Numbers 33
New Living Translation
Remembering Israel’s Journey
33 This is the route the Israelites followed as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 At the Lord’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way.
3 They set out from the city of Rameses in early spring—on the fifteenth day of the first month[a]—on the morning after the first Passover celebration. The people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of all the Egyptians. 4 Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, whom the Lord had killed the night before. The Lord had defeated the gods of Egypt that night with great acts of judgment!
5 After leaving Rameses, the Israelites set up camp at Succoth.
6 Then they left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.
7 They left Etham and turned back toward Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and camped near Migdol.
8 They left Pi-hahiroth[b] and crossed the Red Sea[c] into the wilderness beyond. Then they traveled for three days into the Etham wilderness and camped at Marah.
9 They left Marah and camped at Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.
10 They left Elim and camped beside the Red Sea.[d]
11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.[e]
12 They left the wilderness 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.
15 They left Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.
16 They left the wilderness 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 wilderness of Zin.
37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the border of Edom. 38 While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the Lord to go up the mountain, and there he died. This happened in midsummer, on the first day of the fifth month[f] of the fortieth year after Israel’s departure from Egypt. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died there on Mount Hor.
40 At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land.
41 Meanwhile, the Israelites left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42 Then they left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.
44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.
45 They left Iye-abarim[g] 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 east of the river,[h] near Mount Nebo.
48 They left the mountains east of the river and camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 49 Along the Jordan River they camped from Beth-jeshimoth as far as the meadows of Acacia[i] on the plains of Moab.
50 While they were camped near the Jordan River on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, 51 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: When you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. 53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy. 54 You must distribute the land among the clans by sacred lot and in proportion to their size. A larger portion of land will be allotted to each of the larger clans, and a smaller portion will be allotted to each of the smaller clans. The decision of the sacred lot is final. In this way, the portions of land will be divided among your ancestral tribes. 55 But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. 56 And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”
Footnotes
- 33:3 This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late March, April, or early May.
- 33:8a As in many Hebrew manuscripts, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Latin Vulgate (see also 33:7); most Hebrew manuscripts read left from in front of Hahiroth.
- 33:8b Hebrew the sea.
- 33:10 Hebrew sea of reeds; also in 33:11.
- 33:11 The geographical name Sin is related to Sinai and should not be confused with the English word sin.
- 33:38 This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in July or August.
- 33:45 As in 33:44; Hebrew reads Iyim, another name for Iye-abarim.
- 33:47 Or the mountains of Abarim; also in 33:48.
- 33:49 Hebrew as far as Abel-shittim.
Numbers 33
Common English Bible
March out of Egypt and through the sea
33 These were the stages by which the Israelites marched when they left the land of Egypt, according to their military units under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses recorded the points of departure for each stage of the march at the Lord’s command. These are the stages of their march according to their points of departure.
3 They marched from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month.[a] On the day after the Passover the Israelites went out defiantly[b] in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4 while the Egyptians were burying their oldest males, whom the Lord had killed. The Lord also executed judgments against their gods. 5 The Israelites marched from Rameses and they camped at Succoth. 6 They marched from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 7 They marched from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol. 8 They marched from Pi-hahiroth and they crossed through the sea toward the desert.
March through the southern desert
Then they traveled three days in the Etham desert and they camped at Marah.
9 They marched from Marah and arrived at Elim. At Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees and they camped there.
10 They marched from Elim and camped by the Reed Sea.[c]
11 They marched from the Reed Sea and camped in the Sin desert.
12 They marched from the Sin desert and camped at Dophkah.
13 They marched from Dophkah and camped at Alush.
14 They marched from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
15 They marched from Rephidim and camped in the Sinai desert.
16 They marched from the Sinai desert and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.
17 They marched from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
18 They marched from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
19 They marched from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.
20 They marched from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.
21 They marched from Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22 They marched from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
23 They marched from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24 They marched from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
25 They marched from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
26 They marched from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27 They marched from Tahath and camped at Terah.
28 They marched from Terah and camped at Mithkah.
29 They marched from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.
30 They marched from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
31 They marched from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.
32 They marched from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.
33 They marched from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
34 They marched from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
35 They marched from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.
36 They marched from Ezion-geber and camped in the Zin desert (that is, Kadesh).
March through the Transjordan region
37 They marched from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom. 38 Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the Lord’s command, and he died there in the fortieth year on the first day of the fifth month[d] after the Israelites left the land of Egypt. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor. 40 The Canaanite king of Arad, who ruled in the arid southern plain in the land of Canaan, heard of the Israelites’ coming.
41 They marched from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42 They marched from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43 They marched from Punon and camped at Oboth.
44 They marched from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the territory of Moab.
45 They marched from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad.
46 They marched from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.
47 They marched from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the Abarim mountains in front of Nebo.
48 They marched from the Abarim mountains and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
49 They camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.
Divine instruction about the land
50 The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho: 51 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you will drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. You will destroy all their carved figures. You will also destroy all their cast images. You will eliminate all their shrines. 53 You will take possession of the land and live in it, because I’ve given the land to you to possess. 54 You will divide up the land by lot according to your clans. To the large you will make its inheritance large, and to the small you will make its inheritance small. To whomever the lot falls, that place will be his. You will inherit land according to your ancestral tribes. 55 But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then those you allow to remain will prick your eyes and be thorns in your side. They will harass you in the land in which you are living. 56 Then what I intended to do to them, I’ll do to you.
Footnotes
- Numbers 33:3 March–April, Nisan
- Numbers 33:3 Or with a high hand
- Numbers 33:10 Or Red Sea
- Numbers 33:38 July–August, probably Av
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