CR) and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession(CS) before the Lord.(CT)
23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.(CU) 24 Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks,(CV) but do what you have promised.(CW)”
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands.(CX) 26 Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead.(CY) 27 But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight(CZ) before the Lord, just as our lord says.”
28 Then Moses gave orders about them(DA) to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun(DB) and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes.(DC) 29 He said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you,(DD) you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession.(DE) 30 But if they do not cross over(DF) with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.(DG)”
31 The Gadites and Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has said.(DH) 32 We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed,(DI) but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.(DJ)”
33 Then Moses gave to the Gadites,(DK) the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh(DL) son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites(DM) and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan(DN)—the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.(DO)
34 The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,(DP) 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer,(DQ) Jogbehah,(DR) 36 Beth Nimrah(DS) and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks.(DT) 37 And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon,(DU) Elealeh(DV) and Kiriathaim,(DW) 38 as well as Nebo(DX) and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah.(DY) They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.
39 The descendants of Makir(DZ) son of Manasseh went to Gilead,(EA) captured it and drove out the Amorites(EB) who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites,(EC) the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. 41 Jair,(ED) a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair.[c](EE) 42 And Nobah captured Kenath(EF) and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah(EG) after himself.(EH)
Stages in Israel’s Journey
33 Here are the stages in the journey(EI) of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt(EJ) by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.(EK) 2 At the Lord’s command Moses recorded(EL) the stages in their journey(EM). This is their journey by stages:
3 The Israelites set out(EN) from Rameses(EO) on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover.(EP) They marched out defiantly(EQ) in full view of all the Egyptians, 4 who were burying all their firstborn,(ER) whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment(ES) on their gods.(ET)
5 The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Sukkoth.(EU)
6 They left Sukkoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.(EV)
7 They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon,(EW) and camped near Migdol.(EX)
8 They left Pi Hahiroth[d](EY) and passed through the sea(EZ) into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah.(FA)
9 They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped(FB) there.
10 They left Elim(FC) and camped by the Red Sea.[e]
11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.(FD)
12 They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.
13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.
14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.(FE)
15 They left Rephidim(FF) and camped in the Desert of Sinai.(FG)
16 They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.(FH)
17 They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.(FI)
18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.
20 They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.(FJ)
21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah.
28 They left Terah and camped at Mithkah.
29 They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.
30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.(FK)
31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.(FL)
32 They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.
33 They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.(FM)
34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.(FN)
36 They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.(FO)
37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor,(FP) on the border of Edom.(FQ) 38 At the Lord’s command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died(FR) on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year(FS) after the Israelites came out of Egypt.(FT) 39 Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 The Canaanite king(FU) of Arad,(FV) who lived in the Negev(FW) of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.
41 They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42 They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.(FX)
44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.(FY)
45 They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.
46 They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.
47 They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim,(FZ) near Nebo.(GA)
48 They left the mountains of Abarim(GB) and camped on the plains of Moab(GC) by the Jordan(GD) across from Jericho.(GE) 49 There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth(GF) to Abel Shittim.(GG)
50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho(GH) the Lord said to Moses, 51 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,(GI) 52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.(GJ) 53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.(GK) 54 Distribute the land by lot,(GL) according to your clans.(GM) To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one.(GN) Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.(GO)
55 “‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns(GP) in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. 56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.(GQ)’”
Footnotes
- Numbers 31:52 That is, about 420 pounds or about 190 kilograms
- Numbers 32:17 Septuagint; Hebrew will be quick to arm ourselves
- Numbers 32:41 Or them the settlements of Jair
- Numbers 33:8 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text left from before Hahiroth
- Numbers 33:10 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 11
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