1

1 It was on the fifteenth day of April of the second year after the Israelis left Egypt that the Lord issued the following instructions to Moses. (He was in the Tabernacle at the camp of Israel on the Sinai peninsula at the time.)

2 "Take a census of all the men twenty years old and older who are able to go to war, indicating their tribe and family.

3 You and Aaron are to direct the project,

4 assisted by these leaders from each tribe:" Tribe, Leader;

5 Reuben, Elizur (son of Shedeur);

6 Simeon, Shelumiel (son of Zurishaddai);

7 Judah, Nahshon (son of Amminadab);

8 Issachar, Nethanel (son of Zuar);

9 Zebulun, Eliab (son of Helon);

10 Ephraim (son of Joseph), Elishama (son of Ammihud); Manasseh (son of Joseph), Gamaliel (son of Pedahzur);

11 Benjamin, Abidan (son of Gideoni);

12 Dan, Ahiezer (son of Ammishaddai);

13 Asher, Pagiel (son of Ochran);

14 Gad, Eliasaph (son of Deuel);

15 Naphtali, Ahira (son of Enan);

16 These were the tribal leaders elected from among the people.

17 On the same day Moses and Aaron and the above-named leaders

18 summoned all the men of Israel who were twenty years old or older to come and register, each man indicating his tribe and family,

19 as the Lord had commanded Moses.

20 Here is the final tabulation: Tribe: Total

21 Reuben (the oldest son of Jacob): 46,500;

22 Simeon: 59,300;

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24 Gad: 45,650;

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26 Judah: 74,600;

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28 Issachar: 54,400;

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30 Zebulun: 57,400;

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32 Joseph: Ephraim (son of Joseph): 40,500;

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34 Joseph: Manasseh (son of Joseph): 32,200;

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36 Benjamin: 35,400;

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38 Dan: 62,700;

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40 Asher: 41,500;

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42 Naphtali: 53,400;

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44 Grand Total: 603,550

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47 This total does not include the Levites, for the Lord had said to Moses, "Exempt the entire tribe of Levi from the draft, and do not include their number in the census.

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50 For the Levites are assigned for the work connected with the Tabernacle and its transportation. They are to live near the Tabernacle,

51 and whenever the Tabernacle is moved, the Levites are to take it down and set it up again; anyone else touching it shall be executed.

52 Each tribe of Israel shall have a separate camping area with its own flag.

53 The Levites' tents shall be clustered around the Tabernacle as a wall between the people of Israel and God's wrath--to protect them from his fierce anger against their sins."

54 So all these instructions of the Lord to Moses were put into effect.

2

1 The Lord gave these further instructions to Moses and Aaron:

2 "Each tribe will have its own tent area, with its flagpole and tribal banner; and at the center of these tribal compounds will be the Tabernacle."

3 Here are the tribal locations: Tribe, Leader, Location, Census;

4 Judah, Nahshon (son of Amminadab), East side of the Tabernacle, 74,600;

5 Issachar, Nethanel (son of Zuar), Next to Judah, 54,400;

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7 Zebulun, Eliab (son of Helon), Next to Issachar, 57,400;

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9 So the total of all those on Judah's side of the camp was 186,400. These three tribes led the way whenever the Israelites traveled to a new campsite.

10 Reuben, Elizur (son of Shedeur), South side of the Tabernacle, 46,500;

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12 Simeon, Shelumiel (son of Zurishaddai), Next to Reuben, 59,300;

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14 Gad, Eliasaph (son of Reuel ), Next to Simeon, 45,650;

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16 So the total of the Reuben side of the camp was 151,450. These three tribes were next in line whenever the Israelis traveled.

17 Next in the line of march was the Tabernacle, with the Levites. When traveling, each tribe stayed together under its own flag, just as each was separate from the others in camp.

18 Ephraim, Elishama (son of Ammihud), West side of Tabernacle, 40,500;

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20 Manasseh, Gamaliel (son of Pedahzur), Next to Ephraim, 32,200;

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22 Benjamin, Abidan (son of Gideoni), Next to Manasseh, 35,400;

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24 So the total on the Ephraim side of the camp was 108,100, and they were next in the line of march.

25 Dan, Ahiezer (son of Ammishaddai), North side of Tabernacle, 62,700;

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27 Asher, Pagiel (son of Ochran), Next to Dan, 41,500;

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29 Naphtali, Ahira (son of Enan), Next to Asher, 53,400;

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31 So the total on Dan's side of the camp was 157,600. They brought up the rear whenever Israel traveled.

32 In summary, the armies of Israel totaled 603,550 (not including the Levites, who were exempted by Jehovah's commandment to Moses).

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34 So the people of Israel set up their camps, each tribe under its own banner, in the locations indicated by the Lord to Moses.

3

1 At the time when the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai,

2 Aaron's sons were: Nadab (his oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar.

3 All were anointed as priests and set apart to minister at the Tabernacle.

4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai when they used unholy fire. And since they had no children, this left only Eleazar and Ithamar to assist their father, Aaron.

5 Then the Lord said to Moses,

6 "Summon the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron as his assistants.

7 They will follow his instructions and perform the sacred duties at the Tabernacle on behalf of all the people of Israel. For they are assigned to him as representatives of all the people of Israel.

8 However, only Aaron and his sons may carry out the duties of the priesthood; anyone else who presumes to assume this office shall be executed."

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10

11 And the Lord said to Moses, "I have accepted the Levites in substitution for all the oldest sons of the people of Israel. The Levites are mine

12

13 in exchange for all the oldest sons. From the day I killed all the oldest sons of the Egyptians, I took for myself all the firstborn in Israel of both men and animals! They are mine; I am Jehovah."

14 The Lord now spoke again to Moses at the Sinai peninsula, telling him,

15 "Take a census of the tribe of Levi, indicating each person's clan; count every male down to one month old."

16 So Moses did:

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21 Levi's son: Gershon Levi's grandsons (clan names): Libni, Shime-i

22 Census: 7,500

23 Leader: Elisaph (son of Lael)

24 Camp Location: West side of Tabernacle

25 Responsibilities: The responsibility of these two clans of Levites was the care of the Tabernacle: its coverings, its entry drapes,

26 the drapes covering the fence surrounding the courtyard, the screen at the entrance of the courtyard surrounding the Tabernacle, the altar, and all the ropes used in tying the Tabernacle together.

27 Levi's son: Kohath Levi's grandsons (clan names): Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel

28 Census: 8,600

29 Leader: Elizaphan (son of Uzziel)

30 Camp Location: South side of the Tabernacle

31 Responsibilities: The responsibility of these four clans of Levites was the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various utensils used in the Tabernacle, the veil, and any repairs needed on any of these items.

32 (Note: Eleazar, Aaron's son, shall be the chief administrator over the leaders of the Levites, with special responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary.)

33 Levi's son: Merari Levi's grandsons (clan names): Mahli, Mushi

34 Census: 6,200

35 Leader: Zuriel (son of Abihail) Camp Location: North side of Tabernacle

36 Responsibilities: The responsibility of these two clans was the care of the frames of the Tabernacle building; the posts; the bases for the posts, and all of the equipment needed for their use;

37 the posts around the courtyard and their bases, pegs, and ropes.

38 The area east of the Tabernacle was reserved for the tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final responsibility for the Tabernacle on behalf of the people of Israel. (Anyone who was not a priest or Levite, but came into the Tabernacle, was to be executed.)

39 So all the Levites, as numbered by Moses and Aaron at the command of the Lord, were 22,000 males one month old and older.

40 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now take a census of all the eldest sons in Israel who are one month old and older, and register each name.

41 The Levites shall be mine (I am Jehovah) as substitutes for the eldest sons of Israel; and the Levites' cattle are mine as substitutes for the firstborn cattle of the whole nation."

42 So Moses took a census of the eldest sons of the people of Israel, as the Lord had commanded,

43 and found the total number of eldest sons one month old and older to be 22,273.

44 Now the Lord said to Moses,

45 "Give me the Levites instead of the eldest sons of the people of Israel; and give me the cattle of the Levites instead of the firstborn cattle of the people of Israel; yes, the Levites shall be mine; I am Jehovah.

46 To redeem the 273 eldest sons in excess of the number of Levites,

47 pay five dollars for each one to Aaron and his sons."

48

49 So Moses received redemption money for the 273 eldest sons of Israel who were in excess of the number of Levites. (All the others were redeemed because the Levites had been given to the Lord in their place.)

50 The money collected came to a total of $1,365.

51 And Moses gave it to Aaron and his sons as the Lord had commanded.

4

1 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take a census of the Kohath division of the Levite tribe.

2

3 This census will be of all males from ages thirty to fifty who are able to work in the Tabernacle.

4 These are their sacred duties:

5 "When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons will enter the Tabernacle first and take down the veil and cover the Ark with it.

6 Then they will cover the veil with goatskin leather, cover the goatskins with a blue cloth, and place the carrying poles of the Ark in their rings.

7 "Next they must spread a blue cloth over the table where the Bread of the Presence is displayed, and place the dishes, spoons, bowls, cups, and the Bread upon the cloth.

8 They will spread a scarlet cloth over that, and finally a covering of goatskin leather on top of the scarlet cloth. Then they shall insert the carrying poles into the table.

9 "Next they must cover with a blue cloth the lampstand, the lamps, snuffers, trays, and the reservoir of olive oil.

10 This entire group of objects shall then be covered with goatskin leather, and the bundle shall be placed upon a carrying frame.

11 "They must then spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with a covering of goatskin leather, and insert the carrying poles into the altar.

12 All of the remaining utensils of the Tabernacle are to be wrapped in a blue cloth, covered with goatskin leather, and placed on the carrying frame.

13 "The ashes are to be removed from the altar, and the altar shall be covered with a purple cloth.

14 All of the altar utensils are to be placed upon the cloth--the firepans, hooks, shovels, basins, and other containers--and a cover of goatskin leather will be spread over them. Finally, the carrying poles are to be put in place.

15 When Aaron and his sons have finished packing the sanctuary and all the utensils, the clan of Kohath shall come and carry the units to wherever the camp is traveling; but they must not touch the holy items, lest they die. This, then, is the sacred work of the sons of Kohath.

16 "Aaron's son Eleazar shall be responsible for the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil--in fact, the supervision of the entire Tabernacle and everything in it will be his responsibility."

17 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

18 "Don't let the families of Kohath destroy themselves!

19 This is what you must do so that they will not die when they carry the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in with them and point out what each is to carry.

20 Otherwise they must never enter the sanctuary for even a moment, lest they look at the sacred objects there and die."

21 And the Lord said to Moses,

22 "Take a census of the Gershonite division of the tribe of Levi,

23 all of the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible for the sacred work of the Tabernacle.

24 These will be their duties:

25 "They will carry the curtains of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle itself with its coverings, the goatskin leather roof, and the curtain for the Tabernacle entrance.

26 They are also to carry the drapes covering the courtyard fence, and the curtain across the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the altar and the Tabernacle. They will also carry the altar, the ropes, and all of the accessories. They are fully responsible for the transportation of these items.

27 Aaron or any of his sons may assign the Gershonites' tasks to them,

28 but the Gershonites will be directly responsible to Aaron's son Ithamar.

29 "Now take a census of the Merari division of the Levite tribe, all of the men from thirty to fifty who are eligible for the Tabernacle service.

30 When the Tabernacle is moved, they are to carry the frames of the Tabernacle, the bars, the bases,

31

32 the frames for the courtyard fence with their bases, pegs, cords, and everything else connected with their use and repair. "Assign duties to each man by name.

33 The Merari division will also report to Aaron's son Ithamar."

34 So Moses and Aaron and the other leaders took a census of the Kohath division,

35 including all of the men thirty to fifty years of age who were eligible for the Tabernacle service,

36 and found that the total number was 2,750.

37 All this was done to carry out the Lord's instructions to Moses.

38 A similar census of the Gershon division totaled 2,630.

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42 And of the Merari division, 3,200.

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46 Thus Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel found that the total of all the Levites

47 who were thirty to fifty years old and who were eligible for the Tabernacle service and transportation

48 was 8,580.

49 This census was taken in response to the Lord's instructions to Moses.

5

1 These are further instructions from the Lord to Moses:

2 "Inform the people of Israel that they must expel all lepers from the camp, and all who have open sores, or who have been defiled by touching a dead person.

3 This applies to men and women alike. Remove them so that they will not defile the camp where I live among you."

4 These instructions were put into effect.

5 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel that when anyone, man or woman, betrays the Lord by betraying a trust, it is sin.

6

7 He must confess his sin and make full repayment for what he has stolen, adding 20 percent and returning it to the person he took it from.

8 But if the person he wronged is dead, and there is no near relative to whom the payment can be made, it must be given to the priest, along with a lamb for atonement.

