Numbers 10-16

New American Standard Bible

The Silver Trumpets

10 The Lord spoke further to Moses, saying, ² “Make yourself two trumpets of silver, you shall make them of hammered work; and you shall use them for ^(A)summoning the congregation and breaking camp. ³ Now ^(B)when both are blown, all the congregation shall meet you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁴ But if only one is blown, then the ^(C)leaders, the heads of the ^[a]divisions of Israel, shall meet you. ⁵ And when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched ^(D)on the east side shall set out. ⁶ Then when you sound an alarm the second time, the camps that are pitched on ^(E)the south side shall set out; an alarm is to be sounded for them to break camp. ⁷ When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow the trumpets without ^(F)sounding an alarm. ^8 (G)The sons of Aaron, moreover, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be a permanent statute for you throughout your generations. ⁹ And when you go to war in your land against the enemy who ^(H)attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, so that you will be ^(I)thought of by the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies. ¹⁰ Also on the day of your joy and at your appointed ^[b]feasts, and on the first days of your months, ^(J)you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”

The Tribes Leave Sinai

¹¹ Now in ^(K)the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from above the ^[c]tabernacle of the testimony; ¹² and the sons of Israel set out on ^(L)their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled in the ^(M)wilderness of Paran. ^13 (N)So they moved on for the first time in accordance with the ^[d]command of the Lord through Moses. ¹⁴ The ^[e]flag of the camp of the sons of Judah, by their armies, ^(O)set out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army, ¹⁵ and Nethanel the son of Zuar, over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar; ¹⁶ and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.

^17 (P)Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out. ¹⁸ Next ^(Q)the flag of the camp of Reuben, by their armies, set out with Elizur the son of Shedeur, over its army, ¹⁹ and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon, ²⁰ and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.

^21 (R)Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy objects; and ^(S)the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. ^22 (T)Next the flag of the camp of the sons of Ephraim, by their armies, set out, with Elishama the son of Ammihud over its army, ²³ and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh; ²⁴ and Abidan the son of Gideoni over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.

^25 (U)Then the flag of the camp of the sons of Dan, by their armies, which formed the ^(V)rear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army, ²⁶ and Pagiel the son of Ochran over the tribal army of the sons of Asher; ²⁷ and Ahira the son of Enan over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali. ^28 [f]This was the order of marching for the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.

²⁹ Then Moses said to ^(W)Hobab the son of ^(X)Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the Lord said, ‘^(Y)I will give it to you.’ ^(Z)Come with us and we will do you good, for the Lord ^(AA)has ^[g]promised good concerning Israel.” ³⁰ But he said to him, “^(AB)I will not come, but rather will go to my own land and relatives.” ³¹ Then he said, “Please do not leave us, since you know ^[h]where we should camp in the wilderness, and you ^(AC)will be as eyes for us. ³² So it will be, if you go with us, that ^[i](AD)whatever good the Lord ^[j]does for us, ^(AE)we will ^[k]do for you.”

^33 (AF)So they moved on from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey, with ^(AG)the ark of the covenant of the Lord going on in front of them for the ^[l]three days, to seek out ^(AH)a resting place for them. ^34 (AI)And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

³⁵ Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said,

³⁶ And when it came to rest, he said,

The People Complain

11 Now the people became like ^(AN)those who complain of adversity ^(AO)in the ears of the Lord; and the Lord heard them and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp. ^2 (AP)The people then cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire ^[m]died out. ³ So that place was named ^[n](AQ)Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

⁴ Now the ^(AR)rabble who were among them ^[o]had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, “^(AS)Who will give us ^[p]meat to eat? ^5 (AT)We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; ⁶ but now ^(AU)our ^[q]appetite is gone. There is nothing at all ^[r]to look at except this manna!”

^7 (AV)Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of ^[s](AW)bdellium. ⁸ The people would roam about and gather it and grind it ^[t]between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of ^[u]cake baked with oil. ^9 (AX)When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna would come down ^[v]with it.

The Complaint of Moses

¹⁰ Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of the Lord became very hot, and ^[w]Moses was displeased. ^11 (AY)So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You ^[x]been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me? ¹² Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them ^[y]in your arms, as a ^[z](AZ)nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which ^(BA)You swore to their fathers’? ¹³ Where am I to get meat to give to ^(BB)all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat!’ ^14 (BC)I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too ^[aa]burdensome for me. ^15 (BD)So if You are going to deal with me this way, please kill me now, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my misery.”

