Bible in 90 Days
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks[a] at it, he will live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole, so that if a snake had bitten someone, when he looked at the bronze snake he lived.[b]
The Approach to Moab
10 [c] The Israelites traveled on and camped in Oboth. 11 Then they traveled on from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim,[d] in the wilderness that is before Moab on the eastern side.[e] 12 From there they moved on and camped in the valley of Zered. 13 From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends from the regions[f] of the Amorites, for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 This is why it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
“Waheb in Suphah[g] and the wadis,
the Arnon 15 and the slope of the valleys[h]
that extends to the dwelling of Ar,[i]
and falls off at the border of Moab.”
16 And from there they traveled[j] to Beer;[k] that is the well where the Lord spoke to Moses, “Gather the people and I will give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang[l] this song:
“Spring up, O well, sing to it!
18 The well which the princes[m] dug,
which the leaders of the people opened
with their scepters and their staffs.”
And from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah; 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; 20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab, near the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the wastelands.[n]
The Victory over Sihon and Og
21 [o] Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites, saying,[p]
22 “Let us[q] pass through your land;[r] we will not turn aside into the fields or into the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well, but we will go along the King’s Highway until we pass your borders.” 23 But Sihon did not permit Israel to pass through his border; he[s] gathered all his forces[t] together and went out against Israel into the wilderness. When[u] he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. 24 But the Israelites[v] defeated him in battle[w] and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strongly defended. 25 So Israel took all these cities; and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.[x] 26 For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites. Now he had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land from his control,[y] as far as the Arnon. 27 That is why those who speak in proverbs[z] say,
“Come to Heshbon, let it be built.
Let the city of Sihon be established![aa]
28 For fire went out from Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon.
It has consumed Ar of Moab
and the lords[ab] of the high places of Arnon.
29 Woe to you, Moab.
You are ruined, O people of Chemosh![ac]
He has made his sons fugitives,
and his daughters the prisoners of King Sihon of the Amorites.
30 We have overpowered them;[ad]
Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon.
We have shattered them as far as Nophah,
which[ae] reaches to Medeba.”
31 So the Israelites[af] lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent spies to reconnoiter[ag] Jazer, and they captured its villages[ah] and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
33 Then they turned and went up by the road to Bashan. And King Og of Bashan and all his forces[ai] marched out against them to do battle at Edrei. 34 And the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand. You will do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated Og,[aj] his sons, and all his people, until there were no survivors,[ak] and they possessed his land.
Balaam Refuses to Curse Israel
22 [al] The Israelites traveled on[am] and camped in the rift valley plains[an] of Moab on the side of the Jordan River[ao] across from Jericho. 2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that the Israelites had done to the Amorites. 3 And the Moabites were greatly afraid of the people, because they were so numerous. The Moabites were sick with fear because of the Israelites.
4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “Now this mass of people[ap] will lick up everything around us, as the bull devours the grass of the field.” Now Balak son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at this time. 5 And he sent messengers to Balaam[aq] son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates River[ar] in the land of Amaw,[as] to summon him, saying, “Look, a nation has come out of Egypt. They cover the face[at] of the earth, and they are settling next to me. 6 So[au] now, please come and curse this nation[av] for me, for they are too powerful for me. Perhaps I will prevail so that we may conquer them[aw] and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed,[ax] and whoever you curse is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hands. They came to Balaam and reported[ay] to him the words of Balak. 8 He replied to them, “Stay[az] here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a nation has come out[ba] of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Come now and put a curse on them for me; perhaps I will be able to defeat them[bb] and drive them out.’”[bc] 12 But God said to Balaam, “You must not go with them; you must not curse the people,[bd] for they are blessed.”[be]
13 So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land,[bf] for the Lord has refused to permit me to go[bg] with you.” 14 So the princes of Moab departed[bh] and went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Balaam Accompanies the Moabite Princes
15 Balak again sent princes,[bi] more numerous and more distinguished than the first.[bj] 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor: ‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming[bk] to me. 17 For I will honor you greatly,[bl] and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.’”