9 When the people of Israel bring a gift to the Lord it shall go to the priests."

10

11 And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel that if a man's wife commits adultery,

12

13 but there is no proof, there being no witness,

14 and he is jealous and suspicious,

15 the man shall bring his wife to the priest with an offering for her of a tenth of a bushel of barley meal without oil or frankincense mingled with it--for it is a suspicion offering--to bring out the truth as to whether or not she is guilty.

16 "The priest shall bring her before the Lord,

17 and take holy water in a clay jar and mix into it dust from the floor of the Tabernacle.

18 He shall unbind her hair and place the suspicion offering in her hands to determine whether or not her husband's suspicions are justified. The priest shall stand before her holding the jar of bitter water that brings a curse.

19 He shall require her to swear that she is innocent, and then he shall say to her, 'If no man has slept with you except your husband, be free from the effects of this bitter water that causes the curse.

20 But if you have committed adultery,

21 then Jehovah shall make you a curse among your people, for he will make your thigh rot away and your body swell.' And the woman shall be required to say, 'Yes, let it be so.'

22

23 Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the bitter water.

24 (When he requires the woman to drink the water, it becomes bitter within her if she is guilty.)

25 "Then the priest shall take the suspicion offering from the woman's hand and wave it before Jehovah, and carry it to the altar.

26 He shall take a handful, representing all of it, and burn the handful upon the altar, and then require the woman to drink the water.

27 If she has been defiled, having committed adultery against her husband, the water will become bitter within her, and her body will swell and her thigh will rot, and she shall be a curse among her people.

28 But if she is pure and has not committed adultery, she shall be unharmed and will soon become pregnant.

29 "This, then, is the law concerning a wayward wife--or a husband's suspicions against his wife--

30 to determine whether or not she has been unfaithful to him. He shall bring her before the Lord and the priest shall handle the situation as outlined above.

31 Her husband shall not be brought to trial for causing her horrible disease, for she is responsible."

6

1 The Lord gave Moses these further instructions for the people of Israel:

2 "When either a man or a woman takes the special vow of a Nazirite, consecrating himself to the Lord in a special way,

3 he must not thereafter, during the entire period of his special consecration to the Lord, taste strong drink or wine or even fresh wine, grape juice, grapes, or raisins!

4 He may eat nothing that comes from grape vines, not even the seeds or skins!

5 "Throughout that time he must never cut his hair, for he is holy and consecrated to the Lord; that is why he must let his hair grow.

6 "And he may not go near any dead body during the entire period of his vow,

7 even if it is the body of his father, mother, brother, or sister; for his vow of consecration remains in effect,

8 and he is consecrated to the Lord throughout the entire period.

9 If he is defiled by having someone fall dead beside him, then seven days later he shall shave his defiled head; he will then be cleansed from the contamination of being in the presence of death.

10 The next day, the eighth day, he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

11 The priest shall offer one of the birds for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for his defilement. And he must renew his vows that day and let his hair begin to grow again.

12 The days of his vow that were fulfilled before his defilement no longer count. He must begin all over again with a new vow, and must bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering.

13 "At the conclusion of the period of his vow of separation to the Lord, he must go to the entrance of the Tabernacle

14 and offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, a year-old lamb without defect. He must also offer a sin offering, a yearling ewe lamb without defect; a peace offering, a ram without defect;

15 a basket of bread made without yeast; pancakes made of fine flour mixed with olive oil; unleavened wafers spread with oil; and the accompanying grain offering and drink offerings.

16 The priest shall present these offerings before the Lord: first the sin offering and the burnt offering;

17 then the ram for a peace offering, along with the basket of bread made without yeast; and finally the grain offering along with the drink offering.

18 "Then the Nazirite shall shave his long hair--the sign of his vow of separation. This shall be done at the entrance of the Tabernacle, after which the hair shall be put in the fire under the peace offering sacrifice.

19 After the man's head has been shaved, the priest shall take the roasted shoulder of the lamb, one of the pancakes (made without yeast), and one of the wafers (also made without yeast), and put them all into the man's hands.

20 The priest shall then wave it all back and forth before the Lord in a gesture of offering; all of it is a holy portion for the priest, as are the rib piece and shoulder that were waved before the Lord. After that the Nazirite may again drink wine, for he is freed from his vow.

21 "These are the regulations concerning a Nazirite and his sacrifices at the conclusion of his period of special dedication. In addition to these sacrifices he must bring any further offering he promised at the time he took his vow to become a Nazirite."

22 Now the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons that they are to give this special blessing to the people of Israel:

23

24 'May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord's face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.'

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26

27 This is how Aaron and his sons shall call down my blessings upon the people of Israel; and I myself will personally bless them."

7

1 Moses anointed and sanctified each part of the Tabernacle, including the altar and its utensils, on the day he finished setting it up.

2 Then the leaders of Israel--the chiefs of the tribes, the men who had organized the census--brought their offerings.

3 They brought six covered wagons, each drawn by two oxen--a wagon for every two leaders and an ox for each one; and they presented them to the Lord in front of the Tabernacle.

4 "Accept their gifts," the Lord told Moses, "and use these wagons for the work of the Tabernacle. Give them to the Levites for whatever needs they may have."

5

6 "So Moses presented the wagons and the oxen to the Levites.

7 Two wagons and four oxen were given to the Gershon division for their use,

8 and four wagons and eight oxen were given to the Merari division, which was under the leadership of Ithamar, Aaron's son.

9 None of the wagons or teams was given to the Kohath division, for they were required to carry their portion of the Tabernacle upon their shoulders.

10 The leaders also presented dedication gifts on the day the altar was anointed, placing them before the altar.

11 The Lord said to Moses, "Let each of them bring his gift on a different day for the dedication of the altar."

12 So Nahshon, the son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah, brought his gift the first day.

13 It consisted of a silver platter weighing three pounds and a silver bowl of about two pounds, both filled with grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil.

14 He also brought a tiny gold box of incense which weighed only about four ounces.

15 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a male yearling lamb as burnt offerings;

16 a male goat for a sin offering;

17 and for the peace offerings two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male yearling lambs.

18 The next day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, chief of the tribe of Issachar, brought his gifts and offerings. They were exactly the same as Nahshon had presented on the previous day.

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24 On the third day Eliab, the son of Helon, chief of the tribe of Zebulun, came with his offerings--the same as those presented on the previous days.

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30 On the fourth day the gifts were presented by Elizur, son of Shedeur, chief of the tribe of Reuben; his gifts and offerings were the same as those given on the previous days.

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36 On the fifth day came Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, chief of the tribe of Simeon, with the same gifts.

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42 The next day it was Eliasaph's turn, son of Deuel, chief of the tribe of Gad. He, too, offered the same gifts and sacrifices.

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48 On the seventh day, Elishama, the son of Ammihud, chief of the tribe of Ephraim, brought his gifts, the same as those presented on the previous days.

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54 Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, prince of the tribe of Manasseh, came the eighth day with the same offerings.

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60 On the ninth day it was Abidan the son of Gideoni, chief of the tribe of Benjamin, with his gifts, the same as those offered by the others.

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66 Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, brought his gifts on the tenth day. He was the chief of the tribe of Dan and his offerings were the same as those on the previous days.

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72 Pagiel, son of Ochran, chief of the tribe of Asher, brought his gifts on the eleventh day--the same gifts and offerings as the others.

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78 On the twelfth day came Ahira, son of Enan, chief of the tribe of Naphtali, with his offerings; they were identical to those brought by the others.

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84 So, beginning the day the altar was anointed, it was dedicated by these gifts from the chiefs of the tribes of Israel. Their combined offerings were as follows: 12 silver platters (each weighing about three pounds); 12 silver bowls (each weighing about two pounds); (so the total weight of the silver was about sixty pounds); 12 gold trays (the trays weighing about four ounces apiece); (so the total weight of gold was about three pounds).

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86

87 For the burnt offerings they brought: 12 bulls, 12 rams, 12 yearling male goats (with the grain offerings that accompanied them). For sin offerings they brought: 12 male goats.

88

89 When Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with God, he heard the Voice speaking to him from above the place of mercy over the Ark, between the statues of the two Guardian Angels.

8

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 "Tell Aaron that when he lights the seven lamps in the lampstand, he is to set them so that they will throw their light forward."

3 So Aaron did this.

4 The lampstand, including the floral decorations on the base and branches, was made entirely of beaten gold. It was constructed according to the exact design the Lord had shown Moses.

5 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now set apart the Levites from the other people of Israel.

6

7 Do this by sprinkling water of purification upon them, then having them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothing and themselves.

8 Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of fine flour mingled with oil, along with another young bull for a sin offering.

9 Then bring the Levites to the door of the Tabernacle as all the people watch.

10 There the leaders of the tribes shall lay their hands upon them,

11 and Aaron, with a gesture of offering, shall present them to the Lord as a gift from the entire nation of Israel. The Levites will represent all the people in serving the Lord.

12 "Next, the Levite leaders shall lay their hands upon the heads of the young bulls and offer them before the Lord; one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.

13 Then the Levites are to be presented to Aaron and his sons, just as any other gift to the Lord is given to the priests!

14 In this way you will dedicate the Levites from among the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

15 After you have sanctified them and presented them in this way, they shall go in and out of the Tabernacle to do their work.

16 "They are mine from among all the people of Israel, and I have accepted them in place of all the firstborn children of the Israelites: I have taken the Levites as their substitutes.

17 For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both men and animals; I claimed them for myself the night I killed all the firstborn Egyptians.

18 Yes, I have accepted the Levites in place of all the eldest sons of Israel.

19 And I will give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons. The Levites will carry out the sacred duties required of the people of Israel in the Tabernacle, and will offer the people's sacrifices, making atonement for them. There will be no plague among the Israelites--as there would be if the ordinary people entered the Tabernacle."

20 So Moses and Aaron and all the people of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following Jehovah's instructions to Moses.

21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them to the Lord in a gesture of offering. He then performed the rite of atonement over them to purify them.

22 After that they went into the Tabernacle as assistants to Aaron and his sons; everything was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

23 The Lord also instructed Moses, "The Levites are to begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, and are to retire at the age of fifty.

24

25 After retirement they can assist with various light duties in the Tabernacle, but will have no regular responsibilities."

26

9

1 Jehovah gave these instructions to Moses while he and the rest of the Israelis were on the Sinai peninsula, during the first month of the second year after leaving Egypt:

2 "The people of Israel must celebrate the Passover annually on April first, beginning in the evening.

3 Be sure to follow all of my instructions concerning this celebration."

4 So Moses announced that the Passover celebration would begin on the evening of April first, there in the Sinai peninsula, just as the Lord had commanded.

5

6 But as it happened, some of the men had just attended a funeral and were ceremonially defiled by having touched the dead, so they couldn't eat the Passover lamb that night. They came to Moses and Aaron

7 and explained their problem and protested at being forbidden from offering their sacrifice to the Lord at the time he had appointed.

8 Moses said he would ask the Lord about it,

9 and this was God's reply:

10 "If any of the people of Israel, now or in the generations to come, are defiled at Passover time because of touching a dead body, or if they are on a journey and cannot be present, they may still celebrate the Passover, but one month later,

11 on May first, beginning in the evening. They are to eat the lamb at that time, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

12 They must not leave any of it until the next morning, and must not break a bone of it, and must follow all the regular instructions concerning the Passover.

13 "But anyone who is not defiled, and anyone who is not away on a trip, and yet refuses to celebrate the Passover at the regular time, shall be excommunicated from the people of Israel for refusing to sacrifice to Jehovah at the proper time; he must bear his guilt.

14 And if a foreigner is living among you and wants to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, he shall follow all these same instructions. There is one law for all."

15 On the day the Tabernacle was raised the Cloud covered it; and that evening the Cloud changed to the appearance of fire, and stayed that way throughout the night.

16 It was always so--the daytime Cloud changing to the appearance of fire at night.

17 When the Cloud lifted, the people of Israel moved on to wherever it stopped, and camped there.

18 In this way they journeyed at the command of the Lord and stopped where he told them to, then remained there as long as the Cloud stayed.

19 If it stayed a long time, then they stayed a long time. But if it stayed only a few days, then they remained only a few days; for so the Lord had instructed them.

20 Sometimes the fire-cloud stayed only during the night and moved on the next morning. But day or night, when it moved, the people broke camp and followed.

21

22 If the Cloud stayed above the Tabernacle two days, a month, or a year, that is how long the people of Israel stayed; but as soon as it moved, they moved.

23 So it was that they camped or traveled at the commandment of the Lord; and whatever the Lord told Moses they should do, they did.

10

1 Now the Lord said to Moses, "Make two trumpets of beaten silver to be used for summoning the people to assemble and for signaling the breaking of camp.

