Old/New Testament
The Second Census and the Plan to Enter the Promised Land
Chapter 26
The Second Census. 1 After the plague, the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eleazar, the priest, saying, 2 “Take a census of the whole assembly of the people of Israel by their father’s house, those twenty years and older, all of those who are fit to bear arms.”
3 Moses and Eleazar spoke with them in the plain of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, 4 “Take a census of those twenty years and older, as the Lord commanded Moses, of all the people of Israel who came forth from the land of Egypt.”
5 Reuben was the firstborn son of Israel. The sons of Reuben were: Hanoch, of the Hanochite clan; Pallu, of the Palluite clan; 6 Hezron, of the Hezronite clan; Carmi, of the Carmite clan. 7 These were the clans of Reuben. Those counted numbered forty-three thousand, seven hundred and thirty.
8 The son of Pallu was Eliab. 9 The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were the community leaders who rebelled against Moses and Aaron. They were companions of Korah when they rebelled against the Lord. 10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them together with Korah, whose followers died when fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; they served as a warning. 11 The descendants of Korah, however, did not die out.
12 The sons of Simeon by their clans were: Nemuel, of the Nemuelite clan; Jamin, of the Jaminite clan; Jachin, of the Jachinite clan; 13 Zerah, of the Zerahite clan; and Shaul, of the Shaulite clan. 14 These were the clans of Simeon. There were twenty-two thousand, two hundred of them.[a]
15 The sons of Gad by their clans were: Zephon, of the Zephonite clan; Haggi, of the Haggite clan; Shuni, of the Shunite clan; 16 Ozni, of the Oznite clan; Eri, of the Erite clan; 17 Arod, of the Arodite clan; and Areli, of the Arelite clan. 18 These were the clans of Gad. There were forty thousand, five hundred of them.
19 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). 20 The sons of Judah by their clans were: Shelah, of the Shelahite clan; Perez,[b] of the Perezite clan; and Zerah, of the Zerahite clan. 21 The sons of Perez were: Hezron, of the Hezronite clan; and Hamul, of the Hamulite clan. 22 These were the clans of Judah. There were seventy-six thousand, five hundred of them.
23 The sons of Issachar by their clans were: Tola, of the Tolaite clan; Puvah, of the Puvahite clan; 24 Jashub, of the Jashubite clan; and Shimron, of the Shimronite clan. 25 These were the clans of Issachar. There were sixty-four thousand, three hundred of them.
26 The sons of Zebulun by their clans were: Sered, of the Seredite clan; Elon, of the Elonite clan; and Jahleel, of the Jahleelite clan. 27 These were the clans of Zebulun. There were sixty thousand, five hundred of them.
28 The sons of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim were: 29 the sons of Manasseh: Machir, of the Machirite clan (Machir was the father of Gilead); Gilead, of the Gileadites. 30 These were the sons of Gilead: Iezer, of the Iezerite clan; Helek, of the Helekite clan; 31 Asriel, of the Asrielite clan; Shechem, of the Shechemite clan; 32 Shemida, of the Shemidaite clan; and Hepher, of the Hepherite clan. 33 (Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, had no sons, only daughters. The name of the daughters of Zelophehad were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.) 34 These were the clans of Manasseh. There were fifty-two thousand, five hundred of them.
35 The sons of Ephraim by their clans were: Shuthelah, of the Shuthelahite clan; Becher, of the Becherite clan; and Tahan, of the Tahanite clan. 36 These were the sons of Shuthelah: Eran, of the Eranite clan. 37 These were the clans of Ephraim. There were thirty-two thousand, five hundred of them. These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.
38 The sons of Benjamin by their clans were: Bela, of the Belaite clan; Ashbel, of the Ashbelite clan; Ahiram, of the Ahiramite clan; 39 Shupham, of the Shuphamite clan; and Hupham, of the Huphamite clan. 40 The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: Ard, of the Ardite clan; and Naaman, of the Naamite clan. 41 These were the clans of Benjamin. There were forty-five thousand, six hundred of them.
42 The sons of Dan by their clans were: Shuham, of the Shuhamite clan. These were the clans of Dan. 43 The only clan was of the Shuhamites. There were sixty-four thousand, four hundred of them.
