Old/New Testament
Settling the East Side
32 The sons of Reuben and Gad had very large herds and flocks, and, they saw that the territory of Jazer and Gilead were ideal for livestock. 2 So the sons of Reuben and Gad came and said to Moses, Eleazar the kohen, and the princes of the community saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon— 4 the territory Adonai conquered before the community of Israel—are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”
5 Then they said, “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this territory be given to your servants as a possession. Don’t make us cross the Jordan.”
6 Moses replied to the sons of Gad and Reuben, “Should your countrymen go to war while you dwell here? 7 Why do you dishearten Bnei-Yisrael from going across to the land that Adonai has given to them? 8 Your fathers did this when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. 9 They went up to the Valley of Eshcol and viewed the land, but they discouraged the hearts of Bnei-Yisrael not to enter the land which Adonai had given them. 10 The anger of Adonai was aroused that day, and He swore an oath saying: 11 ‘The men who came out of Egypt, from 20 years old and upward, will not see the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they have not followed after Me with a whole heart— 12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they were wholehearted after Adonai.’ 13 The anger of Adonai burned against Israel and He caused them to wander in the wilderness 40 years until all the generation doing that evil in Adonai’s sight was gone.
14 “Now look, here you stand in the place of your fathers as a brood of sinful men to add more to Adonai’s great wrath against Israel! 15 If you turn away from Him, He will repeat again leaving this people in the wilderness, you being the cause of this people’s destruction.”
16 Then they came up to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds for our livestock and cities for our children. 17 But we are prepared to arm ourselves and go ahead of Bnei-Yisrael until we have brought them to their place. Our children will live in the cities fortified against the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each one of Bnei-Yisrael has received his inheritance. 19 Yet we will not inherit with them on the side beyond the Jordan, since our inheritance has come on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves for battle for Adonai, 21 and if all of you cross the Jordan until Adonai has driven His enemies from before Him 22 and the land is subdued before Adonai—then afterward you may return and be free before Adonai and Israel. Then this territory will be your possession before Adonai.
23 “But if you don’t do this, behold, you sin against Adonai! Be assured! Your sin will find you out! 24 Build for yourselves cities for your children and pens for your flocks. Then do what has come out of your mouth.”
25 The sons of Gad and Reuben said to Moses saying, “Your servants will do just as my lord is commanding. 26 Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all of our herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants, every one armed for battle, will cross over for the war before Adonai, just as my lord says.”
28 Moses then gave orders about them to Eleazar the kohen, Joshua son of Nun, and to the chiefs of the fathers of the tribes of Bnei-Yisrael. 29 Moses said to them, “If the sons of Gad and Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, everyone armed for battle before Adonai, when the land is subdued before you, then give them the territory of Gilead as a possession. 30 However, if they do not cross over fully armed, they are to possess the land of Canaan with you.”
31 The sons of Gad and Reuben answered saying, “What Adonai has said to your servants, so we will do. 32 We will cross fully armed before Adonai into Canaan, but our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan.”
33 Moses then gave to them—the sons of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph—the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan—the land with its cities and the territory around the cities. 34 The sons of Gad built up Dibon, Ataroth and Aroer, 35 as well as Atroh-shophan, Jazer and Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran as fortified cities, as well as sheep pens.
37 The sons of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal Meon, (cities whose names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave other names to the rebuilt cities.
39 The sons of Machir son of Manasseh went up to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and he lived there. 41 Jair, a son of Manasseh, went and captured their settlements and named them Jair’s Villages.
42 Nobah went and conquered Kenath and its settlements and named them Nobah after his own name.
Parashat Masei
Israel’s Journeys Reviewed
33 These are the journeys of Bnei-Yisrael when they came out of Egypt by their divisions under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses recorded the stages of their journeys at Adonai’s command. These then are their journeys by stages.
3 Bnei-Yisrael set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the first day after Passover. They went out with a high hand in the sight of all Egypt. [a] 4 Now the Egyptians were burying those whom Adonai had struck down among them. Adonai had brought judgments on all their first-born and their gods.
5 Bnei-Yisrael left Rameses and encamped at Succoth. 6 They departed from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 7 They left from Etham and turned back toward Pi-Hahiroth, east of Baal-Zephon, and camped before Migdol. 8 They left from before Pi-Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the wilderness. They traveled three days journey into the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. 9 They departed from Marah and went to Elim. There were twelve water springs and 70 palm trees in Elim, so they camped there. 10 They left Elim and camped by the Sea of Reeds.
11 They set out from the Sea of Reeds and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 They left from the wilderness of Sin and camped in Dophkah. 13 They then left Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 They left from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
15 They set out from Rephidim and encamped in the Sinai wilderness. 16 They departed from the Sinai wilderness and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 They left from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18 Departing Hazeroth, they camped at Rithmah. 19 Leaving Rithmah, they camped at Rimmon-perez. 20 They left from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. 21 They departed Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelah. 23 They left Kehelah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 They departed Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 They departed from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 They left Makheloth and camped in Tahath.
