Old/New Testament

Water from the Rock

20 Then all the people of Israel came to the Desert of Zin in the first month. And the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried.

² Now there was no water for the people, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. ³ The people complained to Moses, saying, “If only we had died when our brothers died before the Lord! ⁴ Why have you brought the Lord’s people into this desert, for us and our animals to die here? ⁵ Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this bad place? It is not a place of grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink.” ⁶ Then Moses and Aaron went from the people to the door of the meeting tent, and bowed to the ground. They saw the shining-greatness of the Lord. ⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ⁸ “Take the special stick. You and your brother Aaron gather the people together. Speak to the rock in front of them and it will give its water. So you will bring water out of the rock for them. Let the people and their animals drink.” ⁹ So Moses took the special stick from before the Lord, just as He had told him. ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you people who go against the Lord. Should we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted up his hand and hit the rock twice with his stick, and more than enough water came out. The people and their animals drank. ¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me and honored Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, you will not bring these people into the land I have given them.” ¹³ These were the waters of Meribah because the people of Israel complained against the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

¹⁴ Moses sent men from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying, “This is what your brother Israel has said: ‘You know all the troubles we have had. ¹⁵ Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians were bad in the way they acted toward us. ¹⁶ But we cried out to the Lord. He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt. Now look, we are at Kadesh, a town at the side of your country. ¹⁷ We ask you to let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vines. We will not even drink water from a well. We will go on the king’s road and will not turn to the right or left, until we pass through your country.’” ¹⁸ But Edom said to him, “You must not pass through, or I will come out with the sword against you.” ¹⁹ The people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the straight road. If I and my animals do drink any of your water, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else.” ²⁰ But Edom said, “You must not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with many men and much strength. ²¹ Edom would not let Israel pass through his country. So Israel turned away from him.

²² When they traveled from Kadesh, all the people of Israel came to Mount Hor. ²³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the side of the land of Edom, saying, ²⁴ “Aaron will be buried with his people. For he will not go into the land I have given to the people of Israel, because you went against what I told you to do at the waters of Meribah. ²⁵ Take Aaron and his son Eleazar, and bring them up to Mount Hor. ²⁶ Take the clothing off Aaron and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will die there and be buried with his people.” ²⁷ Moses did just as the Lord had told him. They went up to Mount Hor before the eyes of all the people. ²⁸ After Moses had taken the clothing off Aaron and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. ²⁹ When all the people saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel cried in sorrow for Aaron thirty days.

Battle with the Canaanites

21 The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim. He fought against Israel, and took some of them against their will. ² So Israel made a promise to the Lord, and said, “If You will give this people into my hand, I will destroy every part of their cities.” ³ The Lord heard the voice of Israel, and gave them the Canaanites. Then Israel destroyed all of them and their cities. So the name of the place was called Hormah.

The Brass Snake

⁴ Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people wanted to give up because of the long way. ⁵ They spoke against God and Moses, saying, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is no food and no water. And we hate this bad food.” ⁶ Then the Lord sent snakes with a bite of poison among the people. They bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. ⁷ So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord, that He will take away the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a special snake and put it up on a long piece of wood. Everyone who is bitten will live when he looks at it.” ⁹ So Moses made a brass snake and put it up on the long piece of wood. If a snake bit any man, he would live when he looked at the brass snake.

From Mount Hor to Moab

¹⁰ The people of Israel traveled on, and set up their tents in Oboth. ¹¹ Then they left Oboth and stopped at Iye-abarim, in the desert beside Moab, to the east. ¹² From there they traveled on to Wadi Zered. ¹³ And from there they traveled on and set up their tents on the other side of the Arnon. It is in the desert that goes out from the land of the Amorites. For the Arnon is the side of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴ So it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: “Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon, ¹⁵ and the hill-side of the valleys that goes to the place of Ar, and rests on the side of Moab.” ¹⁶ From there they went on to Beer. That is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so I may give them water.”

¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song: “Come up, O well! Sing to it! ¹⁸ The well, which the leaders dug, which the rulers of the people dug, with the special stick of power and with their walking sticks.” From the desert they went on to Mattanah. ¹⁹ From Mattanah they went to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth. ²⁰ From Bamoth they went to the valley in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which looks down upon the desert.

Battle with Amorites

²¹ Then Israel sent men to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, ²² “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vines. We will not drink water from wells. We will go on the king’s road until we have passed through your country.” ²³ But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his country. He gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the desert. He came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. ²⁴ Then Israel killed Sihon with the sword. They took his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon. For Jazer was the side of the land of the Ammonites. ²⁵ Israel took all these cities. They lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its towns. ²⁶ For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites. He had fought against the man who was once the king of Moab, and had taken all his land as far as the Arnon. ²⁷ So those who use wise sayings say, “Come to Heshbon! Let it be built! Let the city of Sihon be built. ²⁸ For a fire went out from Heshbon, fire from the city of Sihon. It burned up Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of the Arnon. ²⁹ It is bad for you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! His sons run for their lives. His daughters have been taken against their will by an Amorite king, Sihon. ³⁰ But we have put them down. Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We have destroyed even to Nophah, which goes to Medeba.” ³¹ So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. ³² Then Moses sent men to spy out Jazer in secret. And Israel took its towns and took the place of the Amorites who were there.

