Numbers 22-36

New Living Translation

Balak Sends for Balaam

22 Then the people of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. ² Balak son of Zippor, the Moabite king, had seen everything the Israelites did to the Amorites. ³ And when the people of Moab saw how many Israelites there were, they were terrified. ⁴ The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This mob will devour everything in sight, like an ox devours grass in the field!”

So Balak, king of Moab, ⁵ sent messengers to call Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor^[a] near the Euphrates River.^[b] His message said:

⁷ Balak’s messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel.^[c] They went to Balaam and delivered Balak’s message to him. ⁸ “Stay here overnight,” Balaam said. “In the morning I will tell you whatever the Lord directs me to say.” So the officials from Moab stayed there with Balaam.

⁹ That night God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men visiting you?”

¹⁰ Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: ¹¹ ‘Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.’”

¹² But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!”

¹³ The next morning Balaam got up and told Balak’s officials, “Go on home! The Lord will not let me go with you.”

¹⁴ So the Moabite officials returned to King Balak and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.” ¹⁵ Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials than those he had sent the first time. ¹⁶ They went to Balaam and delivered this message to him:

¹⁸ But Balaam responded to Balak’s messengers, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord my God. ¹⁹ But stay here one more night, and I will see if the Lord has anything else to say to me.”

²⁰ That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.”

Balaam and His Donkey

²¹ So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. ²² But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, ²³ Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. ²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. ²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. ²⁷ This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.

²⁸ Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

²⁹ “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”

³⁰ “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”

“No,” Balaam admitted.

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.

³² “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. ³³ Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”

³⁴ Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”

³⁵ But the angel of the Lord told Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials. ³⁶ When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he went out to meet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River at the farthest border of his land.

³⁷ “Didn’t I send you an urgent invitation? Why didn’t you come right away?” Balak asked Balaam. “Didn’t you believe me when I said I would reward you richly?”

³⁸ Balaam replied, “Look, now I have come, but I have no power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.” ³⁹ Then Balaam accompanied Balak to Kiriath-huzoth, ⁴⁰ where the king sacrificed cattle and sheep. He sent portions of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him. ⁴¹ The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see some of the people of Israel spread out below him.

Balaam Blesses Israel

23 Then Balaam said to King Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.” ² Balak followed his instructions, and the two of them sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar.

³ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offerings, and I will go to see if the Lord will respond to me. Then I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So Balaam went alone to the top of a bare hill, ⁴ and God met him there. Balaam said to him, “I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar.”

⁵ The Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.”

⁶ So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. ⁷ This was the message Balaam delivered:

¹¹ Then King Balak demanded of Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies. Instead, you have blessed them!”

¹² But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the Lord puts in my mouth.”

Balaam’s Second Message

¹³ Then King Balak told him, “Come with me to another place. There you will see another part of the nation of Israel, but not all of them. Curse at least that many!” ¹⁴ So Balak took Balaam to the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak. He built seven altars there and offered a young bull and a ram on each altar.

¹⁵ Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here by your burnt offerings while I go over there to meet the Lord.”

¹⁶ And the Lord met Balaam and gave him a message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.”

¹⁷ So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. “What did the Lord say?” Balak asked eagerly.

¹⁸ This was the message Balaam delivered:

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Fine, but if you won’t curse them, at least don’t bless them!”

²⁶ But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can do only what the Lord tells me?”

Balaam’s Third Message

²⁷ Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come, I will take you to one more place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there.”

²⁸ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the wasteland.^{[d] 29} Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.” ³⁰ So Balak did as Balaam ordered and offered a young bull and a ram on each altar.

24 By now Balaam realized that the Lord was determined to bless Israel, so he did not resort to divination as before. Instead, he turned and looked out toward the wilderness, ² where he saw the people of Israel camped, tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him, ³ and this is the message he delivered:

¹⁰ King Balak flew into a rage against Balaam. He angrily clapped his hands and shouted, “I called you to curse my enemies! Instead, you have blessed them three times. ¹¹ Now get out of here! Go back home! I promised to reward you richly, but the Lord has kept you from your reward.”