18 Balaam replied[bm] to the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment[bn] of the Lord my God[bo] to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please stay[bp] the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me.”[bq] 20 God came to Balaam that night, and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them, but the word that I will say to you, that you must do.” 21 So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
God Opposes Balaam
22 Then God’s anger was kindled[br] because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose[bs] him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with[bt] his sword drawn in his hand, so the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. But Balaam beat the donkey, to make her turn back to the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a path[bu] among the vineyards, where there was a wall on either side.[bv] 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself into the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he beat her again.[bw]
26 Then the angel of the Lord went farther, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. Then Balaam was angry, and he beat his donkey with a staff.
28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “You have made me look stupid; I wish[bx] there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now.” 30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey that you have ridden ever since I was yours until this day? Have I ever attempted[by] to treat you this way?”[bz] And he said, “No.” 31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; so he bowed his head and threw himself down with his face to the ground.[ca] 32 The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you because what you are doing[cb] is perverse before me.[cc] 33 The donkey saw me and turned from me these three times. If[cd] she had not turned from me, I would have killed you but saved her alive.” 34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood against me in the road.[ce] So now, if it is evil in your sight,[cf] I will go back home.”[cg] 35 But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you may only speak[ch] the word that I will speak to you.”[ci] So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Balaam Meets Balak
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at a city of Moab that was on the border of the Arnon at the boundary of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send again and again[cj] to you to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?”[ck] 38 Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you. Now, am I able[cl] to speak[cm] just anything? I must speak[cn] only the word that God puts in my mouth.” 39 So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed bulls and sheep, and sent some[co] to Balaam, and to the princes who were with him. 41 Then on the next morning Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to Bamoth Baal.[cp] From there he saw the extent of the nation.
Balaam Blesses Israel
23 [cq] Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 So Balak did just as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam then offered on each[cr] altar a bull and a ram. 3 Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself[cs] by your burnt offering, and I will go off; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me[ct] I will tell you.”[cu] Then he went to a deserted height.[cv]
4 Then God met Balaam, who[cw] said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 5 Then the Lord put a message[cx] in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.”[cy]
6 So he returned to him, and he was still[cz] standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam[da] uttered[db] his oracle, saying,
“Balak, the king of Moab, brought me[dc] from Aram,
out of the mountains of the east, saying,
‘Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’[dd]
8 How[de] can I curse[df] one whom God has not cursed,
or how can I denounce one whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see them;[dg]
from the hills I watch them.[dh]
Indeed, a nation that lives alone,
and it will not be reckoned[di] among the nations.
10 Who[dj] can count[dk] the dust[dl] of Jacob,
or number[dm] the fourth part of Israel?
Let me[dn] die the death of the upright,[do]
and let the end of my life[dp] be like theirs.”[dq]
Balaam Relocates
11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary[dr] you have only blessed them!”[ds] 12 Balaam replied,[dt] “Must I not be careful[du] to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”[dv] 13 Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there.”
14 So Balak brought Balaam[dw] to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah,[dx] where[dy] he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And Balaam[dz] said to Balak, “Station yourself here[ea] by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there.” 16 Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message[eb] in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” 17 When Balaam[ec] came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”
Balaam Prophesies Again
18 Balaam[ed] uttered[ee] his oracle, and said,
“Rise up,[ef] Balak, and hear;
Listen to me, son of Zippor:
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a human being,[eg] that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen?[eh]
20 Indeed, I have received a command[ei] to bless;
he has blessed,[ej] and I cannot reverse it.[ek]
21 He[el] has not looked on iniquity in Jacob,[em]
nor has he seen trouble[en] in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
his acclamation[eo] as king is among them.
22 God brought them[ep] out of Egypt.
They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull.[eq]
23 For there is no spell[er] against[es] Jacob,
nor is there any divination against Israel.
At this time[et] it must be said[eu] of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘Look at[ev] what God has done!’
