Numbers 33
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 33
Stages of the Journey. 1 The following are the stages by which the Israelites went out by companies from the land of Egypt under the guidance of Moses and Aaron.[a] 2 Moses recorded the starting points of the various stages at the direction of the Lord. These are the stages according to their starting points: 3 They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover the Israelites went forth in triumph, in view of all Egypt, 4 while the Egyptians buried those whom the Lord had struck down, every firstborn; on their gods, too, the Lord executed judgments.(A)
From Egypt to Sinai. 5 Setting out from Rameses, the Israelites camped at Succoth. 6 Setting out from Succoth, they camped at Etham near the edge of the wilderness. 7 Setting out from Etham, they turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped opposite Migdol.(B) 8 Setting out from Pi-hahiroth, they crossed over through the sea into the wilderness,(C) and after they traveled a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, they camped at Marah. 9 Setting out from Marah, they came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.(D) 10 Setting out from Elim, they camped beside the Red Sea. 11 Setting out from the Red Sea, they camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 Setting out from the wilderness of Sin, they camped at Dophkah. 13 Setting out from Dophkah, they camped at Alush. 14 Setting out from Alush, they camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.(E) 15 Setting out from Rephidim, they camped in the wilderness of Sinai.(F)
From Sinai to Kadesh. 16 Setting out from the wilderness of Sinai, they camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 Setting out from Kibroth-hattaavah, they camped at Hazeroth.(G) 18 Setting out from Hazeroth, they camped at Rithmah. 19 Setting out from Rithmah, they camped at Rimmon-perez. 20 Setting out from Rimmon-perez, they camped at Libnah. 21 Setting out from Libnah, they camped at Rissah. 22 Setting out from Rissah, they camped at Kehelathah. 23 Setting out from Kehelathah, they camped at Mount Shepher. 24 Setting out from Mount Shepher, they camped at Haradah. 25 Setting out from Haradah, they camped at Makheloth. 26 Setting out from Makheloth, they camped at Tahath. 27 Setting out from Tahath, they camped at Terah. 28 Setting out from Terah, they camped at Mithkah. 29 Setting out from Mithkah, they camped at Hashmonah. 30 [b]Setting out from Hashmonah, they camped at Moseroth. 31 Setting out from Moseroth, they camped at Bene-jaakan. 32 Setting out from Bene-jaakan, they camped at Mount Gidgad. 33 Setting out from Mount Gidgad, they camped at Jotbathah. 34 Setting out from Jotbathah, they camped at Abronah. 35 Setting out from Abronah, they camped at Ezion-geber.[c] 36 Setting out from Ezion-geber, they camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is, Kadesh.(H)
From Kadesh to the Plains of Moab. 37 Setting out from Kadesh, they camped at Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom.
38 Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor(I) at the Lord’s direction, and there he died in the fortieth year after the departure of the Israelites from the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 [d]When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who ruled over the Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming….
41 [e]Setting out from Mount Hor, they camped at Zalmonah. 42 Setting out from Zalmonah, they camped at Punon. 43 Setting out from Punon, they camped at Oboth. 44 Setting out from Oboth, they camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab. 45 Setting out from Iye-abarim, they camped at Dibon-gad. 46 Setting out from Dibon-gad, they camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47 Setting out from Almon-diblathaim, they camped in the Abarim range opposite Nebo. 48 Setting out from the Abarim range, they camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan on the plains of Moab extended from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.
Conquest and Division of Canaan. 50 The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho: 51 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you go across the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 dispossess all the inhabitants of the land before you; destroy all their stone figures, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.(J)
53 You will take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 54 You will apportion the land among yourselves by lot, clan by clan, assigning a large heritage to a large clan and a small heritage to a small clan.(K) Wherever anyone’s lot falls, there will his possession be; you will apportion these shares within your ancestral tribe.
55 But if you do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land before you, those whom you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land where you live,(L) 56 and I will treat you as I had intended to treat them.
Footnotes
- 33:1–3 According to v. 2, this list of camping sites was drawn up by Moses as an itinerary recording Israel’s trek through the wilderness. Comparison with the more detailed accounts of the journey as given elsewhere suggests that the list is not necessarily comprehensive. It records just forty camping sites, not counting the starting place, Rameses, and the terminus, the plains of Moab. This number, which corresponds exactly to the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, is probably a schematic device. Moreover, it seems that in its present form the order of some of the names here has been disturbed. Several names listed here are not recorded elsewhere.