¹² Balaam told Balak, “Don’t you remember what I told your messengers? I said, ¹³ ‘Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord.’ I told you that I could say only what the Lord says! ¹⁴ Now I am returning to my own people. But first let me tell you what the Israelites will do to your people in the future.”

Balaam’s Final Messages

¹⁵ This is the message Balaam delivered:

²⁰ Then Balaam looked over toward the people of Amalek and delivered this message:

²¹ Then he looked over toward the Kenites and delivered this message:

²³ Balaam concluded his messages by saying:

²⁵ Then Balaam left and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.

Moab Seduces Israel

25 While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove,^[i] some of the men defiled themselves by having^[j] sexual relations with local Moabite women. ² These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. ³ In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people.

⁴ The Lord issued the following command to Moses: “Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the Lord in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel.”

⁵ So Moses ordered Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death the men under your authority who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”

⁶ Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into his tent, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as everyone was weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle.^{[k] 7} When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. He took a spear ⁸ and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man’s body and into the woman’s stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, ⁹ but not before 24,000 people had died.

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest has turned my anger away from the Israelites by being as zealous among them as I was. So I stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended to do in my zealous anger. ¹² Now tell him that I am making my special covenant of peace with him. ¹³ In this covenant, I give him and his descendants a permanent right to the priesthood, for in his zeal for me, his God, he purified the people of Israel, making them right with me.^[l]”

¹⁴ The Israelite man killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon. ¹⁵ The woman’s name was Cozbi; she was the daughter of Zur, the leader of a Midianite clan.

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Attack the Midianites and destroy them, ¹⁸ because they assaulted you with deceit and tricked you into worshiping Baal of Peor, and because of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed at the time of the plague because of what happened at Peor.”

The Second Registration of Israel’s Troops

26 After the plague had ended,^[m] the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, ² “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war.”

³ So there on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued these instructions to the leaders of Israel: ⁴ “List all the men of Israel twenty years old and older, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”

This is the record of all the descendants of Israel who came out of Egypt.

The Tribe of Reuben

⁵ These were the clans descended from the sons of Reuben, Jacob’s^[n] oldest son:

⁷ These were the clans of Reuben. Their registered troops numbered 43,730.

⁸ Pallu was the ancestor of Eliab, ⁹ and Eliab was the father of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. This Dathan and Abiram are the same community leaders who conspired with Korah against Moses and Aaron, rebelling against the Lord. ¹⁰ But the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, and fire devoured 250 of their followers. This served as a warning to the entire nation of Israel. ¹¹ However, the sons of Korah did not die that day.

The Tribe of Simeon

¹² These were the clans descended from the sons of Simeon:

¹⁴ These were the clans of Simeon. Their registered troops numbered 22,200.

The Tribe of Gad

¹⁵ These were the clans descended from the sons of Gad:

¹⁸ These were the clans of Gad. Their registered troops numbered 40,500.

The Tribe of Judah

¹⁹ Judah had two sons, Er and Onan, who had died in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ These were the clans descended from Judah’s surviving sons:

²¹ These were the subclans descended from the Perezites:

²² These were the clans of Judah. Their registered troops numbered 76,500.

The Tribe of Issachar

²³ These were the clans descended from the sons of Issachar:

²⁵ These were the clans of Issachar. Their registered troops numbered 64,300.

The Tribe of Zebulun

²⁶ These were the clans descended from the sons of Zebulun:

²⁷ These were the clans of Zebulun. Their registered troops numbered 60,500.

The Tribe of Manasseh

²⁸ Two clans were descended from Joseph through Manasseh and Ephraim.

²⁹ These were the clans descended from Manasseh:

³⁰ These were the subclans descended from the Gileadites:

³⁴ These were the clans of Manasseh. Their registered troops numbered 52,700.

The Tribe of Ephraim

³⁵ These were the clans descended from the sons of Ephraim:

³⁶ This was the subclan descended from the Shuthelahites:

³⁷ These were the clans of Ephraim. Their registered troops numbered 32,500.