Seventy Elders to Assist Moses

¹⁶ The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me ^(BE)seventy men from the elders of Israel, ^(BF)whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their stand there with you. ^17 (BG)Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of ^(BH)the Spirit who is upon you, and put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it by yourself. ¹⁸ And you shall say to the people, ‘^(BI)Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept ^(BJ)in the ears of the Lord, saying, “^[ab]Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. ¹⁹ You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, ^20 [ac]but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nose and ^[ad]makes you nauseated; because ^(BK)you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” ²¹ But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am included, are six hundred thousand on foot! Yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ ²² Are flocks and herds to be slaughtered for them, so that it will be sufficient for them? Or are all the fish of the sea to be ^[ae]caught for them, so that it will be sufficient for them?” ²³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Is ^(BL)the Lord’s ^[af]power too little? Now you shall see whether ^(BM)My word will ^[ag]come true for you or not.”

²⁴ So Moses went out and ^(BN)told the people the words of the Lord. He also gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and positioned them around the tent. ^25 (BO)Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took away some of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Yet they did not do it again.

²⁶ But two men had remained in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the ^[ah]other, Medad. And ^(BP)the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ So a young man ran and informed Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸ Then ^(BQ)Joshua the son of Nun, the personal servant of Moses from his youth, responded and said, “^(BR)My lord Moses, restrain them!” ²⁹ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? ^(BS)If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” ³⁰ Then Moses ^[ai]returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

^31 (BT)Now a wind burst forth from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and dropped them beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side all around the camp, and about ^[aj]two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. ³² And the people ^[ak]spent all that day, all night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered ^[al]ten ^(BU)homers) and spread them out for themselves all around the camp. ^33 (BV)While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. ³⁴ So that place was named ^[am](BW)Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy. ³⁵ From Kibroth-hattaavah ^(BX)the people set out for Hazeroth, and they ^[an]remained at Hazeroth.

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

12 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a ^(BY)Cushite woman); ^2 (BZ)and they said, “Is it a fact that the Lord has spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard this. ³ (Now the man Moses was ^(CA)very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth.) ⁴ And the Lord suddenly said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “You three go out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. ^5 (CB)Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent; and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, ⁶ He said,

⁹ And the anger of the Lord burned against them and ^(CI)He departed. ¹⁰ But when the cloud had withdrawn from above the tent, behold, ^(CJ)Miriam was leprous, as ^(CK)white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. ¹¹ Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, ^(CL)do not ^[aq]hold us responsible for this sin by which we have turned out to be foolish, and by which we have sinned. ¹² Oh, do not let her be like a dead person, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” ¹³ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “God, ^(CM)heal her, please!” ¹⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had only ^(CN)spit in her face, would she not be put to shame for seven days? Have her shut ^(CO)outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” ¹⁵ So ^(CP)Miriam was shut outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

¹⁶ Afterward, however, the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Spies View the Land

13 Then ^(CQ)the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(CR)Send out men for yourself to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” ³ So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the ^[ar]command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. ⁴ These then were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; ⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; ⁶ from the tribe of Judah, ^(CS)Caleb the son of Jephunneh; ⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; ⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, ^(CT)Hoshea the son of Nun; ⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; ¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; ¹¹ from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; ¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; ¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; ¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; ¹⁵ and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. ¹⁶ These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called ^(CU)Hoshea the son of Nun, ^[as]Joshua.

¹⁷ When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into ^(CV)the ^[at]Negev; then go up into the hill country. ¹⁸ See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many. ¹⁹ And how is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are the people in open camps or in fortifications? ²⁰ And ^(CW)how is the land, is it ^[au]productive or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? And ^(CX)show yourselves courageous and get some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

²¹ So they went up and spied out the land from ^(CY)the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, ^[av](CZ)at Lebo-hamath. ²² When they had gone up into ^(DA)the Negev, ^[aw]they came to Hebron where ^(DB)Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the ^[ax]descendants of ^(DC)Anak were. (Hebron was built seven years before ^(DD)Zoan in Egypt.)

²³ Then they came to the ^[ay]Valley of ^[az](DE)Eshcol, and from there they cut off a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of ^[ba]Eshcol, because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut off from there.