27 They left from Tahath and camped in Terah. 28 They left Terah and camped in Mithkah. 29 They departed Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. 32 Departing Bene-jaakan, they camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33 Leaving Hor-haggidgad, they camped at Jotbah. 34 They left Jotbah and camped at Abronah. 35 They departed from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. 36 They left Ezion-geber and encamped at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
37 Leaving Kadesh, they camped at Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom. 38 Aaron the kohen went up Mount Hor at Adonai’s command and died there, in the fortieth year since the departure of Bnei-Yisrael from the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 The Canaanite king of Arad, who was living in the Negev in the territory of Canaan, heard of the coming of Bnei-Yisrael. 41 They departed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 They left Zalmonah and encamped at Punon. 43 Departing Punon, they camped at Oboth. 44 Leaving Oboth, they camped at Ije-abarim on the border of Moab. 45 They moved on from Ijim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46 They moved on from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47 They departed from Almon-diblathaim and camped at the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.
48 They moved on from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan, across from Jericho. 49 They camped along the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.
50 Adonai spoke to Moses along the Jordan in the plains of Moab across from Jericho saying, 51 “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 You must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. You must destroy all their idols and cast images, and demolish their high places. 53 You will take possession of the land, so you will settle in it, because I have given it to you to possess.
54 “You are to divide the land by lot according to your families. To the large, make their inheritance larger, and to the small, make their inheritance smaller. Whatever comes out of the lot will be theirs. You are to distribute the inheritance according to your ancestral tribes.
55 “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, whoever you allow to remain will become to you barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land in which you will be living. 56 Then what I had intended to do to them, I will do to you.”
Borders of Israel
34 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 2 “Command Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, these are the boundaries of the land being allotted to you as an inheritance. 3 Your southern side will run from the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom to the southern end of the Dead Sea on the east. 4 Your border will cross south of the Scorpion Pass and continue to Zin and south of Kadesh-barnea, then go on to Hazar-addar and on to Azmon. 5 Then the border will turn from Azmon to the Wadi of Egypt and end at the sea.
6 “Your western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. This will be your western border.
7 “Your northern boundary will be by running a line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor, 8 then from Mount Hor to Levo-Hamath[b], then the boundary will go to Zedad. 9 The border will continue on to Ziphron, ending at Hazar-Enan. This will be your northern border.
10 “For your eastern border, run a line from Hazar-Enan to Shepham. 11 From Shepham, the boundary will descend to Riblah on the east side of Ain, continuing along the eastern slopes of Kinneret[c]. 12 From there the border will go down along the Jordan, ending at the Dead Sea. This will be your territory with its surrounding borders.”
13 Moses commanded Bnei-Yisrael, saying, “This is the land which Adonai has commanded that you are to assign by lot to the nine and a half tribes. 14 For the tribe of the sons of Reuben by their ancestral houses, the tribe of the sons of Gad by their ancestral houses, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance. 15 These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan at Jericho, toward the sunrise.”
16 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 17 “These are the names of the men who will allot the land to you: Eleazar the kohen and Joshua son of Nun. 18 Also you are to select one prince from each tribe to allot the land. 19 These are their names: from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh. 20 From the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Shemuel son of Ammihud. 21 From the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Chislon. 22 From the tribe of the sons of Dan, the prince is Bukki son of Jogli. 23 From the sons of Joseph, from the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, the prince is to be Hanniel son of Ephod. 24 The prince from the tribe of the sons of Ephraim is to be Kemuel son of Shiphtan.
25 “The prince from the tribe of the sons of Zebulun is Elizaphan son of Parnach. 26 The prince from the tribe of the sons of Issachar is Paltiel son of Azzan. 27 The prince from the tribe of the sons of Asher is Ahihud son of Shelomi. 28 The prince from the tribe of the sons of Naphtali is Pedahel son of Ammihud.” 29 These were those Adonai commanded to apportion to Bnei-Yisrael the land of Canaan.
30 They left from there and passed through the Galilee. Yeshua didn’t want anyone to know, 31 for He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, three days later He will rise up.” 32 But the disciples didn’t understand this statement, and they were afraid to question Him about it.
The Secret of Childlike Humility
33 Then they came to Capernaum. And when Yeshua was in the house, He began to ask the disciples, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept quiet, because on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
35 Sitting down, He called the Twelve and said to them, “If any man wants to be first, he shall be least of all and the servant of everyone.” 36 Taking a small child, He set him in the midst of them. And taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these children in My name, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes not Me but the One who sent Me.”
38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”
39 But Yeshua responded, “Don’t stop him! No one who does a miracle in My name will be able soon afterward to speak evil about Me. 40 He who is not against us is for us. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you belong to Messiah, amen I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”
42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who trust in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone put around his neck and to be thrown into the sea!”
The Secret of Salt
43 “And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than, having two hands, to go to Gehenna,[a] into the unquenchable fire. (44) [b] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off! It’s better for you to enter life lame than, having your two feet, to be thrown into Gehenna. (46) 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than, having two eyes, to be thrown into Gehenna, 48 where
‘their worm does not die
and the fire is not quenched.’[c]
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you flavor it? Have salt in yourselves, and keep shalom with one another.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.