24 Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness,
and like a lion raises himself up;
they will not lie down until they eat their[ew] prey,
and drink the blood of the slain.”[ex]
Balaam Relocates Yet Again
25 Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all[ey] nor bless them at all!”[ez] 26 But Balaam replied[fa] to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord speaks,[fb] I must do’?”
27 Balak said to Balaam, “Come, please; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God[fc] to let you curse them for me from there.”[fd] 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks toward the wastelands.[fe] 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Balaam Prophesies Yet Again
24 [ff] When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,[fg] he did not go as at the other times[fh] to seek for omens,[fi] but he set his face[fj] toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe;[fk] and the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 Then he uttered this oracle:[fl]
“The oracle[fm] of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are open,[fn]
4 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
although falling flat on the ground[fo] with eyes open:[fp]
5 ‘How[fq] beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
and your dwelling places, O Israel!
6 They are like[fr] valleys[fs] stretched forth,
like gardens by the river’s side,
like aloes[ft] that the Lord has planted,
and like cedar trees beside the waters.
7 He will pour the water out of his buckets,[fu]
and their descendants will be like abundant[fv] water;[fw]
their king will be greater than Agag,[fx]
and their kingdom will be exalted.
8 God brought them out of Egypt.
They have, as it were, the strength of a young bull;
they will devour hostile people,[fy]
and will break their bones,
and will pierce them through with arrows.
9 They crouch and lie down like a lion,
and as a lioness,[fz] who can stir him?
Blessed is the one who blesses you,
and cursed is the one who curses you!’”
10 Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together.[ga] Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have done nothing but bless[gb] them these three times! 11 So now, go back where you came from![gc] I said that I would greatly honor you, but now the Lord has stood in the way of your honor.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13 ‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond[gd] the commandment[ge] of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will,[gf] but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak’? 14 And now, I am about to go[gg] back to my own people. Come now, and I will advise you as to what this people will do to your people in future days.”[gh]
Balaam Prophesies a Fourth Time
15 Then he uttered this oracle:[gi]
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are open,
16 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,
and who knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:
17 ‘I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not close at hand.[gj]
A star[gk] will march forth[gl] out of Jacob,
and a scepter[gm] will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the skulls[gn] of Moab,
and the heads[go] of all the sons of Sheth.[gp]
18 Edom will be a possession,
Seir,[gq] his enemy, will also be a possession;
but Israel will act valiantly.
19 A ruler will be established from Jacob;
he will destroy the remains of the city.’”[gr]
Balaam’s Final Prophecies
20 Then Balaam[gs] looked on Amalek and delivered this oracle:[gt]
“Amalek was the first[gu] of the nations,
but his end will be that he will perish.”
21 Then he looked on the Kenites and uttered this oracle:
“Your dwelling place seems strong,
and your nest[gv] is set on a rocky cliff.
22 Nevertheless the Kenite will be consumed.[gw]
How long will Asshur take you away captive?”
23 Then he uttered this oracle:
“O, who will survive when God does this![gx]
24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim,[gy]
and will afflict Asshur,[gz] and will afflict Eber,
and he will also perish forever.”[ha]
25 Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home,[hb] and Balak also went his way.
Israel’s Sin with the Moabite Women
25 [hc] When[hd] Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality[he] with the daughters of Moab. 2 These women invited[hf] the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods.[hg] 3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal Peor,[hh] the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel.
God’s Punishment
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Arrest all the leaders[hi] of the people, and hang them up[hj] before the Lord in broad daylight,[hk] so that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must execute those of his men[hl] who were joined to Baal Peor.”
6 Just then[hm] one of the Israelites came and brought to his brothers[hn] a Midianite woman in the plain view of Moses and of[ho] the whole community of the Israelites, while they[hp] were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it,[hq] he got up from among the assembly, took a javelin in his hand, 8 and went after the Israelite man into the tent[hr] and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman’s abdomen.[hs] So the plague was stopped from the Israelites.[ht] 9 Those that died in the plague were 24,000.
