Seventy Elders Prophesying

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people Adonai’s words. He gathered 70 of the elders of the people and had them stand around the Tent. ²⁵ Adonai descended in the cloud and spoke with him. He took some of the Ruach that was on him and placed it on each of the 70 elders. It so happened that when the Ruach first rested on them, they prophesied—but never again.

²⁶ Two men, however, had remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad and the name of the other was Medad. The Ruach rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the Tent. So they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

²⁸ Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses since his youth, cried out and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”

²⁹ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous on my behalf? If only Adonai would make all the people prophets! If only Adonai would put the Spirit on all of them!”

³⁰ Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Quails From the Sea

³¹ Now a wind went out from Adonai and drove quails from the sea. He brought them into the camp to about a day’s journey in any direction, about two cubits above the ground all around the camp. ³² The people went out all that night and all the following day and collected quail. No one gathered less than ten omers. They spread them out all around the camp.

³³ Yet while the meat was between their teeth, before it was swallowed, Adonai’s anger burned against the people. So Adonai struck the people with a severe plague. ³⁴ For that reason the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah^[a], because they buried the people who were craving.

³⁵ From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth and stayed in Hazeroth.

Miriam and Aaron Speak Against Moses

12 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on account of the Cushite woman he married, because he had married a Cushite woman. ² They asked, “Has Adonai spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He also spoken through us?”

Adonai heard it.

³ Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone on the face of the earth.

⁴ Immediately, Adonai said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “The three of you, come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three came out. ⁵ Adonai descended in a column of cloud, stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and called to Aaron and Miriam. The two of them stepped forward.

⁶ “Hear now My words!” He said. “When there is a prophet of Adonai, I reveal Myself in a vision, I speak to him in a dream. ⁷ Not so with My servant Moses. In all My house, he is faithful. ^{[b] 8} I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles. He even looks at the form of Adonai! Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

⁹ Adonai’s anger burned against them, and He left them. ¹⁰ When the cloud lifted up from above the Tent, behold, Miriam had tza’arat, like snow! As Aaron turned toward her, behold, she had tza’arat! ¹¹ He said to Moses, “Please, my lord, don’t hold against us the sin we have committed so foolishly! ¹² Don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, who comes from his mother’s womb with his flesh half-eaten away!”

¹³ So Moses cried to Adonai saying, “O God, heal her now!”

¹⁴ Adonai said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be in shame for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days. After that she may be brought back.”

¹⁵ So Miriam was restricted to outside the camp for seven days. The people did not move on until Miriam was brought back. ¹⁶ Afterward, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Parashat Shlach

Twelve Scouts and the Bad Report

13 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “Send some men on your behalf to investigate the land of Canaan, which I am giving to Bnei-Yisrael. Each man you are to send will be a prince of the tribe of his fathers, a man from each tribe.”

³ So according to the word of Adonai, Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran. All the men were princes of Bnei-Yisrael. ⁴ These are their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur. ⁵ From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori. ⁶ From the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh. ⁷ From the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph. ⁸ From the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun. ⁹ From the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu. ¹⁰ From the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi. ¹¹ From the tribe of Manasseh, part of the tribe of Joseph, Gaddi son of Susi. ¹² From the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli. ¹³ From the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael. ¹⁴ From the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi. ¹⁵ From the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.

¹⁶ These are the names of the men Moses sent to investigate the land. (Now he gave Hoshea son of Nun, the name Joshua.) ¹⁷ As he sent them to explore the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there through the Negev, then go up into the hill country. ¹⁸ See what the land is like and the people living there, whether they might be strong or weak, few or many. ¹⁹ In what kind of land are they living? Is it good or bad? Also, what about the cities in which they are living? Are they unwalled or do they have fortifications? ²⁰ How is the soil—fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

²¹ So they went up and explored the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob the entrance of Hamath. ²² They continued on up through the Negev and came to Hebron. There lived Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

²³ When they reached as far as the Valley of Eshcol, they cut a single branch with a cluster of grapes. It was carried on a pole between two of them. They also cut some pomegranates and some figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster cut by Bnei-Yisrael. ²⁵ They returned from investigating the land after 40 days.

²⁶ They traveled and returned to Moses, Aaron and the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They gave their report to them and the entire assembly. They showed the land’s fruit. ²⁷ They gave their account to him and said, “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey—this is some of its fruit. ²⁸ Except, the people living in the land are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw the sons of Anak there! ²⁹ Amalek is living in the land of the Negev, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are living in the mountains, and the Canaanites are living near the sea and along the bank of the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “We should definitely go up and capture the land, for we can certainly do it!”

³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “We cannot attack these people, because they are stronger than we.” ³² They spread among Bnei-Yisrael a bad report about the land they had explored, saying, “The land through which we passed to explore devours its residents. All the people we saw there are men of great size! ³³ We also saw there the Nephilim. (The sons of Anak are from the Nephilim.) We seemed like grasshoppers in our eyes as well as theirs!”

²² And while they were eating, He took matzah;^[a] and after He offered the bracha, He broke it and gave it to them and said, “Take; this is My body.” ²³ And He took a cup; and after giving thanks, He gave to them and they all drank from it. ²⁴ And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. ^{[b] 25} Amen, I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”

Denial Predicted

²⁶ After singing the Hallel,^[c] they went out to the Mount of Olives. ²⁷ And Yeshua said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written,

²⁸ But after I’m raised up, I will go before you to the Galilee.”

²⁹ Peter said to Him, “Even though all fall away, I won’t!”

³⁰ And Yeshua said to him, “Amen, I tell you, today—this very night—before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”

³¹ But Peter kept insisting exceedingly, “Even if I must die with You, I’ll never deny You!” And they all were saying the same.

A Night of Painful Prayer

³² Then they come to a place whose name is Gethsemane; and Yeshua says to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ He takes with Him Peter, Jacob, and John; and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴ And He tells them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”

³⁵ Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and began praying that if possible this hour might pass Him by. ³⁶ And He was saying, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You! Take this cup from Me! Yet not what I will, but what You will.”

³⁷ Then He comes and finds them sleeping; and He tells Peter, “Simon, you’re asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? ³⁸ Keep watching and praying, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹ Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. ⁴⁰ And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy. They didn’t know what to answer Him. ⁴¹ And He comes the third time and says to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Get up, let’s go! Look, My betrayer is near.”

Betrayed and Abandoned

⁴³ Right away, while Yeshua was still speaking, Judah comes up, one of the Twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the ruling kohanim, Torah scholars, and elders. ⁴⁴ Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “The One I kiss, He’s the One! Seize Him and lead Him away under guard.”

⁴⁵ As soon as Judah came, he drew near^[e] to Yeshua and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁴⁶ Then they threw their hands on Yeshua and seized Him. ⁴⁷ But one of the bystanders, drawing his sword, struck the servant of the kohen gadol and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸ Yeshua said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, to capture Me as you would against a revolutionary? ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you in the Temple teaching, and you didn’t seize Me. But this is so that the Scriptures^[f] would be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰ And all fled, abandoning Him. ^{[g] 51} A certain young man was following Him, with nothing but a linen cloth around his body, and they grabbed him. ⁵² But he ran away naked, leaving behind the linen cloth.

Treacherous Tongue!

Psalm 52

Integrity of Scales and Soul