Old/New Testament
Miriam Dies
20 Then the entire community of the Israelites[a] came to the desert of Zin on the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; Miriam died and was buried there.
2 There was no water for the community, and they were gathered before Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people quarreled with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we died when our brothers were dying before[b] Yahweh! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of Yahweh, us and our livestock, into this desert to die here? 5 Why have you brought us from Egypt to bring us to this bad place? It is not a place of seed or figs[c] or vines[d] or pomegranate trees,[e] and there is not water to drink.” 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of assembly. They fell on their faces, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to them. 7 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff and summon the community, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give water. Bring out for them water from the rock, and let the community and their livestock drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from before[f] Yahweh just as he command him, 10 and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly to the presence of the rock, and he said to them, “Please listen, you rebels; can we bring out water for you from this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice. And abundant water went out, and the community and their livestock drank. 12 But Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not trusted in me, to regard me as holy in the sight of[g] the Israelites,[h] you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given to them.” 13 Those were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites[i] quarreled with Yahweh, and he showed himself holy among them.
14 From Kadesh Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has found us; 15 our ancestors[j] went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time,[k] and the Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors.[l] 16 Then we cried to Yahweh, and he heard our voice; he sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt. And look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. 17 Please let us go through your land. We will not go through a field or vineyard, and we will not drink water from a well. We will go along the road of the king; we will not turn aside right or left until we have gone through your territory.’”
18 Then Edom said to him, “You will not pass through us[m] lest we will go out[n] to meet you with the sword.” 19 The Israelites[o] said to him, “We will go up on the main road, and if we[p] and our livestock[q] drink your water, we will pay for it.[r] It is only a small matter; let us pass through on our feet.”[s] 20 But he said, “You will not go through.” And Edom went out to meet them[t] with a large army and a strong hand. 21 So Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, and Israel turned aside from him.
Aaron Dies
22 And they set out from Kadesh. The Israelites,[u] the whole community, came to Mount Hor. 23 Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron on Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom, saying, 24 “Let Aaron be gathered to his people; he will not come into the land that I have given to the Israelites[v] because you rebelled against my word[w] at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and take them up Mount Hor. 26 Strip off Aaron’s garments, and put them on Eleazar his son; Aaron will be gathered to his people, and he will die there.” 27 So Moses did just as Yahweh commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor before the eyes of all the community. 28 And Moses stripped off Aaron’s garments and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain; and Moses and Eleazar went down from the mountain. 29 All the community saw that Aaron died; so all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.[x]
Arad Captured
21 The Canaanite king of Arad, who was dwelling in the Negev,[y] heard that Israel came along the way of Atharim; he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2 Israel made a vow to Yahweh, and they said, “If you will surely give this people into our[z] hand, then we[aa] will destroy[ab] their cities.” 3 Yahweh heard the voice of Israel; he gave to them the Canaanites, and they destroyed them[ac] and their cities. They called the name of the place Hormah.
4 They set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea[ad] to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient[ae] along the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us from Egypt to die in the desert? There is no food and no water, and our hearts detest this miserable food.”
The Bronze Serpent
6 And Yahweh sent among the people poisonous snakes; they bit the people, and many people from Israel died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh and let him remove the snakes[af] from among us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Make for yourself a snake and place it on a pole. When[ag] anyone is bitten and looks at it, that person will live.” 9 So Moses made a snake of bronze, and he placed it on the pole; whenever[ah] a snake bit someone, and that person looked at the snake of bronze, he lived.
10 The Israelites[ai] set out and encamped at Oboth. 11 They set out from Oboth and encamped at Iye Abarim in the desert, which was in front of Moab toward the sunrise.[aj] 12 From there they set out and encamped at the valley of Zered. 13 From there they set out and encamped beyond Arnon, which is in the desert that goes out from the boundary of the Amorites,[ak] because Arnon is the boundary of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.[al] 14 Therefore thus it is said in the scroll of the Wars of Yahweh,
“Waheb in Suphah,
and the wadis of Arnon,
15 and the slope of the wadis
that spreads out to the dwelling of Ar
and lies at the boundary of Moab.”
16 From there they went to Beer, which is the water well where Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Gather the people, that I may give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song, “Arise, well water! Sing to it! 18 Well water that the princes dug, that the leaders of the people dug, with a staff and with their rods.” And from the desert they continued to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; 20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the territory of Moab, by the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the surface of the wasteland.
Sihon and Og Defeated
21 Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites,[am] saying, 22 “Let us go through your land; we will not turn aside into a field or vineyard; we will not drink well water along the way of the king until we have gone through your territory.” 23 But Sihon did not allow Israel to go through his territory. Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel; he came to the desert, to Jahaz, and he fought against Israel. 24 But Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and they took possession of his land from Arnon to Jabbok, until the Ammonites,[an] because the boundary of the Ammonites[ao] was strong. 25 Israel took all these cities, and Israel inhabited all the cities of the Amorites,[ap] in Heshbon, and in all its environs.[aq] 26 Because Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites,[ar] who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land from his hand until Arnon. 27 Thus the ones who quote proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
And let the city of Sihon be established.