The Aftermath
10 The Lord spoke to Moses: 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites, when he manifested such zeal[hu] for my sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal.[hv] 12 Therefore, announce:[hw] ‘I am going to give[hx] to him my covenant of peace.[hy] 13 So it will be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of a permanent priesthood, because he has been zealous for his God,[hz] and has made atonement[ia] for the Israelites.’”
14 Now the name of the Israelite who was stabbed—the one who was stabbed with the Midianite woman—was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of a clan[ib] of the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur. He was a leader[ic] over the people of a clan of Midian.[id]
16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 17 “Bring trouble[ie] to the Midianites, and destroy them, 18 because they bring trouble to you by their treachery with which they have deceived[if] you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian,[ig] their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague that happened as a result of Peor.”
A Second Census Required
26 [ih] After the plague the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,[ii] 2 “Take a census of the whole community of Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their clans,[ij] everyone who can serve in the army of Israel.”[ik] 3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the rift valley plains[il] of Moab, along the Jordan River[im] across from Jericho. They said, 4 “Number the people[in] from twenty years old and upward, just as the Lord commanded Moses and the Israelites who went out from the land of Egypt.”
Reuben
5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The Reubenites: from[io] Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; from Pallu, the family of the Palluites; 6 from Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; from Carmi, the family of the Carmites. 7 These were the families of the Reubenites; and those numbered of them were 43,730. 8 Pallu’s descendant[ip] was Eliab. 9 Eliab’s descendants were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram who as leaders of the community rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the followers[iq] of Korah when they rebelled against the Lord. 10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and Korah at the time that company died, when the fire consumed 250 men. So they became a warning. 11 But the descendants of Korah did not die.
Simeon
12 The Simeonites by their families: from Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; from Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; from Jakin, the family of the Jakinites; 13 from Zerah,[ir] the family of the Zerahites; and from Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. 14 These were the families of the Simeonites, 22,200.
Gad
15 The Gadites by their families: from Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; from Haggi, the family of the Haggites; from Shuni, the family of the Shunites; 16 from Ozni,[is] the family of the Oznites; from Eri,[it] the family of the Erites; 17 from Arod,[iu] the family of the Arodites; and from Areli, the family of the Arelites. 18 These were the families of the Gadites according to those numbered of them, 40,500.
Judah
19 The descendants of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20 And the Judahites by their families were: from Shelah, the family of the Shelahites; from Perez, the family of the Perezites; and from Zerah, the family of the Zerahites. 21 And the Perezites were: from Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; from Hamul,[iv] the family of the Hamulites. 22 These were the families of Judah according to those numbered of them, 76,500.
Issachar
23 The Issacharites by their families: from Tola, the family of the Tolaites; from Puah, the family of the Puites; 24 from Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; and from Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 25 These were the families of Issachar, according to those numbered of them, 64,300.
Zebulun
26 The Zebulunites by their families: from Sered, the family of the Sardites; from Elon, the family of the Elonites; from Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. 27 These were the families of the Zebulunites, according to those numbered of them, 60,500.
Manasseh
28 The descendants of Joseph by their families: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 The Manassehites: from Machir, the family of the Machirites (now Machir became the father of Gilead); from Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. 30 These were the Gileadites: from Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; from Helek, the family of the Helekites; 31 from Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; from Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; 32 from Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; from Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These were the families of Manasseh; those numbered of them were 52,700.
Ephraim
35 These are the Ephraimites by their families: from Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; from Beker, the family of the Bekerites; from Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36 Now these were the Shuthelahites: from Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37 These were the families of the Ephraimites, according to those numbered of them, 32,500. These[iw] were the descendants of Joseph by their families.
Benjamin
38 The Benjaminites by their families: from Bela, the family of the Belaites; from Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; from Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; 39 from Shupham,[ix] the family of the Shuphamites; from Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 40 The descendants of Bela were Ard[iy] and Naaman. From Ard,[iz] the family of the Ardites; from Naaman, the family of the Naamanites. 41 These are the Benjaminites, according to their families, and according to those numbered of them, 45,600.