The Spies’ Reports

²⁵ When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, ²⁶ they went on and came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ^[bb]in the wilderness of Paran at ^(DF)Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ So they reported to him and said, “We came into the land where you sent us, and ^(DG)it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and ^(DH)this is its fruit. ²⁸ Nevertheless, ^(DI)the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And indeed, we saw ^(DJ)the ^[bc]descendants of Anak there! ²⁹ Amalek is living in the land of ^(DK)the Negev, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and ^(DL)the Amorites are living in the hill country, and ^(DM)the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then Caleb quieted the people ^[bd]before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will certainly prevail over it.” ³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “^(DN)We are not able to go up against the people, because they are too strong for us.” ³² So they brought ^(DO)a bad report of the land which they had spied out to the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to spy out is ^(DP)a land that devours its inhabitants; and ^(DQ)all the people whom we saw in it are people of great stature. ³³ We also saw the ^[be](DR)Nephilim there (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and ^(DS)we were like ^[bf]grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation ^[bg]raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept ^[bh]that night. ² And all the sons of Israel ^(DT)grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “^(DU)If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! ³ So why is the Lord bringing us into this land ^(DV)to fall by the sword? ^(DW)Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ So they said to one another, “^(DX)Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”

^5 (DY)Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. ⁶ And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; ⁷ and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “^(DZ)The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. ^8 (EA)If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—^(EB)a land which flows with milk and honey. ⁹ Only ^(EC)do not rebel against the Lord; and do not ^(ED)fear the people of the land, for they will be our ^[bi]prey. Their ^[bj]protection is gone from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” ^10 (EE)But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then ^(EF)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Moses Pleads for the People

^11 (EG)And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will ^(EH)they not ^[bk]believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? ¹² I will strike them with ^[bl](EI)plague and dispossess them, and I ^(EJ)will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

^13 (EK)But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people up from their midst, ¹⁴ and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are in the midst of this people, because ^(EL)You, Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. ¹⁵ Now if You put this people to death ^[bm]all at once, ^(EM)then the nations who have heard of Your fame will ^[bn]say, ¹⁶ ‘Since the Lord ^(EN)could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ ¹⁷ So now, please, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, saying, ¹⁸ ‘^(EO)The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving wrongdoing and violation of His Law; but ^(EP)He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, ^(EQ)inflicting the ^[bo]punishment of the fathers on the children ^[bp]to the third and the fourth generations.’ ¹⁹ Please ^(ER)forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

The Lord Pardons and Rebukes

²⁰ So the Lord said, “^(ES)I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; ²¹ however, ^(ET)as I live, ^[bq](EU)all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. ²² Certainly ^(EV)all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet ^(EW)have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, ^23 (EX)shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who were disrespectful to Me see it. ²⁴ But as for My servant Caleb, ^(EY)because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, ^(EZ)I will bring him into the land which he ^[br]entered, and his ^[bs]descendants shall take possession of it. ^25 (FA)Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way of the ^[bt]Red Sea.”

²⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron again, saying, ²⁷ “How long shall I put up with this evil congregation who are ^(FB)grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are ^[bu]voicing against Me. ²⁸ Say to them, ‘^(FC)As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘just as ^(FD)you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; ^29 (FE)your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all ^(FF)your ^[bv]numbered men according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. ³⁰ By no means will you come into the land where I ^[bw]swore to settle you, ^(FG)except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. ^31 (FH)Your children, however, whom you said would become plunder—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. ^32 (FI)But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. ³³ Also, your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for ^(FJ)forty years, and they will ^[bx]suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your bodies perish in the wilderness. ³⁴ In accordance with the ^(FK)number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your ^[by]guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. ^35 (FL)I, the Lord, have spoken, I certainly will do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They shall be worn out in this wilderness, and there they shall die.’”

^36 (FM)As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who returned and led all the congregation to grumble against him by bringing a bad report about the land, ^37 (FN)those men who brought the bad report of the land also died by a ^(FO)plague in the presence of the Lord. ³⁸ But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land.

Israel Repulsed

³⁹ Now when Moses spoke ^(FP)these words to all the sons of Israel, ^(FQ)the people mourned greatly. ⁴⁰ In the morning, however, they got up early and went up to the ^[bz]ridge of the hill country, saying, “^(FR)Here we are; and we will go up to the place which the Lord has ^[ca]promised, for ^[cb]we have sinned.” ⁴¹ But Moses said, “^(FS)Why then are you ^(FT)violating the ^[cc]command of the Lord, when doing so will not succeed? ^42 (FU)Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, ^[cd]to prevent you from being defeated ^[ce]by your enemies. ⁴³ For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there ^[cf]to confront you, and you will fall by the sword, since you have turned back from following the Lord. And the Lord will not be with you.” ⁴⁴ But they foolishly dared to go up to the ^[cg]ridge of the hill country; neither ^(FV)the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses left the camp. ⁴⁵ Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and scattered them as far as ^(FW)Hormah.