44 The sons of Asher by their clans were: Imnah, of the Imnite clan; Ishvi, of the Ishvite clan; and Beriah, of the Beriite clan. 45 The descendants of Beriah were: Heber, of the Heberite clan and Malchiel, of the Malchielite clan. 46 Asher also had a daughter named Serah.[c] 47 These were the clans of Asher. There were fifty-three thousand, four hundred of them.
48 The sons of Naphtali by their clans were: Jahzeel, of the Jahzeelite clan; Guni, of the Gunite clan; 49 Jezer, of the Jezerite clan; and Shillem, of the Shillemite clan. 50 These were the clans of Naphtali. There were forty-five thousand, four hundred of them.
51 The total number of people of Israel was six hundred and one thousand, seven hundred and thirty.
52 Land Allotments. The Lord then spoke to Moses, saying, 53 “The land is to be allotted unto these as an inheritance based on the number of those inscribed. 54 To the larger group you will give a larger inheritance, to the smaller group you will give a smaller inheritance. Every clan will be given an inheritance according to its size. 55 But the land will be divided by lot; they will inherit it according to the number of the names of their ancestral tribes. 56 Each inheritance will be distributed by lot, to the larger and smaller groups.”
57 The Levite Census.[d]These were the Levites who were counted by their clans: Gershon, of the Gershonite clan; Kohath, of the Kohathite clan; and Merari, of the Merarite clan.[e] 58 These were also Levite clans: the Libnite clan; the Hebronite clan; the Mahlite clan; the Mushite clan; and the Kohathite clan.
Kohath became the father of Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam to Amram. 60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unclean fire before the Lord. 62 The total number of all the males one month old and older was twenty-three thousand. They were not counted among the people of Israel because no inheritance was given to them among the people of Israel.
63 These were the figures of the people of Israel counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest in the plain of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho. 64 There was not a single person among the people of Israel whom Moses and Aaron had counted in the Sinai Desert. 65 The Lord said of them: “They will surely die in the wilderness.” There were none of them left except for Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun.
Chapter 27
Zelophehad’s Daughters.[f] 1 The daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, the son of Joseph came forward. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 They stood before Moses and Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders and all the assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They said, 3 “Our father died in the desert, but he was not in the band of those who conspired together with Korah against the Lord. He died on account of his own sin. He had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father perish from his clan because he did not have a son? Give us property among our father’s kinsmen.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 7 “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is just. You surely must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s kinsmen, and you must turn their father’s inheritance over to them. 8 Say to the people of Israel, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, then turn over his inheritance to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then turn over his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If the father has no brothers, you will give his inheritance to his nearest kinsman in his clan so that he might possess it. This will be a statute and an ordinance for the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.’ ”
12 Joshua Commissioned by Moses. The Lord said to Moses, “Go up onto Mount Abarim and look upon the land that I have given to the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was, 14 for in the Desert of Zin, in the strife over the water with the assembly, you both disobeyed my command to treat me as holy before their eyes.” (This is the water of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, 16 “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, place a man over the assembly 17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the assembly of the Lord might not be like sheep without a shepherd.”[g] 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom the Spirit is found, and lay your hand upon him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the whole assembly and commission him in their sight. 20 Give him some of your authority, so that the assembly of the people of Israel might obey. 21 He will stand before Eleazar, the priest, who will inquire for him before the Lord with the judgment of the Urim. At his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole assembly.”[h]
22 So Moses did as the Lord had commanded him. He took Joshua and brought him before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 He laid his hand upon him and commissioned him, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
Chapter 28
Daily Offerings.[i] 1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘You will be careful to present my offering in its proper time, my food for my offerings made by fire, a pleasant fragrance.’ 3 You will say to them, ‘This is the offering that you will make by fire to the Lord: two male year-old lambs that are without defect. They are each day’s regular burnt offering.[j] 4 You will offer one lamb in the morning, and you will offer the other lamb in the evening 5 along with one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil as a cereal offering. 6 This is the regular burnt offering which was established on Mount Sinai as a pleasing fragrance, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 7 Its drink offering is to be a fourth of a hin for each lamb. You will pour out the strong wine as a drink offering to the Lord in the sanctuary. 8 The other lamb will be offered in the evening with the same cereal offering as in the morning and the drink offering. You will offer it as an offering made by fire, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.