28 Because fire went out from Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon;
it consumed Ar of Moab,
the lords of the[as] high places of Arnon.
29 Woe to you, Moab!
You have perished, people of Chemosh.
He has given his sons as fugitives,
and his daughters into captivity,
to the king of the Amorites,[at] Sihon.
30 We destroyed them;
Heshbon has perished up to Dibon;
we laid waste up to Nophah,
which reaches[au] Medeba.”
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.[av] 32 Moses sent to explore Jaazer; they captured its environs[aw] and dispossessed the Amorites[ax] who were there.
33 Then they turned and went up by the way of the Bashan, and Og king of the Bashan and all his people went out to meet them for battle at Edrei. 34 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Do not fear him because I will give him and all his people and all his land into your hand. You will do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites,[ay] who was living in Heshbon.” 35 And so they destroyed him and his sons, and all his people until they had not spared a survivor; and they took possession of his land.
Balak and Balaam
22 The Israelites[az] set out, and they encamped on the desert-plateau of Moab, across from Jericho beyond the Jordan. 2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel did to the Amorites,[ba] 3 and Moab was very terrified in the presence of the people because they[bb] were numerous; and Moab dreaded the presence of the Israelites.[bc] 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now the crowd will lick up all around us, like a bull devours the grass of the field.” And Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the river,[bd] in the land of the children of his people, to summon him, saying, “Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land;[be] they are about to dwell opposite me. 6 Now, please go, curse this people for me because they[bf] are stronger than me; perhaps I will be able to strike them[bg] and drive them[bh] out from the land because I know whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you cursed is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with a fee for divination in their hand; they came to Balaam and spoke the words of Balak to him. 8 He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will return, and I will return word to you, just as Yahweh speaks 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 And Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent word to me, 11 ‘Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land.[bi] Now, go, curse them[bj] for me. Perhaps I will be able to attack them[bk] and drive them[bl] out.” 12 God said to Balaam, “You will not go with them; you will not curse the people, because they[bm] are blessed.” 13 Balaam got up in the morning, and he said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, because Yahweh refused to allow me to go with you.” 14 The princes of Moab got up and went to Balak, and they said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Balak again sent many princes, who were more honored than the former.[bn] 16 They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor, ‘Please, let nothing keep you from coming to me 17 because I will surely honor you greatly, and all that you say to me I will do. Please, come; curse this people for me.’” 18 Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Even though Balak gives to me his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond the command of Yahweh[bo] my God to do a little or a lot. 19 And now please, you also stay here[bp] the night, and let me find out[bq] again what Yahweh will say with me.” 20 And God came to Balaam at night, and he said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but only the word that I will speak to you, you will do.” 21 So Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey, and he went with the princes of Moab.
Balaam and the Angel
22 But God became angry[br] because he was going, and the angel of Yahweh stood in the road as an adversary to him; he was riding on his donkey, and two servants were with him. 23 The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back to the road. 24 The angel of Yahweh stood in the narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on either side.[bs] 25 When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she pressed herself into the wall, and she pressed the foot of Balaam into the wall, so he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of Yahweh went further ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was not a way to turn aside to the right or left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she lay down under Balaam, so Balaam became angry,[bt] and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What did I do to you that you struck me these three times?” 29 Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you made a mockery of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!” 30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life until this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” He said, “No.”
31 Then Yahweh exposed the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down and worshiped to his face. 32 The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck this donkey three times? Look, I have come out as an adversary because your conduct is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from my face, then I would have killed you and kept her alive.” 34 Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “I have sinned because I did not know that you were standing to meet me in the road. Now, if it is displeasing to you,[bu] I will turn back.” 35 The angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I will speak to you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him by the city of Moab, which was on the boundary of Aaron at the end of the territory. 37 And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to meet with you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to honor you?” 38 Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I came to you now. Am I really able to speak anything at all? I speak the word that God puts in my mouth.” 39 Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-Huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he sent them to Balaam and to the princes who were with him. 41 And it happened, in the morning Balak took Balaam and took him up to Bamoth-Baal, and he saw from there the end of the nation.
Human Traditions and God’s Commandments
7 And the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered to him. 2 And they saw that some of his disciples were eating their[a] bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ritually,[b] thus[c] holding fast to the traditions of the elders. 4 And when they come[d] from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions[e] which they have received and[f] hold fast to—for example,[g] the washing of cups and pitchers and bronze kettles and dining couches.)[h] 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their[i] bread with unclean hands?” 6 So he said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with their[j] lips,
but their heart is far, far away from me.
7 And they worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’[k]
8 Abandoning the commandment of God, you hold fast to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep[l] your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[m] and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die[n].’[o] 11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his[p] father or to his[q] mother, “Whatever benefit you would have received[r] from me is corban”[s] (that is, a gift to God), 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his[t] father or his[u] mother, 13 thus[v] making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar things such as this.”
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