King Og Killed

³³ Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan. Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people to battle at Edrei. ³⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him. For I have given him into your hand, with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon.” ³⁵ So the people of Israel killed Og and his sons and all his people, until there was not one left alive. And they took his land.

Balak Sends for Balaam

22 Then the people of Israel traveled on and set up their tents in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan beside Jericho. ² Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³ So Moab was filled with much fear because of the people, for they were many. Moab was very afraid of the people of Israel. ⁴ And Moab said to the leaders of Midian, “Now these people will take away everything around us like the bull eats up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. ⁵ So he sent men to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the children of his people. They said to him, “See, a people came out of Egypt. See, they cover the land, and they are living beside me. ⁶ Now come, I beg you. Curse this people for me, because they are too strong for me. Then I may be able to win the battle against them and send them out of the land. For I know that good will come to the one you pray for, and trouble will come to the one you curse.”

⁷ So the leaders of Moab and the leaders of Midian left with the pay in their hand for the one who tells what will happen in the future. When they came to Balaam, they told him Balak’s words. ⁸ Balaam said to them, “Stay here tonight. I will bring word to you as the Lord may speak to me.” So the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. ⁹ Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” ¹⁰ Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, saying, ¹¹ ‘See, the people who came out of Egypt cover the land. Now come, curse them for me. Then I may be able to fight against them and send them away.’” ¹² God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. Do not curse the people, for I have decided that good would come to them.” ¹³ So Balaam got up in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Return to your land. For the Lord will not let me go with you.” ¹⁴ So the leaders of Moab got up and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam would not come with us.”

¹⁵ Balak sent leaders again, more than were sent before, and men who were more important. ¹⁶ They came to Balaam and said to him, “Balak the son of Zippor says, ‘I beg you, let nothing keep you from coming to me. ¹⁷ I will give you much honor. I will do whatever you tell me. I beg you to come and curse these people for me.’” ¹⁸ Balaam answered and said to Balak’s men, “Balak could give me his house full of silver and gold. But I could not do anything, small or big, against the Word of the Lord my God. ¹⁹ Now I ask you to stay here tonight. I will find out what else the Lord will say to me.” ²⁰ God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you.”

Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel

²¹ So Balaam got up in the morning and got his donkey ready, and went with the leaders of Moab. ²² But God was angry because he was going. The angel of the Lord stood in the way against him. Balaam was sitting on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword in his hand, the donkey turned off the road and went into the field. But Balaam hit the donkey to turn her on the road again. ²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path in the grape-field, with a wall on each side. ²⁵ The donkey saw the angel of the Lord. So she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against it, so he hit her again. ²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord went farther. He stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right or the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. So Balaam was angry and hit the donkey with his stick. ²⁸ And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you? Why have you hit me these three times?” ²⁹ Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now!” ³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have traveled all your life to this day? Have I ever done this to you before?” And Balaam 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 in his hand. And he bowed to the ground. ³² The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you hit your donkey these three times? See, I have come out against you, because your way was against me. ³³ But the donkey saw me and turned from me these three times. If she had not turned from me, for sure I would have killed you, and let her live.” ³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. For I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. But now, if it does not please you, I will turn back.” ³⁵ The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men. But speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with the leaders of Balak.

³⁶ Balak heard that Balaam was coming. He went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the Arnon, at the far side of the country. ³⁷ Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send men to tell you to come? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?” ³⁸ Balaam said to Balak, “See, I have come to you! Am I able to speak anything at all? The Word that God puts in my mouth is what I must speak.” ³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriathhuzoth. ⁴⁰ Balak killed bulls and sheep on the altar in worship, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.

⁴¹ The next morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal. From there he saw part of the people of Israel.

Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Leaders ^(A)

7 The proud religious law-keepers and some of the teachers of the Law had come from Jerusalem. They gathered around Jesus. ² They had seen some of His followers eat bread without washing their hands. ³ The proud religious law-keepers and all the Jews never eat until they wash their hands. They keep the teaching that was given to them by their early fathers. ⁴ When they come from the stores, they never eat until they wash. There are many other teachings they keep. Some are the washing of cups and pots and pans in a special way.

⁵ Then the proud religious law-keepers and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus, “Why do Your followers not obey the teaching given to them by their early fathers? They eat bread without washing their hands.” ⁶ He said to them, “Isaiah told about you who pretend to be someone you are not. Isaiah wrote, ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. ⁷ Their worship of Me is worth nothing. They teach what men say must be done.’ ^{(B) 8} You put away the Laws of God and obey the laws made by men.”

⁹ Jesus said to them, “You put away the Laws of God but keep your own teaching. ¹⁰ Moses said, ‘Respect your father and mother.’ ^(C) ‘He who curses his father and mother will be put to death!’ ^{(D) 11} But you say that it is right if a man does not help his father and mother because he says he has given to God what he could have given to them. ¹² You are not making him do anything for his father and mother. ¹³ You are putting away the Word of God to keep your own teaching. You are doing many other things like this.”