These clans of Manasseh and Ephraim were all descendants of Joseph.

The Tribe of Benjamin

³⁸ These were the clans descended from the sons of Benjamin:

⁴⁰ These were the subclans descended from the Belaites:

⁴¹ These were the clans of Benjamin. Their registered troops numbered 45,600.

The Tribe of Dan

⁴² These were the clans descended from the sons of Dan:

⁴³ These were the Shuhamite clans of Dan. Their registered troops numbered 64,400.

The Tribe of Asher

⁴⁴ These were the clans descended from the sons of Asher:

⁴⁵ These were the subclans descended from the Beriites:

⁴⁶ Asher also had a daughter named Serah.

⁴⁷ These were the clans of Asher. Their registered troops numbered 53,400.

The Tribe of Naphtali

⁴⁸ These were the clans descended from the sons of Naphtali:

⁵⁰ These were the clans of Naphtali. Their registered troops numbered 45,400.

Results of the Registration

⁵¹ In summary, the registered troops of all Israel numbered 601,730.

⁵² Then the Lord said to Moses, ⁵³ “Divide the land among the tribes, and distribute the grants of land in proportion to the tribes’ populations, as indicated by the number of names on the list. ⁵⁴ Give the larger tribes more land and the smaller tribes less land, each group receiving a grant in proportion to the size of its population. ⁵⁵ But you must assign the land by lot, and give land to each ancestral tribe according to the number of names on the list. ⁵⁶ Each grant of land must be assigned by lot among the larger and smaller tribal groups.”

The Tribe of Levi

⁵⁷ This is the record of the Levites who were counted according to their clans:

⁵⁸ The Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, and the Korahites were all subclans of the Levites.

Now Kohath was the ancestor of Amram, ⁵⁹ and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She also was a descendant of Levi, born among the Levites in the land of Egypt. Amram and Jochebed became the parents of Aaron, Moses, and their sister, Miriam. ⁶⁰ To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they burned before the Lord the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded.

⁶² The men from the Levite clans who were one month old or older numbered 23,000. But the Levites were not included in the registration of the rest of the people of Israel because they were not given an allotment of land when it was divided among the Israelites.

⁶³ So these are the results of the registration of the people of Israel as conducted by Moses and Eleazar the priest on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. ⁶⁴ Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They will all die in the wilderness.” Not one of them survived except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

The Daughters of Zelophehad

27 One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. ² These women stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle.^{[u] 3} “Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the Lord; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. ⁴ Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.”

⁵ So Moses brought their case before the Lord. ⁶ And the Lord replied to Moses, ⁷ “The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.

⁸ “And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters. ⁹ And if he has no daughter either, transfer his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Joshua Chosen to Lead Israel

¹² One day the Lord said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river,^[v] and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. ¹³ After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron, ¹⁴ for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh^[w] in the wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵ Then Moses said to the Lord, ¹⁶ “O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. ¹⁷ Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

¹⁸ The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. ¹⁹ Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. ²⁰ Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. ²¹ When direction from the Lord is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim—one of the sacred lots cast before the Lord—to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.”

²² So Moses did as the Lord commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. ²³ Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

The Daily Offerings

28 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me; they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions.

³ “Say to the people: This is the special gift you must present to the Lord as your daily burnt offering. You must offer two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. ⁴ Sacrifice one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening. ⁵ With each lamb you must offer a grain offering of two quarts^[x] of choice flour mixed with one quart^[y] of pure oil of pressed olives. ⁶ This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ⁷ Along with it you must present the proper liquid offering of one quart of alcoholic drink with each lamb, poured out in the Holy Place as an offering to the Lord. ⁸ Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and liquid offering. It, too, is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

The Sabbath Offerings

⁹ “On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. They must be accompanied by a grain offering of four quarts^[z] of choice flour moistened with olive oil, and a liquid offering. ¹⁰ This is the burnt offering to be presented each Sabbath day, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.