2

3 When both trumpets are blown, the people will know that they are to gather at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

4 But if only one is blown, then only the chiefs of the tribes of Israel shall come to you.

5 "Different trumpet blasts will be necessary to distinguish between the summons to assemble and the signal to break camp and move onward.

6 When the travel signal is blown, the tribes camped on the east side of the Tabernacle shall leave first;

7 at the second signal, the tribes on the south shall go.

8 Only the priests are permitted to blow the trumpets. This is a permanent instruction to be followed from generation to generation.

9 "When you arrive in the Promised Land and go to war against your enemies, God will hear you and save you from your enemies when you sound the alarm with these trumpets.

10 Use the trumpets in times of gladness, too, blowing them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month to rejoice over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. And God will be reminded of his covenant with you. For I am Jehovah, your God."

11 The Cloud lifted from the Tabernacle on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year of Israel's leaving Egypt;

12 so the Israelites left the Sinai wilderness, and followed the Cloud until it stopped in the wilderness of Paran.

13 This was their first journey after having received the Lord's travel instructions to Moses.

14 At the head of the march was the tribe of Judah grouped behind its flag and led by Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

15 Next came the tribe of Issachar, led by Nethanel, the son of Zuar,

16 and the tribe of Zebulun, led by Eliab, the son of Helon.

17 The Tabernacle was taken down and the men of the Gershon and Merari divisions of the tribe of Levi were next in the line of march, carrying the Tabernacle upon their shoulders.

18 Then came the flag of the camp of Reuben, with Elizur the son of Shedeur leading his people.

19 Next was the tribe of Simeon headed by Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai;

20 and the tribe of Gad led by Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.

21 Next came the Kohathites carrying the items from the inner sanctuary. (The Tabernacle was already erected in its new location by the time they arrived.)

22 Next in line was the tribe of Ephraim behind its flag, led by Elishama, the son of Ammihud;

23 and the tribe of Manasseh led by Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;

24 and the tribe of Benjamin, led by Abidan the son of Gideoni.

25 Last of all were the tribes headed by the flag of the tribe of Dan under the leadership of Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai;

26 the tribe of Asher, led by Pagiel, the son of Ochran;

27 and the tribe of Naphtali, led by Ahira, the son of Enan.

28 That was the order in which the tribes traveled.

29 One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab (son of Reuel, the Midianite), "At last we are on our way to the Promised Land. Come with us and we will do you good; for the Lord has given wonderful promises to Israel!"

30 But his brother-in-law replied, "No, I must return to my own land and kinfolk."

31 "Stay with us," Moses pleaded, "for you know the ways of the wilderness and will be a great help to us.

32 If you come, you will share in all the good things the Lord does for us."

33 They traveled for three days after leaving Mount Sinai, with the Ark at the front of the column to choose a place for them to stop.

34 It was daytime when they left, with the Cloud moving along ahead of them as they began their march.

35 As the Ark was carried forward, Moses cried out, "Arise, O Lord, and scatter your enemies; let them flee before you."

36 And when the Ark was set down he said, "Return, O Lord, to the millions of Israel."

11

1 The people were soon complaining about all their misfortunes, and the Lord heard them. His anger flared out against them because of their complaints, so the fire of the Lord began destroying those at the far end of the camp.

2 They screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed for them the fire stopped.

3 Ever after, the area was known as "The Place of Burning," because the fire from the Lord burned among them there.

4 Then the Egyptians who had come with them began to long for the good things of Egypt. This added to the discontent of the people of Israel and they wept, "Oh, for a few bites of meat!

5 Oh, that we had some of the delicious fish we enjoyed so much in Egypt, and the wonderful cucumbers and melons, leeks, onions, and garlic!

6 But now our strength is gone, and day after day we have to face this manna!"

7 The manna was the size of small seeds, whitish yellow in color.

8 The people gathered it from the ground and pounded it into flour, then boiled it, and then made pancakes from it--they tasted like pancakes fried in vegetable oil.

9 The manna fell with the dew during the night.

10 Moses heard all the families standing around their tent doors weeping, and the anger of the Lord grew hot; Moses too was highly displeased.

11 Moses said to the Lord, "Why pick on me, to give me the burden of a people like this?

12 Are they my children? Am I their father? Is that why you have given me the job of nursing them along like babies until we get to the land you promised their ancestors?

13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? For they weep to me saying, 'Give us meat!'

14 I can't carry this nation by myself! The load is far too heavy!

15 If you are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now; it will be a kindness! Let me out of this impossible situation!"

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Summon before me seventy of the leaders of Israel; bring them to the Tabernacle, to stand there with you.

17 I will come down and talk with you there, and I will take of the Spirit which is on you and will put it upon them also; they shall bear the burden of the people along with you, so that you will not have the task alone.

18 "And tell the people to purify themselves, for tomorrow they shall have meat to eat. Tell them, 'The Lord has heard your tearful complaints about all you left behind in Egypt, and he is going to give you meat. You shall eat it,

19 not for just a day or two, or five or ten or even twenty!

20 For one whole month you will have meat until you vomit it from your noses; for you have rejected the Lord who is here among you, and you have wept for Egypt.' "

21 But Moses said, "There are 600,000 men alone besides all the women and children, and yet you promise them meat for a whole month!

22 If we butcher all our flocks and herds it won't be enough! We would have to catch every fish in the ocean to fulfill your promise!"

23 Then the Lord said to Moses, "When did I become weak? Now you shall see whether my word comes true or not!"

24 So Moses left the Tabernacle and reported Jehovah's words to the people; and he gathered the seventy elders and placed them around the Tabernacle.

25 And the Lord came down in the Cloud and talked with Moses, and the Lord took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied for some time.

26 But two of the seventy--Eldad and Medad--were still in the camp, and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied there.

27 Some young men ran and told Moses what was happening,

28 and Joshua (the son of Nun), one of Moses' personally chosen assistants, protested, "Sir, make them stop!"

29 But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I only wish that all of the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!"

30 Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel.

31 The Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall into the camp and all around it! As far as one could walk in a day in any direction, there were quail flying three or four feet above the ground.

32 So the people caught and killed quail all that day and through the night and all the next day too! The least anyone gathered was 100 bushels! Quail were spread out all around the camp.

33 But as everyone began eating the meat, the anger of the Lord rose against the people and he killed large numbers of them with a plague.

34 So the name of that place was called, "The Place of the Graves Caused by Lust," because they buried the people there who had lusted for meat and for Egypt.

35 And from that place they journeyed to Hazeroth, where they stayed awhile.

12

1 One day Miriam and Aaron were criticizing Moses because his wife was a Cushite woman,

2 and they said, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us, too?" But the Lord heard them.

3 Immediately he summoned Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to the Tabernacle: "Come here, you three," he commanded. So they stood before the Lord. (Now Moses was the humblest man on earth.)

4

5 Then the Lord descended in the Cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. "Aaron and Miriam, step forward," he commanded; and they did.

6 And the Lord said to them, "Even with a prophet, I would communicate by visions and dreams;

7 but that is not how I communicate with my servant Moses. He is completely at home in my house!

8 With him I speak face to face! And he shall see the very form of God! Why then were you not afraid to criticize him?"

9 Then the anger of the Lord grew hot against them, and he departed.

10 As the Cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, Miriam suddenly became white with leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened,

11 he cried out to Moses, "Oh, sir, do not punish us for this sin; we were fools to do such a thing.

12 Don't let her be as one dead, whose body is half rotted away at birth."

13 And Moses cried out to the Lord, "Heal her, O God, I beg you!"

14 And the Lord said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face she would be defiled seven days. Let her be banished from the camp for seven days, and after that she can come back again."

15 So Miriam was excluded from the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back in before they traveled again.

16 Afterwards they left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

13

1 Jehovah now instructed Moses,

2 "Send spies into the land of Canaan--the land I am giving to Israel; send one leader from each tribe."

3 (The Israelis were camped in the wilderness of Paran at the time.) Moses did as the Lord had commanded and sent these twelve tribal leaders:

4 Shammua, son of Zaccur, from the tribe of Reuben;

5 Shaphat, son of Hori, from the tribe of Simeon;

6 Caleb, son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah;

7 Igal, son of Joseph, from the tribe of Issachar;

8 Hoshea, son of Nun, from the half-tribe of Ephraim;

9 Palti, son of Raphu, from the tribe of Benjamin;

10 Gaddiel, son of Sodi, from the tribe of Zebulun;

11 Gaddi, son of Susi, from the tribe of Joseph (actually, the half-tribe of Manasseh);

12 Ammiel, son of Gemalli, from the tribe of Dan;

13 Sethur, son of Michael, from the tribe of Asher;

14 Nahbi, son of Vophsi, from the tribe of Naphtali;

15 Geuel, son of Machi, from the tribe of Gad.

16 It was at this time that Moses changed Hoshea's name to Joshua.

17 Moses sent them out with these instructions: "Go northward into the hill country of the Negeb,

18 and see what the land is like; see also what the people are like who live there, whether they are strong or weak, many or few;

19 and whether the land is fertile or not; and what cities there are, and whether they are villages or are fortified;

20 whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are many trees. Don't be afraid, and bring back some samples of the crops you see." (The first of the grapes were being harvested at that time.)

21 So they spied out the land all the way from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob near Hamath.

22 Going northward, they passed first through the Negeb and arrived at Hebron. There they saw the Ahimanites, Sheshites, and Talmites, all families descended from Anak. (By the way, Hebron was very ancient, having been founded seven years before Tanis in Egypt.)

23 Then they came to what is now known as the Valley of Eshcol where they cut down a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also took some samples of the pomegranates and figs.

24 The Israelis named the valley "Eshcol" at that time (meaning "Cluster") because of the cluster of grapes they found!

25 After forty days of exploration they returned from their tour.

26 They made their report to Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, and they showed the fruit they had brought with them.

27 This was their report: "We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country--a land 'flowing with milk and honey.' Here is some fruit we have brought as proof.

28 But the people living there are powerful, and their cities are fortified and very large; and what's more, we saw Anakim giants there!

29 The Amalekites live in the south, while in the hill country there are the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites; down along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and in the Jordan River valley are the Canaanites."

30 But Caleb reassured the people as they stood before Moses. "Let us go up at once and possess it," he said, "for we are well able to conquer it!"

31 "Not against people as strong as they are!" the other spies said. "They would crush us!"

32 So the majority report of the spies was negative: "The land is full of warriors, the people are powerfully built,

33 and we saw some of the Anakim there, descendants of the ancient race of giants. We felt like grasshoppers before them, they were so tall!"

14

1 Then all the people began weeping aloud, and they carried on all night.

2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of complaint against Moses and Aaron. "We wish we had died in Egypt," they wailed, "or even here in the wilderness,

3 rather than be taken into this country ahead of us. Jehovah will kill us there, and our wives and little ones will become slaves. Let's get out of here and return to Egypt!"

4 The idea swept the camp. "Let's elect a leader to take us back to Egypt!" they shouted.

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face downward on the ground before the people of Israel.

6 Two of the spies, Joshua (the son of Nun), and Caleb (the son of Jephunneh), ripped their clothing

7 and said to all the people, "It is a wonderful country ahead,

8 and the Lord loves us. He will bring us safely into the land and give it to us. It is very fertile, a land 'flowing with milk and honey'!

9 Oh, do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land. For they are but bread for us to eat! The Lord is with us and he has removed his protection from them! Don't be afraid of them!"

10 But the only response of the people was to talk of stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared,

11 and the Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people despise me? Will they never believe me, even after all the miracles I have done among them?

12 I will disinherit them and destroy them with a plague, and I will make you into a nation far greater and mightier than they are!"

13 "But what will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?" Moses pleaded with the Lord. "They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people.

14 They have told this to the inhabitants of this land, who are well aware that you are with Israel and that you talk with her face to face. They see the pillar of cloud and fire standing above us, and they know that you lead and protect us day and night.

15 Now if you kill all your people, the nations that have heard your fame will say,

16 'The Lord had to kill them because he wasn't able to take care of them in the wilderness. He wasn't strong enough to bring them into the land he swore he would give them.'

17 "Oh, please, show the great power of your patience by forgiving our sins and showing us your steadfast love.

18 Forgive us, even though you have said that you don't let sin go unpunished, and that you punish the father's fault in the children to the third and fourth generation.

19 Oh, I plead with you, pardon the sins of this people because of your magnificent, steadfast love, just as you have forgiven them all the time from when we left Egypt until now."

20 Then the Lord said, "All right, I will pardon them as you have requested.

21 But I vow by my own name that just as it is true that all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,

22 so it is true that not one of the men who has seen my glory and the miracles I did both in Egypt and in the wilderness--and ten times refused to trust me and obey me--

23 shall even see the land I promised to this people's ancestors.

24 But my servant Caleb is a different kind of man--he has obeyed me fully. I will bring him into the land he entered as a spy, and his descendants shall have their full share in it.