Laws for Canaan

15 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(FX)Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land ^[ch]where you are going to live, which I am giving you, ³ and you make ^(FY)an offering by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to ^[ci](FZ)fulfill a special vow, or as a ^[cj]voluntary offering or at your ^(GA)appointed times, to make a ^(GB)soothing aroma to the Lord from the herd or from the flock, ⁴ then ^(GC)the one who presents his offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an ^[ck]ephah of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a ^[cl]hin of oil, ⁵ and you shall prepare wine for the drink offering, a fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for ^(GD)each lamb. ⁶ Or for a ram you shall prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil; ⁷ and for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine as a soothing aroma to the Lord. ⁸ And when you prepare ^(GE)a bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to ^[cm]fulfill a special vow, or for peace offerings to the Lord, ⁹ then you shall offer with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil; ¹⁰ and you shall offer as the drink offering half a hin of wine as an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord.

¹¹ ‘This is how it shall be done for each ox, or for each ram, or for each of the male lambs, or of the goats. ¹² According to the number that you prepare, so you shall do for each one according to their number. ¹³ Everyone who is a native shall do these things in this way, in presenting an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the Lord.

Law for the Stranger

¹⁴ Now if a stranger resides among you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wants to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord, just as you do so shall he do. ¹⁵ As for the assembly, there shall be ^(GF)one statute for you and for the stranger who resides among you, a permanent statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. ¹⁶ There is to be ^(GG)one law and one ordinance for you and for the stranger who resides with you.’”

¹⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸ “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land where I am bringing you, ¹⁹ then it shall be, that when you eat from the ^[cn](GH)food of the land, you shall lift up an ^[co]offering to the Lord. ^20 (GI)Of the first of your ^[cp]dough you shall lift up a loaf as an ^[cq]offering; as ^(GJ)an ^[cr]offering of the threshing floor, so you shall lift it up. ²¹ From the first of your ^[cs]dough you shall give to the Lord an ^[ct]offering throughout your generations.

²² ‘But when you ^(GK)unintentionally do wrong and fail to ^[cu]comply with all these commandments which the Lord has spoken to Moses, ²³ that is, all that the Lord has commanded you ^[cv]through Moses from the day that the Lord gave commandments and onward, throughout your generations, ²⁴ then it shall be, if it is done ^(GL)unintentionally, ^[cw]without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one bull as a burnt offering, as a soothing aroma to the Lord, ^(GM)with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat as a sin offering. ²⁵ Then ^(GN)the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they will be forgiven; for it was an unintentional wrong, and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their unintentional wrong. ²⁶ So all the congregation of the sons of Israel will be forgiven, as well as the stranger who resides among them, for guilt was attributed to all the people through an ^(GO)unintentional wrong.

²⁷ ‘Also, if one person sins ^(GP)unintentionally, then he shall offer a one-year-old female goat as a sin offering. ²⁸ And ^(GQ)the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who goes astray by an unintentional sin, making atonement for him ^[cx]so that he may be forgiven. ²⁹ You shall have one law for the native among the sons of Israel and for the stranger who resides among them, for one who does anything wrong unintentionally. ³⁰ But the person who does wrong ^[cy](GR)defiantly, whether he is a native or a stranger, that one is blaspheming the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. ³¹ Since he has ^(GS)despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; ^(GT)his ^[cz]guilt will be on him.’”

Sabbath-breaking Punished

³² Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man ^(GU)gathering wood on the Sabbath day. ³³ And those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation; ³⁴ and they placed him in custody, ^(GV)because it had not been decided what should be done to him. ³⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must be put to death; ^(GW)all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” ³⁶ So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him ^[da]to death with stones, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁷ The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁸ “Speak to the sons of Israel and tell them that they shall make for themselves ^(GX)tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a ^[db]violet thread. ³⁹ It shall be a tassel for you ^[dc]to look at and ^(GY)remember all the commandments of the Lord, so that you will do them and not ^[dd]follow your own heart and your own eyes, ^[de]which led you to prostitute yourselves, ⁴⁰ so that you will remember and do all My commandments and ^(GZ)be holy to your God. ⁴¹ I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God.”

Korah’s Rebellion

16 Now ^(HA)Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with ^(HB)Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men, ² and they stood before Moses, ^[df]together with some of the sons of Israel, 250 leaders of the congregation ^[dg](HC)chosen in the assembly, men of renown. ³ They assembled together ^(HD)against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “^[dh](HE)You have gone far enough! For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and ^(HF)the Lord is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

⁴ When Moses heard this, ^(HG)he fell on his face; ⁵ and he spoke to Korah and all his group, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will make known who is His, and ^(HH)who is holy, and will bring that one near to Himself; indeed, ^(HI)the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself. ⁶ Do this: take censers for yourselves, Korah and ^[di]your whole group, ⁷ and put fire in them, and place incense upon them in the presence of the Lord tomorrow; and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the one who is holy. ^[dj](HJ)You have gone far enough, you sons of Levi!”