The Monthly Offerings

¹¹ “On the first day of each month, present an extra burnt offering to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ¹² These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts^[aa] with each bull, four quarts with the ram, ¹³ and two quarts with each lamb. This burnt offering will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁴ You must also present a liquid offering with each sacrifice: two quarts^[ab] of wine for each bull, a third of a gallon^[ac] for the ram, and one quart^[ad] for each lamb. Present this monthly burnt offering on the first day of each month throughout the year.

¹⁵ “On the first day of each month, you must also offer one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord. This is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.

Offerings for the Passover

¹⁶ “On the fourteenth day of the first month,^[ae] you must celebrate the Lord’s Passover. ¹⁷ On the following day—the fifteenth day of the month—a joyous, seven-day festival will begin, but no bread made with yeast may be eaten. ¹⁸ The first day of the festival will be an official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day. ¹⁹ As a special gift you must present a burnt offering to the Lord—two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ²⁰ These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, ²¹ and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. ²² You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord.^{[af] 23} Present these offerings in addition to your regular morning burnt offering. ²⁴ On each of the seven days of the festival, this is how you must prepare the food offering that is presented as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. These will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and liquid offerings. ²⁵ The seventh day of the festival will be another official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day.

Offerings for the Festival of Harvest

²⁶ “At the Festival of Harvest,^[ag] when you present the first of your new grain to the Lord, you must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. ²⁷ Present a special burnt offering on that day as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs. ²⁸ These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, ²⁹ and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. ³⁰ Also, offer one male goat to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord. ³¹ Prepare these special burnt offerings, along with their liquid offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying grain offering. Be sure that all the animals you sacrifice have no defects.

Offerings for the Festival of Trumpets

29 “Celebrate the Festival of Trumpets each year on the first day of the appointed month in early autumn.^[ah] You must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work. ² On that day you must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ³ These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts^[ai] with the bull, four quarts^[aj] with the ram, ⁴ and two quarts^[ak] with each of the seven lambs. ⁵ In addition, you must sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord.^{[al] 6} These special sacrifices are in addition to your regular monthly and daily burnt offerings, and they must be given with their prescribed grain offerings and liquid offerings. These offerings are given as a special gift to the Lord, a pleasing aroma to him.

Offerings for the Day of Atonement

⁷ “Ten days later, on the tenth day of the same month,^[am] you must call another holy assembly. On that day, the Day of Atonement, the people must go without food and must do no ordinary work. ⁸ You must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ⁹ These offerings must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts of choice flour with the bull, four quarts of choice flour with the ram, ¹⁰ and two quarts of choice flour with each of the seven lambs. ¹¹ You must also sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular daily burnt offering with its grain offering, and their accompanying liquid offerings.

Offerings for the Festival of Shelters

¹² “Five days later, on the fifteenth day of the same month,^[an] you must call another holy assembly of all the people, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. It is the beginning of the Festival of Shelters,^[ao] a seven-day festival to the Lord. ¹³ On the first day of the festival, you must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ¹⁴ Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams, ¹⁵ and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs. ¹⁶ You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

¹⁷ “On the second day of this seven-day festival, sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ¹⁸ Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. ¹⁹ You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

²⁰ “On the third day of the festival, sacrifice eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ²¹ Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. ²² You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

²³ “On the fourth day of the festival, sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ²⁴ Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. ²⁵ You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

²⁶ “On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ²⁷ Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. ²⁸ You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

²⁹ “On the sixth day of the festival, sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ³⁰ Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. ³¹ You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

³² “On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ³³ Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. ³⁴ You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

³⁵ “On the eighth day of the festival, proclaim another holy day. You must do no ordinary work on that day. ³⁶ You must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ³⁷ Each of these offerings must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. ³⁸ You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

³⁹ “You must present these offerings to the Lord at your annual festivals. These are in addition to the sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as voluntary offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, liquid offerings, or peace offerings.”

^40 [ap]So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel as the Lord had commanded him.

Laws concerning Vows

30 ^[aq]Then Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ² A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.

³ “If a young woman makes a vow to the Lord or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father’s home, ⁴ and her father hears of the vow or pledge and does not object to it, then all her vows and pledges will stand. ⁵ But if her father refuses to let her fulfill the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The Lord will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfill them.