Dan
42 These are the Danites by their families: from Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These were the families of Dan, according to their families. 43 All the families of the Shuhamites according to those numbered of them were 64,400.
Asher
44 The Asherites by their families: from Imnah, the family of the Imnahites; from Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; from Beriah, the family of the Beriahites. 45 From the Beriahites: from Heber, the family of the Heberites; from Malkiel, the family of the Malkielites. 46 Now the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.[ja] 47 These are the families of the Asherites, according to those numbered of them, 53,400.
Naphtali
48 The Naphtalites by their families: from Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; from Guni, the family of the Gunites; 49 from Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; from Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 50 These were the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those numbered of them were 45,400.
Total Number and Division of the Land
51 These were those numbered of the Israelites, 601,730.
52 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 53 “To these the land must be divided as an inheritance according to the number of the names. 54 To a larger group you will give a larger inheritance,[jb] and to a smaller group you will give a smaller inheritance.[jc] To each one its inheritance must be given according to the number of people in it.[jd] 55 The land must be divided by lot; and they will inherit in accordance with the names of their ancestral tribes. 56 Their inheritance must be apportioned[je] by lot among the larger and smaller groups.”
57 And these are the Levites who were numbered according to their families: from Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; from Merari, the family of the Merarites. 58 These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram. 59 Now the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, daughter of Levi, who was born[jf] to Levi in Egypt. And to Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister. 60 And to Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire[jg] before the Lord. 62 Those of the Levites[jh] who were numbered were 23,000, all males from a month old and upward, for they were not numbered among the Israelites; no inheritance was given to them among the Israelites.
63 These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the Israelites in the rift valley plains[ji] of Moab along the Jordan River opposite Jericho. 64 But there was not a man among these who had been[jj] among those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the Israelites in the desert of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, “They will surely die in the wilderness.” And there was not left a single man of them, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Special Inheritance Laws
27 [jk] Then the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh of the families of Manasseh,[jl] the son of Joseph came forward. Now these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness, although[jm] he was not part of[jn] the company of those that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but he died for his own sin,[jo] and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be lost from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession[jp] among the relatives[jq] of our father.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 The Lord said to Moses: 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad have a valid claim.[jr] You must indeed[js] give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s relatives, and you must transfer[jt] the inheritance of their father to them. 8 And you must tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies[ju] and has no son, then you must transfer his inheritance to his daughter; 9 and if he has no daughter, then you are to give his inheritance to his brothers; 10 and if he has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his father’s brothers; 11 and if his father has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his relative nearest to him from his family, and he will possess it. This will be for the Israelites a legal requirement,[jv] as the Lord commanded Moses.’”
Leadership Change
12 [jw] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range,[jx] and see[jy] the land I have given[jz] to the Israelites. 13 When you have seen it, you will be gathered[ka] to your ancestors,[kb] as Aaron your brother was gathered to his ancestors.[kc] 14 For[kd] in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you[ke] rebelled against my command[kf] to show me as holy[kg] before their eyes over the water—the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
15 Then Moses spoke to the Lord: 16 “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all humankind,[kh] appoint[ki] a man over the community, 17 who will go out before them, and who will come in before them,[kj] and who will lead them out, and who will bring them in, so that[kk] the community of the Lord may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.”
18 The Lord replied[kl] to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit,[km] and lay your hand on him;[kn] 19 set him[ko] before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community, and commission[kp] him publicly.[kq] 20 Then you must delegate[kr] some of your authority[ks] to him, so that the whole community of the Israelites will be obedient.[kt] 21 And he will stand before Eleazar the priest, who[ku] will seek counsel[kv] for him before the Lord by the decision of the Urim.[kw] At his command[kx] they will go out, and at his command they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him, the whole community.”
22 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him; he took Joshua and set[ky] him before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community. 23 He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the Lord commanded,[kz] by the authority[la] of Moses.