Sabbath Offerings. 9 “ ‘On the Sabbath offer two male year-old lambs that are without defect, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering, and its drink offering. 10 The burnt offering for each Sabbath is in addition to the regular burnt offerings and their drink offerings.
11 Monthly Offerings.“ ‘At the beginnings of your months, you will offer a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs that are without defect 12 along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering for each young bull, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering for each ram, 13 and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering for each lamb. This will be a burnt offering, a pleasing fragrance, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 14 The drink offering will be half a hin of wine for each young bull, a third of a hin for each ram, and a fourth of a hin for each lamb. This is the burnt offering to be made each new moon[k] throughout the year. 15 Besides the regular burnt offerings with their drink offerings, one kid goat is to be offered to the Lord as a sin offering.
16 At Passover.[l]“ ‘The Passover of the Lord is to be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month. 17 The fifteenth day of this month is a feast, unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days. 18 On the first day you will have a sacred assembly, you are not to do any heavy labor. 19 Present an offering made by fire of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs to the Lord. They are to be without defect. 20 Their grain offering will be fine flour mixed with oil. You will offer three-tenths of an ephah for a young bull and two-tenths of an ephah for a ram. 21 You will offer one-tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs 22 and one goat as a sin offering to make your atonement. 23 You will offer these in addition to the morning burnt offering, which is the regular burnt offering. 24 This is the way that you will offer the food of the offering made by fire each day for seven days, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. It is offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and their drink offerings. 25 On the seventh day you will have a holy assembly; you are not to do any heavy labor.
26 Pentecost.[m]“ ‘On the day of the firstfruits,[n] when you bring a new cereal offering to the Lord for the Feast of Weeks, you are to have a holy assembly; you are not to do any heavy labor. 27 You will present a burnt offering as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs 28 along with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each young bull, two-tenths of an ephah for each ram, 29 and a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs, 30 along with one kid goat to make your atonement. 31 They are to be without defect. 32 You will present them in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal offerings and their drink offerings.
Chapter 8
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand.[a] 1 In those days, a great crowd had again assembled, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I am moved with compassion for these people, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way—and some of them have come from far off.”
4 His disciples replied, “How can anyone find enough bread here in this deserted place to feed these men?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.”
6 Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the people. 7 There were also a few small fish, and after blessing them he commanded that these too should be distributed. 8 They ate and were satisfied. Afterward, the disciples picked up the fragments left over—seven full baskets. 9 The people there numbered about four thousand. And when he had sent them away, 10 he immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.[b]
11 The Demand for a Sign.[c] The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him. To put him to the test they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 12 Sighing from the depths of his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and sailed across to the other side.
14 The Yeast of the Pharisees.[d] They had forgotten to bring any bread with them, and they had only one loaf in the boat. 15 Jesus then gave them this warning, “Be careful, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 They talked about this to one another and concluded: “It is because we have no bread.”
17 Becoming aware of what they were discussing, he said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear?
“And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets filled with fragments did you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets filled with fragments did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
22 Jesus Heals a Blind Man.[e] They arrived at Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged that he touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then, putting saliva on his eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything?” 24 Looking up, the man responded, “I can see people, but they look like trees walking around.” 25 Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and the man looked around intently. His sight was restored, and he was able to see everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”
27 Peter’s Confession That Jesus Is the Messiah.[f] Then Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They responded, “[Some say] John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But you,” he asked, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 Then he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.
The Mystery of Jesus Is Revealed[g]
The Way of the Son of Man[h]
31 Jesus Predicts His Passion.[i] After that, he began to teach them that the Son of Man must endure great suffering, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,[j] and be put to death, and rise again after three days. 32 He told them these facts in plain words.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 At this, Jesus turned and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as men do.”
34 The Conditions of Discipleship.[k] He then called the people and his disciples to him and said to them, “Anyone who wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 [l]For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the sake of the gospel will save it. 36 What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his very life? 37 Indeed, what can he give in exchange for his life?
38 “If anyone in this adulterous and sinful generation is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
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