⁶ “Now suppose a young woman makes a vow or binds herself with an impulsive pledge and later marries. ⁷ If her husband learns of her vow or pledge and does not object on the day he hears of it, her vows and pledges will stand. ⁸ But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or impulsive pledge on the day he hears of it, he nullifies her commitments, and the Lord will forgive her. ⁹ If, however, a woman is a widow or is divorced, she must fulfill all her vows and pledges.

¹⁰ “But suppose a woman is married and living in her husband’s home when she makes a vow or binds herself with a pledge. ¹¹ If her husband hears of it and does not object to it, her vow or pledge will stand. ¹² But if her husband refuses to accept it on the day he hears of it, her vow or pledge will be nullified, and the Lord will forgive her. ¹³ So her husband may either confirm or nullify any vows or pledges she makes to deny herself. ¹⁴ But if he does not object on the day he hears of it, then he is agreeing to all her vows and pledges. ¹⁵ If he waits more than a day and then tries to nullify a vow or pledge, he will be punished for her guilt.”

¹⁶ These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter who still lives at home.

Conquest of the Midianites

31 Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry. After that, you will die and join your ancestors.”

³ So Moses said to the people, “Choose some men, and arm them to fight the Lord’s war of revenge against Midian. ⁴ From each tribe of Israel, send 1,000 men into battle.” ⁵ So they chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of 12,000 men armed for battle. ⁶ Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge. ⁷ They attacked Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men. ⁸ All five of the Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

⁹ Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder. ¹⁰ They burned all the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived. ¹¹ After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals, ¹² they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. ¹³ Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ But Moses was furious with all the generals and captains^[ar] who had returned from the battle.

¹⁵ “Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded. ¹⁶ “These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the Lord at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the Lord’s people. ¹⁷ So kill all the boys and all the women who have had intercourse with a man. ¹⁸ Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves. ¹⁹ And all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days. ²⁰ Purify all your clothing, too, and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.”

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, “The Lord has given Moses this legal requirement: ²² Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead— ²³ that is, all metals that do not burn—must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone. ²⁴ On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp.”

Division of the Plunder

²⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, ²⁶ “You and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders of each tribe are to make a list of all the plunder taken in the battle, including the people and animals. ²⁷ Then divide the plunder into two parts, and give half to the men who fought the battle and half to the rest of the people. ²⁸ From the army’s portion, first give the Lord his share of the plunder—one of every 500 of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. ²⁹ Give this share of the army’s half to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the Lord. ³⁰ From the half that belongs to the people of Israel, take one of every fifty of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and other animals. Give this share to the Levites, who are in charge of maintaining the Lord’s Tabernacle.” ³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

³² The plunder remaining from everything the fighting men had taken totaled 675,000 sheep and goats, ³³ 72,000 cattle, ³⁴ 61,000 donkeys, ³⁵ and 32,000 virgin girls.

³⁶ Half of the plunder was given to the fighting men. It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats, ³⁷ of which 675 were the Lord’s share; ³⁸ 36,000 cattle, of which 72 were the Lord’s share; ³⁹ 30,500 donkeys, of which 61 were the Lord’s share; ⁴⁰ and 16,000 virgin girls, of whom 32 were the Lord’s share. ⁴¹ Moses gave all the Lord’s share to Eleazar the priest, just as the Lord had directed him.

⁴² Half of the plunder belonged to the people of Israel, and Moses separated it from the half belonging to the fighting men. ⁴³ It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats, ⁴⁴ 36,000 cattle, ⁴⁵ 30,500 donkeys, ⁴⁶ and 16,000 virgin girls. ⁴⁷ From the half-share given to the people, Moses took one of every fifty prisoners and animals and gave them to the Levites, who maintained the Lord’s Tabernacle. All this was done as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁴⁸ Then all the generals and captains came to Moses ⁴⁹ and said, “We, your servants, have accounted for all the men who went out to battle under our command; not one of us is missing! ⁵⁰ So we are presenting the items of gold we captured as an offering to the Lord from our share of the plunder—armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This will purify our lives before the Lord and make us right with him.^[as]”

⁵¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from all the military commanders—all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects. ⁵² In all, the gold that the generals and captains presented as a gift to the Lord weighed about 420 pounds.^{[at] 53} All the fighting men had taken some of the plunder for themselves. ⁵⁴ So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gifts from the generals and captains and brought the gold to the Tabernacle^[au] as a reminder to the Lord that the people of Israel belong to him.