25 But now, since the people of Israel are so afraid of the Amalekites and the Canaanites living in the valleys, tomorrow you must turn back into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea."

26 Then the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, "How long will this wicked nation complain about me? For I have heard all that they have been saying.

27

28 Tell them, 'The Lord vows to do to you what you feared:

29 You will all die here in this wilderness! Not a single one of you twenty years old and older, who has complained against me,

30 shall enter the Promised Land. Only Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun) are permitted to enter it.

31 'You said your children would become slaves of the people of the land. Well, instead I will bring them safely into the land and they shall inherit what you have despised.

32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

33 You must wander in the desert like nomads for forty years. In this way you will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the desert.

34 'Since the spies were in the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years--a year for each day, bearing the burden of your sins. I will teach you what it means to reject me.

35 I, Jehovah, have spoken. Every one of you who has conspired against me shall die here in this wilderness.' "

36 Then the ten spies who had incited the rebellion against Jehovah by striking fear into the hearts of the people

37 were struck dead before the Lord.

38 Of all the spies, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive.

39 What sorrow there was throughout the camp when Moses reported God's words to the people!

40 They were up early the next morning and started toward the Promised Land. "Here we are!" they said. "We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to go on into the land the Lord has promised us."

41 But Moses said, "It's too late. Now you are disobeying the Lord's orders to return to the wilderness.

42 Don't go ahead with your plan or you will be crushed by your enemies, for the Lord is not with you.

43 Don't you remember? The Amalekites and the Canaanites are there! You have deserted the Lord, and now he will desert you."

44 But they went ahead into the hill country, despite the fact that neither the Ark nor Moses left the camp.

45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in the hills came down and attacked them and chased them to Hormah.

15

1 The Lord told Moses to give these instructions to the people of Israel: "When your children finally live in the land I am going to give them,

2

3 and they want to please the Lord with a burnt offering or any other offering by fire, their sacrifice must be an animal from their flocks of sheep and goats, or from their herds of cattle.

4 Each sacrifice--whether an ordinary one, or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or a free-will offering, or a special sacrifice at any of the annual festivals--must be accompanied by a grain offering. If a lamb is being sacrificed, use three quarts of fine flour mixed with three pints of oil,

5 accompanied by three pints of wine for a drink offering.

6 "If the sacrifice is a ram, use six quarts of fine flour mixed with four pints of oil,

7 and four pints of wine for a drink offering. This will be a sacrifice that is a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

8 "If the sacrifice is a young bull, then the grain offering accompanying it must consist of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with three quarts of oil,

9

10 plus three quarts of wine for the drink offering. This shall be offered by fire as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

11 "These are the instructions for what is to accompany each sacrificial bull, ram, lamb, or young goat.

12

13 These instructions apply both to native-born Israelis and to foreigners living among you who want to please the Lord with sacrifices offered by fire;

14

15 for there is the same law for all, native-born or foreigner, and this shall be true forever from generation to generation; all are the same before the Lord.

16 Yes, one law for all!"

17 The Lord also said to Moses at this time, "Instruct the people of Israel that when they arrive in the land that I am going to give them,

18

19 they must present to the Lord a sample of each year's new crops

20 by making a loaf, using coarse flour from the first grain that is cut each year. This loaf must be waved back and forth before the altar in a gesture of offering to the Lord.

21 It is an annual offering from your threshing floor and must be observed from generation to generation.

22 "If by mistake you or future generations fail to carry out all of these regulations that the Lord has given you over the years through Moses,

23 then when the people realize their error, they must offer one young bull for a burnt offering.

24 It will be a pleasant odor before the Lord, and must be offered along with the usual grain offering and drink offering, and one male goat for a sin offering.

25 And the priest shall make atonement for all of the people of Israel and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have corrected it with their sacrifice made by fire before the Lord, and by their sin offering.

26 All the people shall be forgiven, including the foreigners living among them, for the entire population is involved in such error and forgiveness.

27 "If the error is made by a single individual, then he shall sacrifice a one-year-old female goat for a sin offering,

28 and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven.

29 This same law applies to individual foreigners who are living among you.

30 "But anyone who deliberately makes the 'mistake,' whether he is a native Israeli or a foreigner, is blaspheming Jehovah, and shall be cut off from among his people.

31 For he has despised the commandment of the Lord and deliberately failed to obey his law; he must be executed and die in his sin."

32 One day while the people of Israel were in the wilderness, one of them was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath day.

33 He was arrested and taken before Moses and Aaron and the other judges.

34 They jailed him until they could find out the Lord's mind concerning him.

35 Then the Lord said to Moses, "The man must die--all the people shall stone him to death outside the camp."

36 So they took him outside the camp and killed him as the Lord had commanded.

37 The Lord said to Moses,

38 "Tell the people of Israel to make tassels for the hems of their clothes (this is a permanent regulation from generation to generation) and to attach the tassels to their clothes with a blue cord.

39 The purpose of this regulation is to remind you, whenever you notice the tassels, of the commandments of the Lord, and that you are to obey his laws instead of following your own desires and going your own ways, as you used to do in serving other gods.

40 It will remind you to be holy to your God.

41 For I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt; yes, I am the Lord, your God."

16

1 One day Korah (son of Izhar, grandson of Kohath, and a descendant of Levi) conspired with Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab) and On (the son of Peleth), all three from the tribe of Reuben,

2 to incite a rebellion against Moses. Two hundred and fifty popular leaders, all members of the Assembly, were involved.

3 They went to Moses and Aaron and said, "We have had enough of your presumption; you are no better than anyone else; everyone in Israel has been chosen of the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to put yourselves forward, claiming that we must obey you, and acting as though you were greater than anyone else among all these people of the Lord?"

4 When Moses heard what they were saying he fell face downward to the ground.

5 Then he said to Korah and to those who were with him, "In the morning the Lord will show you who are his, and who is holy, and whom he has chosen as his priest.

6 Do this: You, Korah, and all those with you, take censers

7 tomorrow and light them, and put incense upon them before the Lord, and we will find out whom the Lord has chosen. You are the presumptuous ones, you sons of Levi."

8 Then Moses spoke again to Korah:

9 "Does it seem a small thing to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the people of Israel to be near to himself as you work in the Tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the people to minister to them?

10 Is it nothing to you that he has given this task to only you Levites? And now are you demanding the priesthood also?

11 That is what you are really after! That is why you are revolting against Jehovah. And what has Aaron done, that you are dissatisfied with him?"

12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab), but they refused to come.

13 "Is it a small thing," they mimicked, "that you brought us out of lovely Egypt to kill us here in this terrible wilderness, and that now you want to make yourself our king?

14 What's more, you haven't brought us into the wonderful country you promised, nor given us fields and vineyards. Whom are you trying to fool? We refuse to come."

15 Then Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, "Do not accept their sacrifices! I have never stolen so much as a donkey from them and have not hurt one of them."

16 And Moses said to Korah, "Come here tomorrow before the Lord with all your friends; Aaron will be here too.

17 Be sure to bring your censers with incense on them; a censer for each man, 250 in all; and Aaron will also be here with his."

18 So they did. They came with their censers and lit them and placed the incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle with Moses and Aaron.

19 Meanwhile, Korah had stirred up the entire nation against Moses and Aaron, and they all assembled to watch. Then the glory of Jehovah appeared to all the people,

20 and Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron,

21 "Get away from these people so that I may instantly destroy them."

22 But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the ground before the Lord. "O God, the God of all mankind," they pleaded, "must you be angry with all the people when one man sins?"

23 And the Lord said to Moses, "Then tell the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."

24

25 So Moses rushed over to the tents of Dathan and Abiram, followed closely by the 250 Israeli leaders.

26 "Quick!" he told the people, "get away from the tents of these wicked men, and don't touch anything that belongs to them, lest you be included in their sins and be destroyed with them."

27 So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances of their tents with their wives and sons and little ones.

28 And Moses said, "By this you shall know that Jehovah has sent me to do all these things that I have done--for I have not done them on my own.

29 If these men die a natural death or from some ordinary accident or disease, then Jehovah has not sent me.

30 But if the Lord does a miracle and the ground opens up and swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the Lord."

31 He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them,

32 and a great fissure swallowed them up, along with their tents and families and the friends who were standing with them, and everything they owned.

33 So they went down alive into Sheol and the earth closed upon them, and they perished.

34 All of the people of Israel fled at their screams, fearing that the earth would swallow them too.

35 Then fire came from Jehovah and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.

36 And the Lord said to Moses,

37 "Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to pull those censers from the fire; for they are holy, dedicated to the Lord. He must also scatter the burning incense

38 from the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives. He shall then beat the metal into a sheet as a covering for the altar, for these censers are holy because they were used before the Lord; and the altar sheet shall be a reminder to the people of Israel."

39 So Eleazar the priest took the 250 bronze censers and beat them out into a sheet of metal to cover the altar,

40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel that no unauthorized person--no one who is not a descendant of Aaron--may come before the Lord to burn incense, lest the same thing happen to him as happened to Korah and his associates. Thus the Lord's directions to Moses were carried out.

41 But the very next morning all the people began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the Lord's people."

42 Soon a great, sullen mob formed; suddenly, as they looked toward the Tabernacle, the Cloud appeared and the awesome glory of the Lord was seen.

43 Moses and Aaron came and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and the Lord said to Moses,

44

45 "Get away from these people so that I can instantly destroy them." But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the earth before the Lord.

46 And Moses said to Aaron, "Quick, take a censer and place fire in it from the altar; lay incense on it, and carry it quickly among the people and make atonement for them; for God's anger has gone out among them--the plague has already begun."

47 Aaron did as Moses had told him to, and ran among the people, for the plague had indeed already begun; and he put on the incense and made atonement for them.

48 And he stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was stopped,

49 but not before 14,700 people had died (in addition to those who had died the previous day with Korah).

50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle; and so the plague was stopped.

17

1 Then the Lord said to Moses,

2 "Tell the people of Israel that each of their tribal chiefs is to bring you a wooden rod with his name inscribed upon it.

3 Aaron's name is to be on the rod of the tribe of Levi.

4 Put these rods in the inner room of the Tabernacle where I meet with you, in front of the Ark.

5 I will use these rods to identify the man I have chosen: for buds will grow on his rod! Then at last this murmuring and complaining against you will stop!"

6 So Moses gave the instructions to the people, and each of the twelve chiefs (including Aaron) brought him a rod.

7 He put them before the Lord in the inner room of the Tabernacle,

8 and when he went in the next day, he found that Aaron's rod, representing the tribe of Levi, had budded and was blossoming, and had ripe almonds hanging from it!

9 When Moses brought them out to show the others, they stared in disbelief! Then each man except Aaron claimed his rod.

10 The Lord told Moses to place Aaron's rod permanently beside the Ark as a reminder of this rebellion. He was to bring it out and show it to the people again if there were any further complaints about Aaron's authority; this would ward off further catastrophe to the people.

11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.

12 But the people of Israel only grumbled the more. "We are as good as dead," they whined. "Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle dies. Must we all perish?"

13

18

1 The Lord now spoke to Aaron: "You and your sons and your family are responsible for any desecration of the sanctuary," he said, "and will be held liable for any impropriety in your priestly work.

2 "Your kinsmen, the tribe of Levi, are your assistants; but only you and your sons may perform the sacred duties in the Tabernacle itself.

3 The Levites must be careful not to touch any of the sacred articles or the altar, lest I destroy both them and you.

4 No one who is not a member of the tribe of Levi shall assist you in any way.

5 Remember, only the priests are to perform the sacred duties within the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, the wrath of God will never again fall upon any of the people of Israel for violating this law.

6 I say it again--your kinsmen the Levites are your assistants for the work of the Tabernacle. They are a gift to you from the Lord.

7 But you and your sons, the priests, shall personally handle all the sacred service, including the altar and all that is within the veil, for the priesthood is your special gift of service. Anyone else who attempts to perform these duties shall die."

8 The Lord gave these further instructions to Aaron: "I have given the priests all the gifts which are brought to the Lord by the people; all these offerings presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving them before the altar belong to you and your sons, by permanent law.

9 The grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings are yours, except for the sample presented to the Lord by burning upon the altar. All these are most holy offerings.

10 They are to be eaten only in a most holy place, and only by males.

11 All other gifts presented to me by the gesture of waving them before the altar are for you and your families, sons and daughters alike. For all the members of your families may eat these unless anyone is ceremonially impure at the time.

12 "Yours also are the first-of-the-harvest gifts the people bring as offerings to the Lord--the best of the olive oil, wine, grain,

13 and every other crop. Your families may eat these unless they are ceremonially defiled at the time.

14 So everything that is dedicated to the Lord shall be yours, including the firstborn sons of the people of Israel, and the firstborn of their animals.

