Numbers 33
Contemporary English Version
Israel's Journey from Egypt to Moab
33 As Israel traveled from Egypt under the command of Moses and Aaron, 2 Moses kept a list of the places they camped, just as the Lord had instructed. Here is the record of their journey:
3-4 Israel left the Egyptian city of Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month.[a] This was the day after the Lord had punished Egypt's gods by killing the first-born sons in every Egyptian family. So while the Egyptians were burying the bodies, they watched the Israelites proudly[b] leave their country.
5 After the Israelites left Rameses, they camped at Succoth, 6 and from there, they moved their camp to Etham on the edge of the desert. 7 Then they turned back toward Pi-Hahiroth, east of Baal-Zephon, and camped near Migdol. 8 They left Pi-Hahiroth,[c] crossed the Red Sea,[d] then walked three days into the Etham Desert and camped at Marah. 9 Next, they camped at Elim, where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. 10 They left Elim and camped near the Red Sea,[e] 11 then turned east and camped along the western edge of the Sinai Desert.[f] 12-14 From there they went to Dophkah, Alush, and Rephidim, where they had no water.[g] 15 They left Rephidim and finally reached the Sinai Desert.
16-36 As Israel traveled from the Sinai Desert to Kadesh in the Zin Desert, they camped at Kibroth-Hattaavah, Hazeroth, Rithmah, Rimmon-Perez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, Mount Shepher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Terah, Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene-Jaakan, Hor-Haggidgad, Jotbathah, Abronah, Ezion-Geber, and finally Kadesh. 37 When they left Kadesh, they came to Mount Hor, on the border of Edom.
38 (A) That's where the Lord commanded Aaron the priest to go to the top of the mountain. Aaron died there on the first day of the fifth month,[h] 40 years after the Israelites left Egypt. 39 He was 123 years old at the time.
40 (B) It was then that the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Southern Desert of Canaan, heard that Israel was headed that way.
41-47 The Israelites left Mount Hor and headed toward Moab. Along the way, they camped at Zalmonah, Punon, Oboth, Iye-Abarim in the territory of Moab, Dibon-Gad, Almon-Diblathaim, at a place near Mount Nebo in the Abarim Mountains, 48 and finally in the lowlands of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. 49 Their camp stretched from Beth-Jeshimoth to Acacia.
The Lord's Command To Conquer Canaan
50 While Israel was camped in the lowlands of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, the Lord told Moses 51 to give the people of Israel this message:
When you cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan, 52 you must force out the people living there. Destroy their idols and tear down their altars. 53 Then settle in the land—I have given it to you as your own.
54 (C) I will show you[i] how to divide the land among the tribes, according to the number of clans in each one, so that the larger tribes will have more land than the smaller ones.
55 If you don't force out all the people there, they will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your back. They will always be trouble for you, 56 and I will treat you as severely as I planned on treating them.
Footnotes
- 33.3,4 first month: See the note at 9.3.
- 33.3,4 proudly: Or “bravely.”
- 33.8 Pi-Hahiroth: Two ancient translations and the Samaritan Hebrew Text; the Standard Hebrew Text “a place near Hahiroth.”
- 33.8 Red Sea: Hebrew hayyam, “the Sea,” understood as yam suph, “Sea of Reeds” (see also the note at Exodus 13.18).
- 33.10 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Suez, since the term is extended to include the northwestern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at Exodus 13.18).
- 33.11 the western edge of the Sinai Desert: Hebrew “the Sin Desert.”
- 33.12-14 Rephidim … no water: See Exodus 17.1-7.
- 33.38 fifth month: Ab, the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-July to mid-August.
- 33.54 I will show you: See the note at 26.55,56.
Numbers 33
The Message
Campsites from Rameses to Jordan-Jericho
33 1-2 These are the camping sites in the journey of the People of Israel after they left Egypt, deployed militarily under the command of Moses and Aaron. Under God’s instruction Moses kept a log of every time they moved, camp by camp:
3-4 They marched out of Rameses the day after the Passover. It was the fifteenth day of the first month. They marched out heads high and confident. The Egyptians, busy burying their firstborn whom God had killed, watched them go. God had exposed the nonsense of their gods.
5-36 The People of Israel:
left Rameses and camped at Succoth;
left Succoth and camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness;
left Etham, circled back to Pi Hahiroth east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol;
left Pi Hahiroth and crossed through the Sea into the wilderness; three days into the Wilderness of Etham they camped at Marah;
left Marah and came to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees; they camped there;
left Elim and camped by the Red Sea;
left the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin;
left the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah;
left Dophkah and camped at Alush;
left Alush and camped at Rephidim where there was no water for the people to drink;
left Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai;
left the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah;
left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth;
left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah;
left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez;
left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah;
left Libnah and camped at Rissah;
left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah;
left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher;
left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah;
left Haradah and camped at Makheloth;
left Makheloth and camped at Tahath;
left Tahath and camped at Terah;
left Terah and camped at Mithcah;
left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah;
left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth;
left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan;
left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad;
left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah;
left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah;
left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber;
left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.
37-39 After they left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor at the border of Edom, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor at God’s command and died there. It was the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the People of Israel had left Egypt. Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
* * *
40 The Canaanite king of Arad—he ruled in the Negev of Canaan—heard that the People of Israel had arrived.
41-47 They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah;
left Zalmonah and camped at Punon;
left Punon and camped at Oboth;
left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim on the border of Moab;
left Iyim and camped at Dibon Gad;
left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim;
left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim (Across-the-River), within sight of Nebo.
48-49 After they left the mountains of Abarim they camped on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho. On the Plains of Moab their camp stretched along the banks of the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim (Acacia Meadow).
50-53 God spoke to Moses on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho: “Tell the People of Israel, When you cross the Jordan into the country of Canaan, drive out the native population before you, destroy their carved idols, destroy their cast images, level their worship-mounds so that you take over the land and make yourself at home in it; I’ve given it to you. It’s yours.
54 “Divide up the land by lot according to the size of your clans: Large clans will get large tracts of land, small clans will get smaller tracts of land. However the lot falls, that’s it. Divide it up according to your ancestral tribes.
55-56 “But if you don’t drive out the native population, everyone you let stay there will become a cinder in your eye and a splinter in your foot. They’ll give you endless trouble right in your own backyards. And I’ll start treating you the way I planned to treat them.”
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson