Wilderness Travels Reviewed

33 These were the stages of the Israelites’ journey when they went out of the land of Egypt by their military divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the Lord’s command, Moses wrote down the starting points for the stages of their journey; these are the stages listed by their starting points:

They traveled from Rameses(A) in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the month. On the day after the Passover(B) the Israelites went out defiantly[a](C) in the sight of all the Egyptians. Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying every firstborn male the Lord had struck down among them, for the Lord had executed judgment against their gods.(D) The Israelites traveled from Rameses and camped at Succoth.(E)

They traveled from Succoth and camped at Etham,(F) which is on the edge of the wilderness.

They traveled from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.(G)

They traveled from Pi-hahiroth[b] and crossed through the middle of the sea(H) into the wilderness. They took a three-day journey into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.(I)

They traveled from Marah and came to Elim.(J) There were twelve springs and seventy date palms at Elim, so they camped there.

10 They traveled from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

11 They traveled from the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin.(K)

12 They traveled from the Wilderness of Sin and camped in Dophkah.

13 They traveled from Dophkah and camped at Alush.

14 They traveled from Alush and camped at Rephidim,(L) where there was no water for the people to drink.(M)

15 They traveled from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai.(N)

16 They traveled from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.(O)

17 They traveled from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.(P)

18 They traveled from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

19 They traveled from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.

20 They traveled from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

21 They traveled from Libnah and camped at Rissah.

22 They traveled from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

23 They traveled from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

24 They traveled from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

25 They traveled from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

26 They traveled from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

27 They traveled from Tahath and camped at Terah.

28 They traveled from Terah and camped at Mithkah.

29 They traveled from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

30 They traveled from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

31 They traveled from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.(Q)

32 They traveled from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.

33 They traveled from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

34 They traveled from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

35 They traveled from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.(R)

36 They traveled from Ezion-geber and camped in the Wilderness of Zin(S) (that is, Kadesh).

37 They traveled from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor(T) on the edge of the land of Edom. 38 At the Lord’s command, the priest Aaron climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the Israelites went out of the land of Egypt.(U) 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor. 40 At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan,(V) heard the Israelites were coming.

41 They traveled from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

42 They traveled from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

43 They traveled from Punon and camped at Oboth.(W)

44 They traveled from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.(X)

45 They traveled from Iyim[c] and camped at Dibon-gad.(Y)

46 They traveled from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.(Z)

47 They traveled from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the Abarim(AA) range facing Nebo.(AB)

48 They traveled from the Abarim range and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.(AC) 49 They camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth(AD) to the Acacia Meadow[d](AE) on the plains of Moab.

Instructions for Occupying Canaan

50 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, 51 “Tell the Israelites: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, destroy all their stone images(AF) and cast images,(AG) and demolish all their high places. 53 You are to take possession of the land and settle in it because I have given you the land(AH) to possess. 54 You are to receive the land as an inheritance by lot according to your clans. Increase the inheritance for a large clan and decrease it for a small one. Whatever place the lot indicates for someone will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to your ancestral tribes. 55 But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs for your eyes and thorns for your sides; they will harass you in the land where you will live. 56 And what I had planned to do to them, I will do to you.”(AI)

Footnotes

  1. 33:3 Lit with a raised hand; Ex 14:8
  2. 33:8 Some Hb mss, Sam, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read from before Hahiroth
  3. 33:45 A shortened form of Iye-abarim
  4. 33:49 Or to Abel-shittim

Review of the Journey from Egypt to Jordan

33 These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, by which they came out of the land of Egypt by their armies, [a]under (A)the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the [b]command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to their starting places. (B)Now they journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the sons of Israel (C)started out [c]boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the Lord had fatally struck among them. The Lord had also executed judgments (D)against their gods.

Then (E)the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses and camped in Succoth. (F)They journeyed from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. (G)Then they journeyed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon; and they camped before Migdol. (H)They journeyed [d]from Pi-hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness; and (I)they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. (J)They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. 10 They journeyed from Elim and camped by the [e]Red Sea. 11 And they journeyed from the [f]Red Sea and camped in (K)the wilderness of Sin. 12 They journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13 They journeyed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 And they journeyed from Alush and camped (L)at Rephidim; now it was there that the people had no water to drink. 15 And they journeyed from Rephidim and camped in (M)the wilderness of Sinai. 16 They journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai, and camped at (N)Kibroth-hattaavah.

17 They journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at (O)Hazeroth. 18 They journeyed from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19 They journeyed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. 20 They journeyed from Rimmon-perez and camped at (P)Libnah. 21 They journeyed from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 They journeyed from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah. 23 They journeyed from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 They journeyed from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 They journeyed from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 They journeyed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27 They journeyed from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28 They journeyed from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29 They journeyed from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 They journeyed from Hashmonah and camped at (Q)Moseroth. 31 They journeyed from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. 32 They journeyed from (R)Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33 They journeyed from Hor-haggidgad and camped at (S)Jotbathah. 34 They journeyed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35 They journeyed from Abronah and camped at (T)Ezion-geber. 36 They journeyed from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of (U)Zin, that is, Kadesh. 37 They journeyed from Kadesh and camped at (V)Mount Hor, (W)at the edge of the land of Edom.

38 (X)Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the [g]command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come from the land of Egypt, on the first day in the fifth month. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40 Now the Canaanite, the king of (Y)Arad [h]who lived in the [i]Negev in the land of Canaan, heard about the coming of the sons of Israel.

41 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 They journeyed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 They journeyed from Punon and camped at (Z)Oboth. 44 They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, at the border of Moab. 45 They journeyed from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46 They journeyed from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47 They journeyed from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of (AA)Abarim, before Nebo. 48 They journeyed from the mountains of Abarim and (AB)camped in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as (AC)Abel-shittim, in the plains of Moab.

Law for Possessing the Land

50 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘(AD)When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from you, and (AE)destroy all their idolatrous sculptures, destroy all their cast metal images, and eliminate all their high places; 53 (AF)and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 (AG)You shall maintain the land as an inheritance by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall pass on land as an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from you, then it will come about that those whom you let remain of them will be (AH)like thorns in your eyes and like pricks in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. 56 And just as I plan to do to them, I will do to you.’”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 33:1 Lit by the hand
  2. Numbers 33:2 Lit mouth
  3. Numbers 33:3 Lit with a high hand
  4. Numbers 33:8 Many mss and some ancient versions; MT from before Hahiroth
  5. Numbers 33:10 Lit Sea of Reeds
  6. Numbers 33:11 Lit Sea of Reeds
  7. Numbers 33:38 Lit mouth
  8. Numbers 33:40 Lit and he
  9. Numbers 33:40 I.e., South country