⁸ Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: ^9 (HK)Is it too small an honor for you that the God of Israel has singled you out from the congregation of Israel, ^(HL)to bring you near to Himself, to perform the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; ¹⁰ and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? But are you ^(HM)seeking the priesthood as well? ¹¹ Therefore you and your whole group are the ones gathered together ^(HN)against the Lord; but as for Aaron, ^[dk]who is he, that ^(HO)you grumble against him?”

¹² Then Moses sent ^[dl]a summons to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come up. ¹³ Is it ^[dm]not enough that you have brought us up out of a ^(HP)land flowing with milk and honey ^(HQ)to have us die in the wilderness, but you would also appoint yourself as master over us? ¹⁴ Indeed, you have not brought us ^(HR)into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of ^(HS)fields and vineyards. Would you ^(HT)gouge out the eyes of ^[dn]these men? We will not come up!”

¹⁵ Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “^(HU)Pay no attention to their offering! ^(HV)I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.” ¹⁶ Moses said to Korah, “You and all your group be present before the Lord tomorrow, you and they along with Aaron. ¹⁷ And each of you take his censer and put incense on ^[do]it, and each of you bring his censer before the Lord, 250 censers; also you and Aaron shall each bring his censer.” ¹⁸ So they took, each one his own censer, and put fire on ^[dp]it, and placed incense on ^[dq]it; and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron. ¹⁹ So Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And ^(HW)the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.

²⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ²¹ “^(HX)Separate yourselves from among this congregation, ^(HY)so that I may consume them instantly.” ²² But they fell on their faces and said, “God, ^(HZ)the God of the spirits of ^[dr]humanity, ^(IA)when one person sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?”

²³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘^(IB)Get away from the areas around the ^[ds]tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”

²⁵ Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him, ²⁶ and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “^(IC)Get away now from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that belongs to them, ^(ID)or you will be swept away in all their sin!” ²⁷ So they moved away from the areas around the ^[dt]tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances of their tents, along with their wives, ^(IE)their sons, and their little ones. ²⁸ Then Moses said, “By this you shall know that ^(IF)the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds; for it is not ^[du]my doing. ²⁹ If these men die ^[dv]the death of all mankind, or ^[dw]if they suffer the ^(IG)fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰ But ^(IH)if the Lord ^[dx]brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them with everything that is theirs, and they ^(II)descend alive into ^[dy]Sheol, then you will know that these men have been disrespectful to the Lord.”

³¹ And as he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; ³² and ^(IJ)the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, and ^(IK)all the people who belonged to Korah with all their possessions. ³³ So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to ^[dz]Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. ³⁴ Then all Israel who were around them fled at their ^[ea]outcry, for they said, “The earth might swallow us!” ^35 (IL)Fire also came out from the Lord and consumed the ^(IM)250 men who were offering the incense.

^36 [eb]Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁷ “Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he shall pick up the censers from the midst of the burned area, because they are holy; and you are to scatter the ^[ec]burning coals further away. ³⁸ As for the censers of these ^[ed]men who have sinned at the cost of their own lives, have them made into hammered sheets as plating for the altar, since they did present them before the Lord and they are holy; and ^(IN)they shall ^[ee]serve as a sign to the sons of Israel.” ³⁹ So the priest Eleazar took the bronze censers which the men who were burned had offered, and they hammered them out as plating for the altar, ⁴⁰ as a reminder to the sons of Israel so that ^(IO)no ^[ef]layman, anyone who was not of the ^[eg]descendants of Aaron, would approach ^(IP)to burn incense before the Lord; then he would not become like Korah and his group—just as the Lord had spoken to him ^[eh]through Moses.

Murmuring and Plague

⁴¹ But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel ^(IQ)grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people!” ⁴² It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and ^(IR)the glory of the Lord appeared. ⁴³ Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, ⁴⁴ and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵ “^(IS)Get away from among this congregation so that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces. ⁴⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put fire in it from the altar, and place incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and ^(IT)make atonement for them, for ^(IU)wrath has gone out from the Lord, the plague has begun!” ⁴⁷ Then Aaron took it just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly; and behold, the plague had begun among the people. ^(IV)So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸ And he took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was brought to a halt. ^49 (IW)But those who died by the plague were 14,700 in number, besides those who ^(IX)died on account of Korah. ⁵⁰ Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, for the plague had been brought to a halt.