15

16 However, you may never accept the firstborn sons, nor the firstborn of any animals that I do not permit for food. Instead, there must be a payment of two and a half dollars made for each firstborn child. It is to be brought when he is one month old.

17 "However, the firstborn of cows, sheep, or goats may not be bought back; they must be sacrificed to the Lord. Their blood is to be sprinkled upon the altar, and their fat shall be burned as a fire offering; it is very pleasant to the Lord.

18 The meat of these animals shall be yours, including the breast and right thigh that are presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar.

19 Yes, I have given to you all of these 'wave offerings' brought by the people of Israel to the Lord; they are for you and your families as food; this is a permanent contract between the Lord and you and your descendants.

20 "You priests may own no property nor have any other income, for I am all that you need.

21 As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, they shall be paid for their service with the tithes from the entire land of Israel.

22 "From now on, Israelites other than the priests and Levites shall not enter the sanctuary lest they be judged guilty and die.

23 Only the Levites shall do the work there, and they shall be guilty if they fail. This is a permanent law among you, that the Levites shall own no property in Israel,

24 for the people's tithes, offered to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar, shall belong to the Levites; these are their inheritance, and so they have no need for property."

25 The Lord also said to Moses,

26 "Tell the Levites to give to the Lord a tenth of the tithes they receive--a tithe of the tithe, to be presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar.

27 The Lord will consider this as your first-of-the-harvest offering to him of grain and wine, as though it were from your own property.

28 This tithe of the tithe shall be selected from the choicest part of the tithes you receive as the Lord's portion, and shall be given to Aaron the priest.

29

30 It shall be credited to you just as though it were from your own threshing floor and wine press.

31 Aaron and his sons and their families may eat it in their homes or anywhere they wish, for it is their compensation for their service in the Tabernacle.

32 You Levites will not be held guilty for accepting the Lord's tithes if you then give the best tenth to the priests. But beware that you do not treat the holy gifts of the people of Israel as though they were common, lest you die."

19

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

2 "Here is another of my laws: "Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, one that has never been yoked.

3 Give her to Eleazar the priest and he shall take her outside the camp and someone shall kill her as he watches.

4 Eleazar shall take some of her blood upon his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle.

5 Then someone shall burn the heifer as he watches--her hide, meat, blood, and dung.

6 Eleazar shall take cedar wood and hyssop branches and scarlet thread, and throw them into the burning pile.

7 "Then he must wash his clothes, and bathe, and afterwards return to the camp and be ceremonially defiled until the evening.

8 And the one who burns the animal must wash his clothes and bathe, and he too shall be defiled until evening.

9 Then someone who is not ceremonially defiled shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and place them in some purified place outside the camp, where they shall be kept for the people of Israel as a source of water for the purification ceremonies, for removal of sin.

10 And the one who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be defiled until evening; this is a permanent law for the benefit of the people of Israel and any foreigners living among them.

11 "Anyone who touches a dead human body shall be defiled for seven days,

12 and must purify himself the third and seventh days with water run through the ashes of the red heifer; then he will be purified; but if he does not do this on the third day, he will continue to be defiled even after the seventh day.

13 Anyone who touches a dead person and does not purify himself in the manner specified has defiled the Tabernacle of the Lord, and shall be excommunicated from Israel. The cleansing water was not sprinkled upon him, so the defilement continues.

14 "When a man dies in a tent, these are the various regulations: Everyone who enters the tent, and those who are in it at the time, shall be defiled seven days.

15 Any container in the tent without a lid over it is defiled.

16 "If someone out in a field touches the corpse of someone who has been killed in battle or who has died in any other way, or if he even touches a bone or a grave, he shall be defiled seven days.

17 To become purified again, ashes from the red heifer sin offering are to be added to spring water in a kettle.

18 Then a person who is not defiled shall take hyssop branches and dip them into the water and sprinkle the water upon the tent and upon all the pots and pans in the tent, and upon anyone who has been defiled by being in the tent, or by touching a bone, or touching someone who has been killed or is otherwise dead, or has touched a grave.

19 This shall take place on the third and seventh days; then the defiled person must wash his clothes and bathe himself, and that evening he will be out from under the defilement.

20 "But anyone who is defiled and doesn't purify himself shall be excommunicated, for he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord, and the water to cleanse him has not been sprinkled upon him; so he remains defiled.

21 This is a permanent law. The man who sprinkles the water must afterwards wash his clothes; and anyone touching the water shall be defiled until evening.

22 And anything a defiled person touches shall be defiled until evening."

20

1 The people of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin in April and camped at Kadesh, where Miriam died and was buried.

2 There was not enough water to drink at that place, so the people again rebelled against Moses and Aaron. A great mob formed,

3 and they held a protest meeting. "Would that we too had died with our dear brothers the Lord killed!" they shouted at Moses.

4 "You have deliberately brought us into this wilderness to get rid of us, along with our flocks and herds.

5 Why did you ever make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this evil place? Where is the fertile land of wonderful crops--the figs, vines, and pomegranates you told us about? Why, there isn't even water enough to drink!"

6 Moses and Aaron turned away and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face downward before the Lord; and the glory of Jehovah appeared to them.

7 And he said to Moses,

8 "Get Aaron's rod; then you and Aaron must summon the people. As they watch, speak to that rock over there and tell it to pour out its water! You will give them water from a rock, enough for all the people and all their cattle!"

9 So Moses did as instructed. He took the rod from the place where it was kept before the Lord;

10 then Moses and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock; and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?"

11 Then Moses lifted the rod and struck the rock twice, and water gushed out; and the people and their cattle drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe me and did not sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, you shall not bring them into the land I have promised them!"

13 This place was named Meribah (meaning "Rebel Waters"), because it was where the people of Israel fought against Jehovah, and where he showed himself to be holy before them.

14 While Moses was at Kadesh he sent messengers to the king of Edom: "We are the descendants of your brother, Israel," he declared. "You know our sad history,

15 how our ancestors went down to visit Egypt and stayed there so long, and became slaves of the Egyptians.

16 But when we cried to the Lord he heard us and sent an Angel who brought us out of Egypt, and now we are here at Kadesh, encamped on the borders of your land.

17 Please let us pass through your country. We will be careful not to go through your planted fields, nor through your vineyards; we won't even drink water from your wells, but will stay on the main road and not leave it until we have crossed your border on the other side."

18 But the king of Edom said, "Stay out! If you attempt to enter my land, I will meet you with an army!"

19 "But, sir," protested the Israeli ambassadors, "we will stay on the main road and will not even drink your water unless we pay whatever you demand for it. We only want to pass through and nothing else."

20 But the king of Edom was adamant. "Stay out!" he warned, and, mobilizing his army, he marched to the frontier with a great force.

21 Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their country, Israel turned back and journeyed from Kadesh to Mount Hor.

22

23 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at the border of the land of Edom,

24 "The time has come for Aaron to die--for he shall not enter the land I have given the people of Israel, for the two of you rebelled against my instructions concerning the water at Meribah.

25 Now take Aaron and his son Eleazar and lead them up onto Mount Hor.

26 There you shall remove Aaron's priestly garments from him and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall die there."

27 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. The three of them went up together into Mount Hor as all the people watched.

28 When they reached the summit, Moses removed the priestly garments from Aaron and put them on his son Eleazar; and Aaron died on the top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar returned,

29 and when the people were informed of Aaron's death, they mourned for him for thirty days.

21

1 When the king of Arad heard that the Israelis were approaching (for they were traveling the same route as the spies), he mobilized his army and attacked Israel, taking some of the men as prisoners.

2 Then the people of Israel vowed to the Lord that if he would help them conquer the king of Arad and his people, they would completely annihilate all the cities of that area.

3 The Lord heeded their request and defeated the Canaanites; and the Israelis completely destroyed them and their cities. The name of the region was thereafter called Hormah (meaning "Utterly Destroyed").

4 Then the people of Israel returned to Mount Hor, and from there continued southward along the road to the Red Sea in order to go around the land of Edom. The people were very discouraged;

5 they began to murmur against God and to complain against Moses. "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?" they whined. "There is nothing to eat here, and nothing to drink, and we hate this insipid manna."

6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them to punish them, and many of them were bitten and died.

7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah and against you. Pray to him to take away the snakes." So Moses prayed for the people.

8 Then the Lord told him, "Make a bronze replica of one of these snakes and attach it to the top of a pole; anyone who is bitten shall live if he simply looks at it!"

9 So Moses made the replica, and whenever anyone who had been bitten looked at the bronze snake, he recovered!

10 Israel journeyed next to Oboth and camped there.

11 Then they went on to Iyeabarim, in the wilderness, a short distance east of Moab,

12 and from there they traveled to the valley of the brook Zared and set up camp.

13 Then they moved to the far side of the Arnon River, near the borders of the Amorites. (The Arnon River is the boundary line between the Moabites and the Amorites.

14 This fact is mentioned in The Book of the Wars of Jehovah, where it is stated that the valley of the Arnon River and the city of Waheb

15 lie between the Amorites and the people of Moab.)

16 Then Israel traveled to Beer (meaning "A Well"). This is the place where the Lord told Moses, "Summon the people, and I will give them water."

17 What happened is described in this song the people sang: Spring up, O well! Sing of the water!

18 This is a well The leaders dug. It was hollowed With their staves And shovels. Then they left the desert and proceeded on through Mattanah,

19 Nahaliel, and Bamoth;

20 then to the valley in the plateau of Moab, which overlooks the desert with Mount Pisgah in the distance.

21 Israel now sent ambassadors to King Sihon of the Amorites.

22 "Let us travel through your land," they requested. "We will not leave the road until we have passed beyond your borders. We won't trample your fields or touch your vineyards or drink your water."

23 But King Sihon refused. Instead he mobilized his army and attacked Israel in the wilderness, battling them at Jahaz.

24 But Israel slaughtered them and occupied their land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, as far as the borders of the Ammonites; but they were stopped there by the rugged terrain.

25 So Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and lived in them, including the city of Heshbon, which had been King Sihon's capital.

26

27 The ancient poets had referred to King Sihon in this poem: Come to Heshbon, King Sihon's capital,

28 For a fire has flamed forth And devoured The city of Ar in Moab, On the heights of the Arnon River.

29 Woe to Moab! You are finished, O people of Chemosh; Your sons have fled, And your daughters are captured By King Sihon of the Amorites.

30 He has destroyed The little children And the men and women As far as Dibon, Nophah, and Medeba.

31 While Israel was there in the Amorite country,

32 Moses sent spies to look over the Jazer area; he followed up with an armed attack, capturing all of the towns and driving out the Amorites.

33 They next turned their attention to the city of Bashan, but King Og of Bashan met them with his army at Edrei.

34 The Lord told Moses not to fear--that the enemy was already conquered! "The same thing will happen to King Og as happened to King Sihon at Heshbon," the Lord assured him.

35 And sure enough, Israel was victorious and killed King Og, his sons, and his subjects, so that not a single survivor remained; and Israel occupied the land.

22

1 The people of Israel now traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho.

2 When King Balak of Moab (the son of Zippor) realized how many of them there were, and when he learned what they had done to the Amorites, he and his people were terrified.

3

4 They quickly consulted with the leaders of Midian. "This mob will eat us like an ox eats grass," they exclaimed. So King Balak

5 sent messengers to Balaam (son of Beor) who was living in his native land of Pethor, near the Euphrates River. He begged Balaam to come and help him. "A vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth and are headed toward me," he frantically explained.

6 "Please come and curse them for me, so that I can drive them out of my land; for I know what fantastic blessings fall on those whom you bless, and I also know that those whom you curse are doomed."

7 The messengers he sent were some of the top leaders of Moab and Midian. They went to Balaam with money in hand and urgently explained to him what Balak wanted.

8 "Stay here overnight," Balaam said, "and I'll tell you in the morning whatever the Lord directs me to say." So they did.

9 That night God came to Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men?"

10 "They have come from King Balak of Moab," he replied.

11 "The king says that a vast horde of people from Egypt has arrived at his border, and he wants me to go at once and curse them, in the hope that he can battle them successfully."

12 "Don't do it!" God told him. "You are not to curse them, for I have blessed them!"

13 The next morning Balaam told the men, "Go on home! The Lord won't let me do it."

14 So King Balak's ambassadors returned without him and reported his refusal.

15 Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished ambassadors than the former group.

16 They came to Balaam with this message: "King Balak pleads with you to come.

17 He promises you great honors plus any payment you ask. Name your own figure! Only come and curse these people for us."

18 But Balaam replied, "If he were to give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I could do nothing contrary to the command of the Lord my God.

19 However, stay here tonight so that I can find out whether the Lord will add anything to what he said before."

20 That night God told Balaam, "You may get up and go with these men, but be sure to say only what I tell you to."

21 So the next morning he saddled his donkey and started off with them.

22 But God was angry about Balaam's eager attitude, so he sent an angel to stand in the road to kill him. As Balaam and two servants were riding along,

23 Balaam's donkey suddenly saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword. She bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat her back onto the road.