Daily Offerings
28 [lb] The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Command the Israelites:[lc] ‘With regard to my offering,[ld] be sure to offer[le] my food for my offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to me at its appointed time.’[lf] 3 You will say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you must offer to the Lord: two unblemished lambs one year old each day for a continual[lg] burnt offering. 4 The first lamb you must offer in the morning, and the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon,[lh] 5 with one-tenth of an ephah[li] of finely ground flour as a grain offering mixed with one-quarter of a hin[lj] of pressed olive oil. 6 It is a continual burnt offering that was instituted on Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
7 “‘And its drink offering must be one-quarter of a hin for each lamb.[lk] You must pour out the strong drink[ll] as a drink offering to the Lord in the Holy Place. 8 And the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon; just as you offered the grain offering and drink offering in the morning,[lm] you must offer it as an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
Weekly Offerings
9 “‘On the Sabbath day, you must offer[ln] two unblemished lambs a year old, and two-tenths of an ephah[lo] of finely ground flour as a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, along with its drink offering. 10 This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath,[lp] besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
Monthly Offerings
11 “‘On the first day of each month[lq] you must offer as a burnt offering to the Lord two young bulls, one ram, and seven unblemished lambs a year old, 12 with three-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each bull, and two-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for the ram, 13 and one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb, as a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 14 For their drink offerings, include[lr] half a hin of wine with each bull, one-third of a hin for the ram, and one-fourth of a hin for each lamb. This is the burnt offering for each month[ls] throughout the months of the year. 15 And one male goat[lt] must be offered to the Lord as a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
The Passover
16 “‘On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Lord’s Passover. 17 And on the fifteenth day of this month is the festival. For seven days bread made without yeast must be eaten. 18 And on the first day there is to be a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work[lu] on it.
19 “‘But you must offer to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs one year old; they must all be unblemished.[lv] 20 And their grain offering is to be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil. For each bull you must offer three-tenths of an ephah, and two-tenths for the ram. 21 For each of the seven lambs you are to offer one-tenth of an ephah, 22 as well as one goat for a purification offering, to make atonement for you. 23 You must offer these in addition to the burnt offering in the morning that is for a continual burnt offering. 24 In this manner you must offer daily throughout the seven days the food of the sacrifice made by fire as a sweet aroma to the Lord. It is to be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day you are to have a holy assembly, you must do no regular work.
Firstfruits
26 “‘Also, on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the Lord during your Feast of Weeks, you are to have a holy assembly. You must do no ordinary work. 27 But you must offer as the burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord, two young bulls, one ram, seven lambs one year old, 28 with their grain offering of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 29 with one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, 30 as well as one male goat to make an atonement for you. 31 You are to offer them with their drink offerings in addition to the continual burnt offering and its grain offering—they must be unblemished.
Blowing Trumpets
29 “‘On the first day of the seventh month, you are to hold a holy assembly. You must not do your ordinary work, for it is a day of blowing trumpets for you. 2 You must offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs one year old without blemish.
3 “‘Their grain offering is to be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the ram, 4 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, 5 with one male goat for a purification offering to make an atonement for you; 6 this is in addition to the monthly burnt offering and its grain offering, and the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings as prescribed, as a sweet aroma, a sacrifice made by fire to the Lord.
The Day of Atonement
7 “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you are to have a holy assembly. You must humble yourselves;[lw] you must not do any work on it. 8 But you must offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish.[lx] 9 Their grain offerings must be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 10 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, 11 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the purification offering for atonement and the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.
The Feast of Temporary Shelters
12 “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work, and you must keep a festival to the Lord for seven days. 13 You must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs each one year old, all of them without blemish. 14 Their grain offerings must be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths of an ephah for each of the two rams, 15 and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs, 16 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
17 “‘On the second day you must offer twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 18 and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 19 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.