The Tribes East of the Jordan

32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds, ² they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said, ³ “Notice the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah,^[av] Nebo, and Beon. ⁴ The Lord has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock. ⁵ If we have found favor with you, please let us have this land as our property instead of giving us land across the Jordan River.”

⁶ “Do you intend to stay here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?” Moses asked the men of Gad and Reuben. ⁷ “Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the Lord has given them? ⁸ Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. ⁹ After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the Lord was giving them. ¹⁰ Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed, ¹¹ ‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. ¹² The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’

¹³ “The Lord was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the Lord’s sight had died. ¹⁴ But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the Lord even angrier with Israel. ¹⁵ If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!”

¹⁶ But they approached Moses and said, “We simply want to build pens for our livestock and fortified towns for our wives and children. ¹⁷ Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their land. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified towns we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their portions of land. ¹⁹ But we do not claim any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side and accept this as our grant of land.”

²⁰ Then Moses said, “If you keep your word and arm yourselves for the Lord’s battles, ²¹ and if your troops cross the Jordan and keep fighting until the Lord has driven out his enemies, ²² then you may return when the Lord has conquered the land. You will have fulfilled your duty to the Lord and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the east side of the Jordan will be your property from the Lord. ²³ But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. ²⁴ Go ahead and build towns for your families and pens for your flocks, but do everything you have promised.”

²⁵ Then the men of Gad and Reuben replied, “We, your servants, will follow your instructions exactly. ²⁶ Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle will stay here in the towns of Gilead. ²⁷ But all who are able to bear arms will cross over to fight for the Lord, just as you have said.”

²⁸ So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the clans of Israel. ²⁹ He said, “The men of Gad and Reuben who are armed for battle must cross the Jordan with you to fight for the Lord. If they do, give them the land of Gilead as their property when the land is conquered. ³⁰ But if they refuse to arm themselves and cross over with you, then they must accept land with the rest of you in the land of Canaan.”

³¹ The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, “We are your servants, and we will do as the Lord has commanded! ³² We will cross the Jordan into Canaan fully armed to fight for the Lord, but our property will be here on this side of the Jordan.”

³³ So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph. He gave them the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and the land of King Og of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and surrounding lands.

³⁴ The descendants of Gad built the towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran. These were all fortified towns with pens for their flocks.

³⁷ The descendants of Reuben built the towns of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸ Nebo, Baal-meon, and Sibmah. They changed the names of some of the towns they conquered and rebuilt.

³⁹ Then the descendants of Makir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and they drove out the Amorites living there. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. ⁴¹ The people of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, captured many of the towns in Gilead and changed the name of that region to the Towns of Jair.^{[aw] 42} Meanwhile, a man named Nobah captured the town of Kenath and its surrounding villages, and he renamed that area Nobah after himself.

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^[ax]—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^[ay] and crossed the Red Sea^[az] 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.^[ba]

¹¹ They left the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.^[bb]

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^[bc] 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^[bd] 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,^[be] 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^[bf] 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.”

Boundaries of the Land

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Give these instructions to the Israelites: When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries. ³ The southern portion of your country will extend from the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin on the east at the Dead Sea.^{[bg] 4} It will then run south past Scorpion Pass^[bh] in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazar-addar, and on to Azmon. ⁵ From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the Brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.^[bi]

⁶ “Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

⁷ “Your northern boundary will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and run east to Mount Hor, ⁸ then to Lebo-hamath, and on through Zedad ⁹ and Ziphron to Hazar-enan. This will be your northern boundary.