24 Now the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road went between two vineyard walls.

25 When the donkey saw him standing there, she squirmed past by pressing against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot in the process. So he beat her again.

26 Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place so narrow that the donkey couldn't get by at all.

27 So she lay down in the road! In a great fit of temper Balaam beat her again with his staff.

28 Then the Lord caused the donkey to speak! "What have I done that deserves your beating me these three times?" she asked.

29 "Because you have made me look like a fool!" Balaam shouted. "I wish I had a sword with me, for I would kill you."

30 "Have I ever done anything like this before in my entire life?" the donkey asked. "No," he admitted.

31 Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel standing in the roadway with drawn sword, and he fell flat on the ground before him.

32 "Why did you beat your donkey those three times?" the angel demanded. "I have come to stop you because you are headed for destruction.

33 Three times the donkey saw me and shied away from me; otherwise I would certainly have killed you by now and spared her."

34 Then Balaam confessed, "I have sinned. I didn't realize you were there. I will go back home if you don't want me to go on."

35 But the angel told him, "Go with the men, but say only what I tell you to say." So Balaam went on with them.

36 When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he left the capital and went out to meet him at the Arnon River, at the border of his land.

37 "Why did you delay so long?" he asked Balaam. "Didn't you believe me when I said I would give you great honors?"

38 Balaam replied, "I have come, but I have no power to say anything except what God tells me to say; and that is what I shall speak."

39 Balaam accompanied the king to Kiriathhuzoth,

40 where King Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and gave animals to Balaam and the ambassadors for their sacrifices.

41 The next morning Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Bamoth-baal, from which he could see the people of Israel spread out before him.

23

1 Balaam said to the king, "Build seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for sacrifice."

2 Balak followed his instructions, and a young bull and a ram were sacrificed on each altar.

3 Then Balaam said to the king, "Stand here by your burnt offerings and I will see if the Lord will meet me; and I will tell you what he says to me." So he went up to a barren height,

4 and God met him there. Balaam told the Lord, "I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each."

5 Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak.

6 When Balaam returned, the king was standing beside the burnt offerings with all the princes of Moab.

7 This was Balaam's message: "King Balak, king of Moab, has brought me From the land of Aram, From the eastern mountains. 'Come,' he told me, 'curse Jacob for me! Let your anger rise on Israel.'

8 But how can I curse What God has not cursed? How can I denounce A people God has not denounced?

9 I see them from the cliff tops, I watch them from the hills. They live alone, And prefer to remain distinct From every other nation.

10 They are as numerous as dust! They are beyond numbering. If only I could die as happy as an Israelite! Oh, that my end might be like theirs!"

11 "What have you done to me?" demanded King Balak. "I told you to curse my enemies, and now you have blessed them!"

12 But Balaam replied, "Can I say anything except what Jehovah tells me to?"

13 Then Balak told him, "Come with me to another place; there you will see only a portion of the nation of Israel. Curse at least that many!"

14 So King Balak took Balaam into the fields of Zophim at the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven altars there; and he offered up a young bull and a ram on each altar.

15 Then Balaam said to the king, "Stand here by your burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord."

16 And the Lord met Balaam and told him what to say.

17 So he returned to where the king and the princes of Moab were standing beside their burnt offerings. "What has Jehovah said?" the king eagerly inquired.

18 And he replied, "Rise up, Balak, and hear: Listen to me, you son of Zippor.

19 God is not a man, that he should lie; He doesn't change his mind like humans do. Has he ever promised, Without doing what he said?

20 Look! I have received a command to bless them, For God has blessed them, And I cannot reverse it!

21 He has not seen sin in Jacob. He will not trouble Israel! Jehovah their God is with them. He is their king!

22 God has brought them out of Egypt. Israel has the strength of a wild ox.

23 No curse can be placed on Jacob, And no magic shall be done against him. For now it shall be said of Israel, 'What wonders God has done for them!'

24 These people rise up as a lion; They shall not lie down Until they have eaten what they capture And have drunk the blood of the slain!"

25 "If you aren't going to curse them, at least don't bless them!" the king exclaimed to Balaam.

26 But Balaam replied, "Didn't I tell you that I must say whatever Jehovah tells me to?"

27 Then the king said to Balaam, "I will take you to yet another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there."

28 So King Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the desert.

29 Balaam again told the king to build seven altars, and to prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for the sacrifice.

30 The king did as Balaam said, and offered a young bull and ram on every altar.

24

1 Balaam realized by now that Jehovah planned to bless Israel, so he didn't even go to meet the Lord as he had earlier. Instead, he went at once and looked out toward the camp of Israel

2 which stretched away across the plains, divided by tribal areas. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,

3 and he spoke this prophecy concerning them: "Balaam the son of Beor says-- The man whose eyes are open says--

4 'I have listened to the word of God, I have seen what God Almighty showed me; I fell, and my eyes were opened:

5 Oh, the joys awaiting Israel, Joys in the homes of Jacob.

6 I see them spread before me as green valleys, And fruitful gardens by the riverside; As aloes planted by the Lord himself; As cedar trees beside the waters.

7 They shall be blessed with an abundance of water, And they shall live in many places. Their king will be greater than Agag; Their kingdom is exalted.

8 God has brought them from Egypt. Israel has the strength of a wild ox, And shall eat up the nations that oppose him; He shall break their bones in pieces, And shall shoot them with many arrows.

9 Israel sleeps as a lion or a lioness-- Who dares arouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, And curses shall fall upon everyone who curses you.' "

10 King Balak was livid with rage by now. Striking his hands together in anger and disgust he shouted, "I called you to curse my enemies and instead you have blessed them three times.

11 Get out of here! Go back home! I had planned to promote you to great honor, but Jehovah has kept you from it!"

12 Balaam replied, "Didn't I tell your messengers

13 that even if you gave me a palace filled with silver and gold, I could not go beyond the words of Jehovah, and could not say a word of my own? I said that I would say only what Jehovah says!

14 Yes, I shall return now to my own people. But first, let me tell you what the Israelites are going to do to your people!"

15 So he spoke this prophecy to him: "Balaam the son of Beor is the man Whose eyes are open!

16 He hears the words of God And has knowledge from the Most High; He sees what Almighty God has shown him; He fell, and his eyes were opened:

17 I see in the future of Israel, Far down the distant trail, That there shall come a star from Jacob! This ruler of Israel Shall smite the people of Moab, And destroy the sons of Sheth.

18 Israel shall possess all Edom and Seir. They shall overcome their enemies.

19 Jacob shall arise in power And shall destroy many cities."

20 Then Balaam looked over at the homes of the people of Amalek and prophesied: "Amalek was the first of the nations, But its destiny is destruction!"

21 Then he looked over at the Kenites: "Yes, you are strongly situated, Your nest is set in the rocks!

22 But the Kenites shall be destroyed, And the mighty army of the king of Assyria shall deport you from this land!"

23 He concluded his prophecies by saying: "Alas, who can live when God does this?

24 Ships shall come from the coasts of Cyprus, And shall oppress both Eber and Assyria. They too must be destroyed."

25 So Balaam and Balak returned to their homes.

25

1 While Israel was camped at Acacia, some of the young men began going to wild parties with the local Moabite girls.

2 These girls also invited them to attend the sacrifices to their gods, and soon the men were not only attending the feasts, but also bowing down and worshiping the idols.

3 Before long all Israel was joining freely in the worship of Baal, the god of Moab; and the anger of the Lord was hot against his people.

4 He issued the following command to Moses: "Execute all the tribal leaders of Israel. Hang them up before the Lord in broad daylight, so that his fierce anger will turn away from the people."

5 So Moses ordered the judges to execute all who had worshiped Baal.

6 But one of the Israeli men insolently brought a Midianite girl into the camp, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as they were weeping at the door of the Tabernacle.

7 When Phinehas (son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest) saw this, he jumped up, grabbed a spear,

8 and rushed after the man into his tent, where he had taken the girl. He thrust the spear all the way through the man's body and into her stomach. So the plague was stopped,

9 but only after 24,000 people had already died.

10 Then the Lord said to Moses,

11 "Phinehas (son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest) has turned away my anger for he was angry with my anger, and would not tolerate the worship of any God but me. So I have stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended.

12 Now because of what he has done--because of his zeal for his God, and because he has made atonement for the people of Israel by what he did--I promise that he and his descendants shall be priests forever."

13

14 The name of the man who was killed with the Midianite girl was Zimri, son of Salu, a leader of the tribe of Simeon.

15 The girl's name was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, a Midianite prince.

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Destroy the Midianites,

17

18 for they are destroying you with their wiles. They are causing you to worship Baal, and they are leading you astray, as you have just seen by the death of Cozbi."

26

1 After the plague had ended, Jehovah said to Moses and to Eleazar (son of Aaron the priest),

2 "Take a census of all the men of Israel who are twenty years old or older, to find out how many of each tribe and clan are able to go to war."

3 So Moses and Eleazar issued census instructions to the leaders of Israel.

4 (The entire nation was camped in the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.) Here are the results of the census:

5 The tribe of Reuben: 43,730. (Reuben was Israel's oldest son.) In this tribe were the following clans, named after Reuben's sons:

6 The Hanochites, named after their ancestor Hanoch. The Palluites, named after their ancestor Pallu.

7 (In the subclan of Eliab--who was one of the sons of Pallu--

8 were the families of Nemuel, Abiram, and Dathan. This Dathan and Abiram were the two leaders who conspired with Korah against Moses and Aaron, and in fact challenged the very authority of God!

9 But the earth opened and swallowed them; and 250 men were destroyed by fire from the Lord that day, as a warning to the entire nation.)

10

11 The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron. The Carmites, named after their ancestor Carmi.

12 The tribe of Simeon: 22,200.

13 In this tribe were the following clans, founded by Simeon's sons: The Nemuelites, named after their ancestor Nemuel. The Jaminites, named after their ancestor Jamin. The Jachinites, named after their ancestor Jachin.

14 The Zerahites, named after their ancestor Zerah. The Shaulites, named after their ancestor Shaul.

15 The tribe of Gad: 40,500

16 In this tribe were the following clans founded by the sons of Gad: The Zephonites, named after their ancestor Zephon. The Haggites, named after their ancestor Haggi. The Shunites, named after their ancestor Shuni.

17 The Oznites, named after their ancestor Ozni. The Erites, named after their ancestor Eri.

18 The Arodites, named after their ancestor Arod. The Arelites, named after their ancestor Areli.

19 The tribe of Judah: 76,500

20 In this tribe were the following clans named after

21 the sons of Judah--but not including Er and Onan who died in the land of Canaan: The Shelanites, named after their ancestor Shelah. The Perezites, named after their ancestor Perez. The Zerahites, named after their ancestor Zerah.

22 This census also included the subclans of Perez: The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron. The Hamulites, named after their ancestor Hamul.

23 The tribe of Issachar: 64,300.

24 In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Issachar: The Tolaites, named after their ancestor Tola. The Punites, named after their ancestor Puvah.

25 The Jashubites, named after their ancestor Jashub. The Shimronites, named after their ancestor Shimron.

26 The tribe of Zebulun: 60,500.

27 In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Zebulun: The Seredites, named after their ancestor Sered. The Elonites, named after their ancestor Elon. The Jahleelites, named after their ancestor Jahleel.

28 The tribe of Joseph: 32,500 in the half-tribe of Ephraim; and 52,700 in the half-tribe of Manasseh.

29 In the half-tribe of Manasseh was the clan of Machirites, named after their ancestor Machir. The subclan of the Machirites was the Gileadites, named after their ancestor Gilead.

30 The tribes of the Gileadites: The Jezerites, named after their ancestor Jezer. The Helekites, named after their ancestor Helek.

31 The Asrielites, named after their ancestor Asriel. The Shechemites, named after their ancestor Shechem.

32 The Shemidaites, named after their ancestor Shemida. The Hepherites, named after their ancestor Hepher. (Hepher's son,

33 Zelophehad, had no sons. Here are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, Tirzah.

34 The 32,500 registered in the half-tribe of Ephraim included the following clans, named after the sons of Ephraim:

35 The Shuthelahites, named after their ancestor Shuthelah. (A subclan of the Shuthelahites was the Eranites, named after their ancestor Eran, a son of Shuthelah.)

36

37 The Becherites, named after their ancestor Becher. The Tahanites, named after their ancestor Tahan.

38 The tribe of Benjamin: 45,600.

39 In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Benjamin: The Belaites, named after their ancestor Bela. Subclans named after sons of Bela were: The Ardites, named after their ancestor Ard. The Naamites, named after their ancestor Naaman.