20 “‘On the third day you must offer[ly] eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 21 and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 22 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
23 “‘On the fourth day you must offer ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 24 and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 25 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
26 “‘On the fifth day you must offer nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 27 and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 28 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29 “‘On the sixth day you must offer eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 30 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 31 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
32 “‘On the seventh day you must offer seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 33 and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 34 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
35 “‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work on it. 36 But you must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one bull, one ram, seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish, 37 and with their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 38 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
39 “‘These things you must present to the Lord at your appointed times, in addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, as your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’” 40 (30:1)[lz] So Moses told the Israelites everything, just as the Lord had commanded him.[ma]
Vows Made by Men
30 [mb] Moses told the leaders[mc] of the tribes concerning the Israelites, “This is what[md] the Lord has commanded: 2 If a man[me] makes a vow[mf] to the Lord or takes an oath[mg] of binding obligation on himself,[mh] he must not break his word, but must do whatever he has promised.[mi]
Vows Made by Single Women
3 “If a young[mj] woman who is still living[mk] in her father’s house makes a vow to the Lord or places herself under an obligation, 4 and her father hears of her vow or the obligation to which she has pledged herself, and her father remains silent about her,[ml] then all her vows will stand,[mm] and every obligation to which she has pledged herself will stand. 5 But if her father overrules her when he hears[mn] about it, then none[mo] of her vows or her obligations that she has pledged for herself will stand. And the Lord will release[mp] her from it, because her father overruled her.
Vows Made by Married Women
6 “And if she marries a husband while under a vow,[mq] or she uttered anything impulsively[mr] by which she has pledged herself, 7 and her husband hears about it but remains silent about her when he hears about it, then her vows will stand and her obligations that she has pledged for herself will stand. 8 But if when her husband hears it he overrules her, then he will nullify[ms] the vow she has taken,[mt] and whatever she uttered impulsively that she has pledged for herself. And the Lord will release her from it.
Vows Made by Widows
9 “But every vow of a widow or of a divorced woman which she has pledged for herself will remain intact.[mu] 10 If she made the vow in her husband’s house or put herself under obligation with an oath, 11 and her husband heard about it, but remained silent about her, and did not overrule her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation which she pledged for herself will stand. 12 But if her husband clearly nullifies[mv] them when he hears them, then whatever she says[mw] by way of vows or obligations will not stand. Her husband has made them void, and the Lord will release her from them.
13 “Any vow or sworn obligation that would bring affliction to her,[mx] her husband can confirm or nullify.[my] 14 But if her husband remains completely silent[mz] about her from day to day, he thus confirms all her vows or all her obligations which she is under; he confirms them because he remained silent about her when he heard them. 15 But if he should nullify them after he has heard them, then he will bear her iniquity.”[na]
16 These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses, relating to[nb] a man and his wife, and a father and his young daughter who is still living in her father’s house.
The Midianite War
31 [nc] The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Exact vengeance[nd] for the Israelites from the Midianites[ne]—after that you will be gathered to your people.”[nf]
3 So Moses spoke to the people: “Arm[ng] men from among you for the war, to attack the Midianites and to execute[nh] the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. 4 You must send to the battle 1,000 men from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel.”[ni] 5 So 1,000 from every tribe, 12,000 armed for battle in all, were provided out of the thousands of Israel.
Campaign Against the Midianites
6 So Moses sent them to the war, 1,000 from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge[nj] of the holy articles[nk] and the signal trumpets. 7 They fought against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male.[nl] 8 They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—five Midianite kings.[nm] They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.[nn]
9 The Israelites took the women of Midian captive along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder. 10 They burned[no] all their towns[np] where they lived and all their encampments. 11 They took all the plunder and all the spoils, both people and animals. 12 They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the rift valley plains[nq] of Moab, along the Jordan River[nr] across from Jericho.[ns] 13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went out to meet them outside the camp.
The Death of the Midianite Women
14 But Moses was furious with the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and commanders over hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 Moses said to them, “Have you allowed all the women to live?[nt] 16 Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the Lord in the matter of Peor—which resulted in the plague among the community of the Lord! 17 Now therefore kill every boy,[nu] and kill every woman who has been intimate with a man in bed.[nv] 18 But all the young women[nw] who have not experienced a man’s bed[nx] will be yours.[ny]
Purification After Battle
19 “Any of you who has killed anyone or touched any of the dead, remain outside the camp for seven days; purify yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day. 20 You must purify each garment and everything that is made of skin, everything made of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”[nz]
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone into the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law that the Lord commanded Moses: 22 ‘Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that may stand the fire, you are to pass through the fire,[oa] and it will be ceremonially clean, but it must still be purified with the water of purification. Anything that cannot withstand the fire you must pass through the water. 24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be ceremonially clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.’”