¹⁰ “The eastern boundary will start at Hazar-enan and run south to Shepham, ¹¹ then down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there the boundary will run down along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee,^{[bj] 12} and then along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. These are the boundaries of your land.”

¹³ Then Moses told the Israelites, “This territory is the homeland you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The Lord has commanded that the land be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes. ¹⁴ The families of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received their grants of land ¹⁵ on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho toward the sunrise.”

Leaders to Divide the Land

¹⁶ And the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun are the men designated to divide the grants of land among the people. ¹⁸ Enlist one leader from each tribe to help them with the task. ¹⁹ These are the tribes and the names of the leaders:

Tribe	Leader
Judah	Caleb son of Jephunneh
20 Simeon	Shemuel son of Ammihud
21 Benjamin	Elidad son of Kislon
22 Dan	Bukki son of Jogli
23 Manasseh son of Joseph	Hanniel son of Ephod
24 Ephraim son of Joseph	Kemuel son of Shiphtan
25 Zebulun	Elizaphan son of Parnach
26 Issachar	Paltiel son of Azzan
27 Asher	Ahihud son of Shelomi
28 Naphtali	Pedahel son of Ammihud

²⁹ These are the men the Lord has appointed to divide the grants of land in Canaan among the Israelites.”

Towns for the Levites

35 While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands. ³ These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock. ⁴ The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet^[bk] from the town walls in every direction. ⁵ Measure off 3,000 feet^[bl] outside the town walls in every direction—east, south, west, north—with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns.

⁶ “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. ⁷ In all, forty-eight towns with the surrounding pastureland will be given to the Levites. ⁸ These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give property in proportion to the size of its land.”

Cities of Refuge

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.

“When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ¹¹ designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally. ¹² These cities will be places of protection from a dead person’s relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be put to death before being tried by the community. ¹³ Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves, ¹⁴ three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan. ¹⁵ These cities are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.

¹⁶ “But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed. ¹⁷ Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death. ¹⁹ The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death. ²⁰ So if someone hates another person and waits in ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder. ²¹ Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.

²² “But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person, ²³ or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies. ²⁴ If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative: ²⁵ The community must protect the slayer from the avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge to which he fled. There he must remain until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the sacred oil.

²⁶ “But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge, ²⁷ and the avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder. ²⁸ The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property. ²⁹ These are legal requirements for you to observe from generation to generation, wherever you may live.

³⁰ “All murderers must be put to death, but only if evidence is presented by more than one witness. No one may be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. ³¹ Also, you must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution; murderers must always be put to death. ³² And never accept a ransom payment from someone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing a slayer to return to his property before the death of the high priest. ³³ This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder.^{[bm] 34} You must not defile the land where you live, for I live there myself. I am the Lord, who lives among the people of Israel.”

Women Who Inherit Property

36 Then the heads of the clans of Gilead—descendants of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph—came to Moses and the family leaders of Israel with a petition. ² They said, “Sir, the Lord instructed you to divide the land by sacred lot among the people of Israel. You were told by the Lord to give the grant of land owned by our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. ³ But if they marry men from another tribe, their grants of land will go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way, the total area of our tribal land will be reduced. ⁴ Then when the Year of Jubilee comes, their portion of land will be added to that of the new tribe, causing it to be lost forever to our ancestral tribe.”

⁵ So Moses gave the Israelites this command from the Lord: “The claim of the men of the tribe of Joseph is legitimate. ⁶ This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: Let them marry anyone they like, as long as it is within their own ancestral tribe. ⁷ None of the territorial land may pass from tribe to tribe, for all the land given to each tribe must remain within the tribe to which it was first allotted. ⁸ The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe, so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property. ⁹ No grant of land may pass from one tribe to another; each tribe of Israel must keep its allotted portion of land.”

¹⁰ The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹ Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah all married cousins on their father’s side. ¹² They married into the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. Thus, their inheritance of land remained within their ancestral tribe.

¹³ These are the commands and regulations that the Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.