40 The Ashbelites, named after their ancestor Ashbel. The Ahiramites, named after their ancestor Ahiram.

41 The Shuphamites, named after their ancestor Shephupham. The Huphamites, named after their ancestor Hupham.

42 The tribe of Dan: 64,400.

43 In this tribe was the clan of the Shuhamites, named after Shuham, the son of Dan.

44 The tribe of Asher: 53,400.

45 In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Asher: The Imnites, named after their ancestor Imnah. The Ishvites, named after their ancestor Ishvi.

46 The Beriites, named after their ancestor Beriah. Subclans named after the sons of Beriah were: The Heberites, named after their ancestor Heber. The Malchielites, named after their ancestor Malchiel.

47 Asher also had a daughter named Serah.

48 The tribe of Naphtali: 45,400.

49 In this tribe were the following clans, named after the sons of Naphtali: The Jahzeelites, named after their ancestor Jahzeel. The Gunites, named after their ancestor Guni.

50 The Jezerites, named after their ancestor Jezer. The Shillemites, named after their ancestor Shillem.

51 So the total number of the men of draft age throughout Israel was 601,730.

52 Then the Lord told Moses to divide the land among the tribes in proportion to their population, as indicated by the census--

53

54 the larger tribes to be given more land, the smaller tribes less land.

55 "Let the representatives of the larger tribes have a lottery, drawing for the larger sections," the Lord instructed, "and let the smaller tribes draw for the smaller sections."

56

57 These are the clans of the Levites numbered in the census: The Gershonites, named after their ancestor Gershon. The Kohathites, named after their ancestor Kohath. The Merarites, named after their ancestor Merari.

58 These are the families of the tribe of Levi: The Libnites, the Hebronites, The Mahlites, the Mushites, The Korahites.

59 While Levi was in Egypt, a daughter, Jochebed, was born to him and she became the wife of Amram, son of Kohath. They were the parents of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.

60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized incense before the Lord.

62 The total number of Levites in the census was 23,000, counting all the males a month old and upward. But the Levites were not included in the total census figure of the people of Israel, for the Levites were given no land when it was divided among the tribes.

63 So these are the census figures as prepared by Moses and Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

64 Not one person in this entire census had been counted in the previous census taken in the wilderness of Sinai! For all who had been counted then had died, as the Lord had decreed when he said of them, "They shall die in the wilderness." The only exceptions were Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).

65

27

1 One day the daughters of Zelophehad came to the entrance of the Tabernacle to give a petition to Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and others who were there.

2 The names of these women were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They were members of the half-tribe of Manasseh (a son of Joseph). Their ancestor was Machir, son of Manasseh. Manasseh's son Gilead was their great-grandfather, his son Hepher was their grandfather, and his son Zelophehad was their father.

3 "Our father died in the wilderness," they said, "and he was not one of those who perished in Korah's revolt against the Lord--it was a natural death, but he had no sons.

4 Why should the name of our father disappear just because he had no son? We feel that we should be given property along with our father's brothers."

5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord.

6 And the Lord replied to Moses,

7 "The daughters of Zelophehad are correct. Give them land along with their uncles; give them the property that would have been given to their father if he had lived.

8 Moreover, this is a general law among you, that if a man dies and has no sons, then his inheritance shall be passed on to his daughters.

9 And if he has no daughter, it shall belong to his brothers.

10 And if he has no brother, then it shall go to his uncles.

11 But if he has no uncles, then it shall go to the nearest relative."

12 One day the Lord said to Moses, "Go up into Mount Abarim and look across the river to the land I have given to the people of Israel.

13 After you have seen it, you shall die as Aaron your brother did,

14 for you rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you did not glorify me before them by following my instructions to order water to come out of the rock." He was referring to the incident at the waters of Meribah ("Place of Strife") in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.

15 Then Moses said to the Lord,

16 "O Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all mankind, before I am taken away please appoint a new leader for the people,

17 a man who will lead them into battle and care for them, so that the people of the Lord will not be as sheep without a shepherd."

18 The Lord replied, "Go and get Joshua (son of Nun), who has the Spirit in him,

19 and take him to Eleazar the priest, and as all the people watch, charge him with the responsibility of leading the people.

20 Publicly give him your authority so that all the people of Israel will obey him.

21 He shall be the one to consult with Eleazar the priest in order to get directions from the Lord. The Lord will speak to Eleazar through the use of the Urim, and Eleazar will pass on these instructions to Joshua and the people. In this way the Lord will continue to give them guidance."

22 So Moses did as Jehovah commanded and took Joshua to Eleazar the priest. As the people watched,

23 Moses laid his hands upon him and dedicated him to his responsibilities, as the Lord had commanded.

28

1 The Lord gave Moses these instructions to give to the people of Israel:

2 "The offerings which you burn on the altar for me are my food, and are a pleasure to me; so see to it that they are brought regularly and are offered as I have instructed you.

3 "When you make offerings by fire, you shall use yearling male lambs--each without defect. Two of them shall be offered each day as a regular burnt offering.

4 One lamb shall be sacrificed in the morning, the other in the evening.

5 With them shall be offered a grain offering of three quarts of finely ground flour mixed with three pints of oil.

6 This is the burnt offering ordained at Mount Sinai, to be regularly offered as a fragrant odor, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

7 Along with it shall be the drink offering, consisting of three pints of strong wine with each lamb, poured out in the holy place before the Lord.

8 Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and drink offering. It too is a fragrant odor to the Lord, an offering made by fire.

9 "On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two yearling male lambs--both without defect--in addition to the regular offerings. They are to be accompanied by a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil, and the usual drink offering.

10

11 "Also, on the first day of each month there shall be an extra burnt offering to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs--all without defect.

12 Accompany them with nine quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull; and six quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for the ram;

13 and for each lamb, three quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. This burnt offering shall be presented by fire and will please the Lord very much.

14 Along with each sacrifice shall be a drink offering--six pints of wine with each bull, four pints for a ram, and three pints for a lamb. This, then, will be the burnt offering each month throughout the year.

15 "Also on the first day of each month you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord. This is in addition to the regular daily burnt offering and its drink offering.

16 "On April first you shall celebrate the Passover-- when the death angel passed over the oldest sons of the Israelites in Egypt, leaving them unharmed.

17 On the following day a great, joyous seven-day festival will begin, but no leavened bread shall be served.

18 On the first day of the festival all the people shall be called together before the Lord. No hard work shall be done on that day.

19 You shall offer as burnt sacrifices to the Lord two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs--all without defect.

20 With each bull there shall be a grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram there shall be six quarts;

21 and with each of the seven lambs there shall be three quarts of fine flour.

22 You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for yourselves.

23 These offerings shall be in addition to the usual daily sacrifices.

24 This same sacrifice shall be offered on each of the seven days of the feast; they will be very pleasant to the Lord.

25 On the seventh day there shall again be a holy and solemn assembly of all the people, and during that day you may do no hard work.

26 "On the first day of the Harvest Festival all the people must come before the Lord for a special, solemn assembly to celebrate the new harvest. On that day you are to present the first of the new crop of grain as a grain offering to the Lord; there is to be no regular work by anyone on that day.

27 A special burnt offering, very pleasant to the Lord, shall be offered that day. It shall consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs.

28 These shall be accompanied by your grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil with each bull, six quarts with the ram, and three quarts with each of the seven lambs.

29

30 Also offer one male goat to make atonement for yourselves.

31 These special offerings are in addition to the regular daily burnt offerings and grain offerings and drink offerings. Make sure that the animals you sacrifice are without defect.

29

1 "The Festival of Trumpets shall be celebrated on the fifteenth day of September each year; there shall be a solemn assembly of all the people on that day, and no hard work may be done.

2 On that day you shall offer a burnt sacrifice consisting of one young bull, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs--all without defect. These are sacrifices which the Lord will appreciate and enjoy.

3 A grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mingled with oil shall be offered with the bull, six quarts with the ram, and three quarts with each of the seven lambs.

4

5 In addition, there shall be a male goat sacrificed as a sin offering, to make atonement for you.

6 These special sacrifices are in addition to the regular monthly burnt offering for that day, and also in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, which are to be offered with the respective grain offerings and drink offerings, as specified by the ordinances governing them.

7 "Ten days later another convocation of all the people shall be held. This will be a day of solemn humility before the Lord, and no work of any kind may be done.

8 On that day you shall offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord--it will be very pleasant to him--of one young bull, one ram, seven yearling male lambs--each without defect--

9 and their accompanying grain offerings. Nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil are to be offered with the bull, six with the ram, and three with each of the seven lambs.

10

11 "You are also to sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of the Day of Atonement offered annually on that day, and in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and drink offerings.

12 "Five days later there shall be yet another assembly of all the people, and on that day no hard work shall be done; it is the beginning of a seven-day festival before the Lord.

13 Your special burnt sacrifice that day, which will give much pleasure to the Lord, shall be thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

14 accompanied by the usual grain offerings--nine quarts of fine flour mingled with oil for each of the thirteen young bulls; six quarts for each of the two rams;

15 and three quarts for each of the fourteen lambs.

16 There must also be a male goat sacrificed for a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifice with its accompanying grain offerings and drink offerings.

17 "On the second day of this seven-day festival you shall sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

18 accompanied by the usual grain offerings and drink offerings.

19 Also, in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifice, you are to sacrifice a male goat with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering for a sin offering.

20 "On the third day of the festival, offer eleven young bulls, two rams, fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

21 and the usual grain offering and drink offering with each sacrifice.

22 And in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, sacrifice a male goat for a sin offering, with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

23 "On the fourth day of the festival, you are to sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

24 each with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering;

25 also a male goat as a sin offering (along with the usual grain and drink offerings) in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.

26 "On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

27 accompanied by the usual grain offerings and drink offerings;

28 also sacrifice a male goat with the usual grain and drink offerings, as a special sin offering, in addition to the usual daily sacrifices.

29 "On the sixth day of the festival, you must sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

30 along with their usual grain and drink offerings.

31 In addition to the usual daily sacrifices, sacrifice a male goat and the usual grain and drink offerings as a sin offering.

32 "On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

33 each with its customary grain and drink offerings;

34 also sacrifice an extra sin offering of one male goat, with the usual grain and drink offerings, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.

35 "On the eighth day summon the people to another solemn assembly; you must do no hard work that day.

36 Sacrifice a burnt offering--they are very pleasant to the Lord--of one young bull, one ram, seven male yearling lambs--each without defect--

37 and the customary grain and drink offerings.

38 Sacrifice also one male goat with the usual grain and drink offerings for a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.

39 These offerings are compulsory at the times of your annual feasts, and are in addition to sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as free-will offerings, burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, drink offerings, or peace offerings."

40 So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel.

30

1 Now Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes and told them, "The Lord has commanded

2 that when anyone makes a promise to the Lord, either to do something or to quit doing something, that vow must not be broken: the person making the vow must do exactly as he has promised.

3 "If a woman promises the Lord to do or not do something, and she is still a girl at home in her father's home,

4 and her father hears that she has made a vow with penalties, but says nothing, then her vow shall stand.

5 But if her father refuses to let her make the vow, or feels that the penalties she has agreed to are too harsh, then her promise will automatically become invalid. Her father must state his disagreement on the first day he hears about it; and then Jehovah will forgive her because her father would not let her do it.

6 "If she takes a vow or makes a foolish pledge, and later marries,

7 and her husband learns of her vow and says nothing on the day he hears of it, her vow shall stand.

8 But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or foolish pledge, his disagreement makes it void, and Jehovah will forgive her.

9 "But if the woman is a widow or is divorced, she must fulfill her vow.

10 "If she is married and living in her husband's home when she makes the vow,

11 and her husband hears of it and does nothing, the vow shall stand;

12 but if he refuses to allow it on the first day he hears of it, her vow is void and Jehovah will forgive her.

13 So her husband may either confirm or nullify her vow,

14 but if he says nothing for a day, then he has already agreed to it.

15 If he waits more than a day and then refuses to permit the vow, whatever penalties to which she agreed shall come upon him--he shall be responsible."

16 These, then, are the commandments the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife and between a father and his daughter who is living at home.

31

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take vengeance on the Midianites for leading you into idolatry, and then you must die."

2

3 Moses said to the people, "Some of you must take arms to wage Jehovah's war against Midian.

4 Conscript 1,000 men from each tribe." So this was done; and out of the many thousands of Israel, 12,000 armed men were sent to battle by Moses.

5

6 Phinehas (son of Eleazar the priest) led them into battle, accompanied by the Ark, with trumpets blaring.

7 And every man of Midian was killed.

8 Among those killed were all five of the Midianite kings--Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. Balaam, the son of Beor, was also killed.

9 Then the Israeli army took as captives all the women and children, and seized the cattle and flocks and a lot of miscellaneous booty.