The Distribution of Spoils
25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 26 “You and Eleazar the priest, and all the family leaders of the community, take the sum[ob] of the plunder that was captured, both people and animals. 27 Divide the plunder into two parts, one for those who took part in the war—who went out to battle—and the other for all the community.
28 “You must exact[oc] a tribute for the Lord from the fighting men who went out to battle: one life out of 500, from the people, the cattle, and from the donkeys and the sheep. 29 You are to take it from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest for a raised offering to the Lord. 30 From the Israelites’ half share you are to take one portion out of fifty of the people, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep—from every kind of animal—and you are to give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.”
31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. 32 The spoil that remained of the plunder that the fighting men[od] had gathered[oe] was 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000[of] young women who had not experienced a man’s bed.[og]
36 The half portion of those who went to war numbered 337,500 sheep; 37 the Lord’s tribute from the sheep was 675. 38 The cattle numbered[oh] 36,000; the Lord’s tribute was 72. 39 The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. 40 The people were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 people.[oi]
41 So Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord’s raised offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.
42 From the Israelites’ half share that Moses had separated from the fighting men,[oj] 43 there were 337,500 sheep from the portion belonging to the community, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 people.
47 From the Israelites’ share Moses took one of every fifty people and animals and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders over thousands and the commanders over hundreds, approached Moses 49 and said to him,[ok] “Your servants have taken a count[ol] of the men who were in the battle, who were under our authority,[om] and not one is missing. 50 So we have brought as an offering for the Lord what each man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves[on] before the Lord.”[oo] 51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all of it in the form of ornaments. 52 All the gold of the offering they offered up to the Lord from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds weighed 16,750 shekels.[op] 53 Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. 54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders[oq] of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial[or] for the Israelites before the Lord.
The Petition of the Reubenites and Gadites
32 [os] Now the Reubenites and the Gadites possessed a very large number of cattle. When they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideal for cattle,[ot] 2 the Gadites and the Reubenites came and addressed Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community. They said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam,[ou] Nebo, and Beon,[ov] 4 the land that the Lord subdued[ow] before the community of Israel, is ideal for cattle, and your servants have cattle.” 5 So they said, “If we have found favor in your sight,[ox] let this land be given to your servants for our inheritance. Do not have us cross[oy] the Jordan River.”[oz]
Moses’ Response
6 Moses said to the Gadites and the Reubenites, “Must your brothers go to war while you[pa] remain here? 7 Why do you frustrate the intent[pb] of the Israelites to cross over into the land that the Lord has given them? 8 Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 When[pc] they went up to the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they frustrated the intent of the Israelites so that they did not enter[pd] the land that the Lord had given[pe] them. 10 So the anger of the Lord was kindled that day, and he swore, 11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly,[pf] not[pg] one of the men twenty years old and upward[ph] who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore to give[pi] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ 13 So the Lord’s anger was kindled against the Israelites, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all that generation that had done wickedly before[pj] the Lord was finished.[pk] 14 Now look, you are standing in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinners, to increase still further the fierce wrath of the Lord against the Israelites. 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will once again abandon[pl] them in the wilderness, and you will be the reason for their destruction.”[pm]
The Offer of the Reubenites and Gadites
16 Then they came very close to him and said, “We will build sheep folds here for our flocks and cities for our families,[pn] 17 but we will maintain ourselves in armed readiness[po] and go before the Israelites until whenever we have brought them to their place. Our descendants will be living in fortified towns as a protection against[pp] the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has his inheritance. 19 For we will not accept any inheritance on the other side of the Jordan River[pq] and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”
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