- 33:30–36 Moseroth is mentioned in Dt 10:6 (in the form of “Moserah”) as the place where Aaron died, apparently a variant of the tradition here in v. 38 regarding the place of Aaron’s death; so also Nm 20:22–24 and Dt 32:50. Perhaps Moseroth was close to Mount Hor.
- 33:35 Ezion-geber: Solomon conducted sea trade with Ophir from this port (1 Kgs 9:26), today probably identified on the northern coast of the Gulf of Elath between the Jordanian city of Aqabah and the Israeli city of Elath.
- 33:40 The verse repeats almost verbatim the same introduction to the account of the victory over Arad as is given in 21:1–3, where it also follows the account of Aaron’s death. Perhaps the isolated verse here is intended by the editor(s) of Numbers to point the reader to the fuller account given there.
- 33:41b–49 It seems that this section stood originally immediately after v. 36a.
Numbers 33
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
33 These are the stages of the journeys of the Israelites by which they went out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.
2 Moses recorded their starting places, as the Lord commanded, stage by stage; and these are their journeying stages from their starting places:
3 They set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the Israelites went out [of Egypt] with a high hand and triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians,
4 While the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the Lord had struck down among them; upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments.
5 The Israelites set out from Rameses and encamped in Succoth.
6 And they departed from Succoth and encamped in Etham, which is at the edge of the wilderness.
7 They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, east of Baal-zephon, and they encamped before Migdol.
8 And they journeyed from before Pi-hahiroth and passed through the midst of the [Red] Sea into the wilderness; and they went a three days’ journey in the Wilderness of Etham and encamped at Marah.
9 They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there.
10 They set out from Elim and encamped by the Red Sea.
11 They journeyed from the Red Sea and encamped in the Wilderness of Sin.
12 And they traveled on from the Wilderness of Sin and encamped at Dophkah.
13 And they departed from Dophkah and encamped at Alush.
14 And they set out from Alush and encamped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
15 And they departed from Rephidim and encamped in the Wilderness of Sinai.
16 And they journeyed from the Wilderness of Sinai and encamped at Kibroth-hattaavah.
17 And they traveled on from Kibroth-hattaavah and encamped at Hazeroth.
18 And they journeyed from Hazeroth and encamped at Rithmah.
19 And they departed from Rithmah and encamped at Rimmon-perez.
20 And they departed from Rimmon-perez and encamped at Libnah.
21 And they removed from Libnah and encamped at Rissah.
22 And they journeyed from Rissah and encamped at Kehelathah.
23 And they went from Kehelathah and encamped at Mount Shepher.
24 And they removed from Mount Shepher and encamped at Haradah.
25 And they set out from Haradah and encamped at Makheloth.
26 And they removed from Makheloth and encamped at Tahath.
27 And they departed from Tahath and encamped at Terah.
28 And they removed from Terah and encamped at Mithkah.
29 And they set out from Mithkah and encamped at Hashmonah.
30 And they traveled on from Hashmonah and encamped at Moseroth.
31 And they journeyed from Moseroth and pitched in Bene-jaakan.
32 And they set out from Bene-jaakan and encamped at Hor-haggidgad.
33 And they set out from Hor-haggidgad and encamped at Jotbathah.
34 And they journeyed from Jotbathah and encamped at Abronah.
35 And they traveled on from Abronah and encamped at Ezion-geber.
36 And they removed from Ezion-geber and encamped in the Wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.
37 And they removed from Kadesh and encamped at Mount Hor, on the edge of Edom.
38 Aaron the priest went up on Mount Hor at the command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, the first day of the fifth month.(A)
39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the South (the Negeb) in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the Israelites.
41 They set out from Mount Hor and encamped at Zalmonah.
42 And they set out from Zalmonah and encamped at Punon.
43 And they set out from Punon and encamped at Oboth.
44 And they traveled on from Oboth and encamped at Iye-abarim, on the border of Moab.
45 And they departed from Iyim and encamped at Dibon-gad.
46 And they set out from Dibon-gad and encamped in Almon-diblathaim.
47 And they traveled on from Almon-diblathaim and encamped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.
48 And they departed from the mountains of Abarim and encamped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
49 And they encamped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.
50 And the Lord said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho,
51 Tell the Israelites, When you have passed over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
52 Then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you and destroy all their figured stones and all their molten images and completely demolish all their [idolatrous] high places,
53 And you shall take possession of the land and dwell in it, for to you I have given the land to possess it.
54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the large tribe you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the small tribe you shall give a smaller inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit.
55 But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them shall be as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall vex you in the land in which you dwell.
56 And as I thought to do to them, so will I do to you.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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