10

11 All of the cities, towns, and villages of Midian were then burned.

12 The captives and other war loot were brought to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the rest of the people of Israel who were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the people went out to meet the victorious army,

14 but Moses was very angry with the army officers and battalion leaders.

15 "Why have you let all the women live?" he demanded.

16 "These are the very ones who followed Balaam's advice and caused the people of Israel to worship idols on Mount Peor, and they are the cause of the plague that destroyed us.

17 Now kill all the boys and all the women who have had sexual intercourse.

18 Only the little girls may live; you may keep them for yourselves.

19 Now stay outside of the camp for seven days, all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body. Then purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days.

20 Remember also to purify all your garments and everything made of leather, goat's hair, or wood."

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, "This is the commandment Jehovah has given Moses:

22 'Anything that will stand heat--such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead--

23 shall be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure; it must then be further purified with the purification water. But anything that won't stand heat shall be purified by the water alone.'

24 On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified, and then you may come back into the camp."

25 And the Lord said to Moses,

26 "You and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the tribes are to make a list of all the loot, including the people and animals;

27 then divide it into two parts. Half of it is for the men who were in the battle, and the other half is to be given to the people of Israel.

28 But first, the Lord gets a share of all the captives, oxen, donkeys, and flocks kept by the army. His share is one out of every five hundred.

29 Give this share to Eleazar the priest to be presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar.

30 Also levy a 2 percent tribute of all the captives, flocks, and cattle that are given to the people of Israel. Present this to the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle, for it is the Lord's portion."

31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded.

32 The total booty (besides the jewelry, clothing, etc., which the soldiers kept for themselves) was 675,000 sheep;

33 72,000 oxen;

34 61,000 donkeys; and

35 32,000 young girls.

36 So the half given to the army totaled: 337,500 sheep

37 (of which 675 were given to the Lord);

38 36,000 oxen (of which 72 were given to the Lord);

39 30,500 donkeys (of which 61 were given to the Lord);

40 16,000 girls (of whom 32 went to the Levites).

41 All of the Lord's portion was given to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had directed Moses.

42 The half of the booty assigned to the people of Israel--Moses had separated it from

43 the half belonging to the warriors--amounted to: 337,500 sheep,

44 36,000 oxen,

45 30,500 donkeys,

46 and 16,000 girls.

47 In accordance with the Lord's directions, Moses gave 2 percent of these to the Levites.

48 Then the officers and battalion leaders came to Moses and said, "We have accounted for all the men who went out to battle, and not one of us is missing!

49

50 So we have brought a special thank-offering to the Lord from our loot--gold jewelry, bracelets, anklets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This is to make atonement for our souls before the Lord."

51 Moses and Eleazar the priest received this special offering from the captains and battalion leaders and company commanders, and found its total value to be more than $300,000.

52

53 (The soldiers had also kept personal loot for themselves.)

54 The offering was taken into the Tabernacle and kept there before the Lord as a memorial of the people of Israel.

32

1 When Israel arrived in the land of Jazar and Gilead, the tribes of Reuben and Gad (who had large flocks of sheep) noticed what wonderful sheep country it was.

2 So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the other tribal leaders and said,

3 "The Lord has used Israel to destroy the population of this whole countryside--Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon.

4 And it is all wonderful sheep country, ideal for our flocks.

5 Please let us have this land as our portion instead of the land on the other side of the Jordan River."

6 "You mean you want to sit here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?" Moses demanded.

7 "Are you trying to discourage the rest of the people from going across to the land that the Lord has given them?

8 This is the same kind of thing your fathers did! I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land,

9 but when they finished their survey and returned from the valley of Eshcol, they discouraged the people from going on into the Promised Land.

10 And the Lord's anger was hot against them, and he swore

11 that of all those he had rescued from Egypt, no one over twenty years of age would ever see the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they had refused to do what he wanted them to.

12 "The only exceptions were Caleb (son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite) and Joshua (son of Nun)--for they wholeheartedly followed the Lord and urged the people to go on into the Promised Land.

13 "The Lord made us wander back and forth in the wilderness for forty years until all that evil generation died.

14 But here you are, a brood of sinners doing exactly the same thing! Only there are more of you, so Jehovah's anger against Israel will be even fiercer this time.

15 If you turn away from God like this, he will make the people stay even longer in the wilderness, and you will be responsible for destroying his people and bringing disaster to this entire nation!"

16 "Not at all!" they explained. "We will build sheepfolds for our flocks and cities for our little ones,

17 but we ourselves will go over armed, ahead of the rest of the people of Israel, until we have brought them safely to their inheritance. But first we will need to build walled cities here for our families, to keep them safe from attack by the local inhabitants.

18 We will not settle down here until all the people of Israel have received their inheritance.

19 We don't want land on the other side of the Jordan; we would rather have it on this side, on the east."

20 Then Moses said, "All right, if you will do what you have said and arm yourselves for Jehovah's war,

21 and keep your troops across the Jordan until the Lord has driven out his enemies,

22 then, when the land is finally subdued before the Lord, you may return. Then you will have discharged your duty to the Lord and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the eastern side shall be your possession from the Lord.

23 But if you don't do as you have said, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will catch up with you.

24 Go ahead and build cities for your families and sheepfolds for your sheep, and do all you have said."

25 "We will follow your instructions exactly," the people of Gad and Reuben replied.

26 "Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle shall stay here in the cities of Gilead.

27 But all of us who are conscripted will go over to battle for the Lord, just as you have said."

28 So Moses gave his approval by saying to Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal leaders of Israel,

29 "If all the men of the tribes of Gad and Reuben who are conscripted for the Lord's battles go with you over Jordan, then, when the land is conquered, you must give them the land of Gilead;

30 but if they refuse, then they must accept land among the rest of you in the land of Canaan."

31 The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, "As the Lord has commanded, so we will do--

32 we will follow the Lord fully armed into Canaan, but our own land shall be here on this side of the Jordan."

33 So Moses assigned the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites, and of King Og of Bashan--all the land and cities--to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (son of Joseph).

34 The people of Gad built these cities: Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

36 Beth-nimrah, Beth-haran. They were all fortified cities with sheepfolds.

37 The children of Reuben built the following cities: Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

38 Nebo, Baal-meon, Sibmah. (The Israelites later changed the names of some of these cities they had conquered and rebuilt.)

39 Then the clan of Machir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and drove out the Amorites who were living there.

40 So Moses gave Gilead to the Machirites, and they lived there.

41 The men of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, occupied many of the towns in Gilead, and changed the name of their area to Havroth-jair.

42 Meanwhile, a man named Nobah led an army to Kenath and its surrounding villages, and occupied them, and he called the area Nobah, after his own name.

33

1 This is the itinerary of the nation of Israel from the time Moses and Aaron led them out of Egypt.

2 Moses had written down their movements as the Lord had instructed him.

3 They left the city of Rameses, Egypt, on the first day of April, the day after the night of the Passover. They left proudly, hurried along by the Egyptians

4 who were burying all their eldest sons, killed by the Lord the night before. The Lord had certainly defeated all the gods of Egypt that night!

5 After leaving Rameses, they stayed in Succoth, Etham (at the edge of the wilderness), and

6

7 Pihahiroth (near Baal-zephon, where they camped at the foot of Mount Migdol).

8 From there they went through the middle of the Red Sea and on for three days into the Etham wilderness, camping at Marah.

9 Leaving Marah, they came to Elim, where there are twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; they stayed there for quite a long time.

10 Leaving Elim, they camped beside the Red Sea,

11 and then in the wilderness of Sihn.

12 Next was Dophkah,

13 and then Alush;

14 then on to Rephidim (where there was no water for the people to drink).

15 From Rephidim they went to the wilderness of Sinai;

16 from the wilderness of Sinai to Kibroth-hattaavah;

17 From Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth;

18 From Hazeroth to Rithmah;

19 From Rithmah to Rimmon-parez;

20 From Rimmon-parez to Libnah;

21 From Libnah to Rissah;

22 From Rissah to Kehelathah;

23 From Kehelathah to Mount Shepher;

24 From Mount Shepher to Haradah;

25 From Haradah to Makheloth;

26 From Makheloth to Tahath;

27 From Tahath to Terah;

28 From Terah to Mithkah;

29 From Mithkah to Hashmonah;

30 From Hashmonah to Moseroth;

31 From Moseroth to Bene-jaakan;

32 From Bene-jaakan to Hor-haggidgad;

33 From Hor-haggidgad to Jotbathah;

34 From Jotbathah to Abronah;

35 From Abronah to Ezion-geber;

36 From Ezion-geber to Kadesh (in the wilderness of Zin);

37 From Kadesh to Mount Hor (at the edge of the land of Edom).

38 While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the Lord to go up into the mountain, and there he died. This occurred during the fortieth year after the people of Israel had left Egypt.

39 The date of his death was July 15, when he was 123 years old.

40 It was then that the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land.

41 After dealing with him, the Israelis journeyed from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah,

42 then at Punon,

43 then at Oboth,

44 then Iyeabarim (at the border of Moab).

45 From there they went to Dibon-gad,

46 and then to Almon-diblathaim,

47 and on into the mountains of Abarim, near Mount Nebo,

48 and finally to the plains of Moab beside the river Jordan, opposite Jericho.

49 While in that area they camped at various places along the Jordan River, from Bethjeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim, on the plains of Moab.

50 It was while they were camped there that the Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel, "When you pass across the Jordan River into the land of Canaan,

51

52 you must drive out all the people living there and destroy all their idols--their carved stones, molten images, and the open-air sanctuaries in the hills where they worship their idols.

53 I have given the land to you; take it and live there.

54 You will be given land in proportion to the size of your tribes. The larger sections of land will be divided by lot among the larger tribes, and the smaller sections will be allotted to the smaller tribes.

55 But if you refuse to drive out the people living there, those who remain will be as cinders in your eyes and thorns in your sides.

56 And I will destroy you as I had planned for you to destroy them."

34

1 The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel, "When you come into the land of Canaan (I am giving you the entire land as your homeland),

2

3 the southern portion of the country will be the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin at the Dead Sea,

4 and will continue south past Scorpion Pass in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazaraddar, and on to Azmon.

5 From Azmon the boundary will follow the Brook of Egypt down to the Mediterranean Sea.

6 "Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

7 "Your northern border will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and will proceed eastward to Mount Hor, then to Lebo-Hamath, and on through Zedad and Ziphron to Hazar-enan.

8

9

10 "The eastern border will be from Hazar-enan south to Shepham,

11 then on to Riblah at the east side of Ain. From there it will make a large half-circle, first going south and then westward until it touches the southernmost tip of the Sea of Galilee,

12 and then along the Jordan River, ending at the Dead Sea."

13 "This is the territory you are to apportion among yourselves by lot," Moses said. "It is to be divided up among the nine and one-half tribes,

14 for the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already been assigned land on the east side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho."

15

16 And the Lord said to Moses,

17 "These are the names of the men I have appointed to handle the dividing up of the land: Eleazar the priest, Joshua (son of Nun),

18 and one leader from each tribe, as listed below: Tribe, Leader;

19 Judah, Caleb (son of Jephunneh);

20 Simeon, Shemuel (son of Ammihud);

21 Benjamin, Elidad (son of Chislon);

22 Dan, Bukki (son of Jogli);

23 Manasseh, Hanniel (son of Ephod);

24 Ephraim, Kemuel (son of Shiphtan);

25 Zebulun, Elizaphan (son of Parnach);

26 Issachar, Paltiel (son of Azzan);

27 Asher, Ahihud (son of Shelomi);

28 Naphtali, Pedahel (son of Ammihud);

29 These are the names of the men I have appointed to oversee the dividing of the land among the tribes."

35

1 While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho, the Lord said to Moses,

2 "Instruct the people of Israel to give to the Levites as their inheritance certain cities and surrounding pasture lands.

3 These cities are for their homes, and the surrounding lands for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.

4 Their gardens and vineyards shall extend,500 feet out from the city walls in each direction, with an additional,500 feet beyond that for pastureland.

5

6 "You shall give the Levites the six Cities of Refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run and be safe, and forty-two other cities besides.

7 In all, there shall be forty-eight cities with the surrounding pastureland given to the Levites.

8 These cities shall be in various parts of the nation; the larger tribes with many cities will give several to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer."

9 And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people that when they arrive in the land,

10

11 Cities of Refuge shall be designated for anyone to flee into if he has killed someone accidentally.

12 These cities will be places of protection from the dead man's relatives who want to avenge his death; for the slayer must not be killed unless a fair trial establishes his guilt.

13 Three of these six Cities of Refuge are to be located in the land of Canaan, and three on the east side of the Jordan River.

14

15 These are not only for the protection of Israelites, but also for foreigners and travelers.

16 "But if someone is struck and killed by a piece of iron, it must be presumed to be murder, and the murderer must be executed.

17 Or if the slain man was struck down with a large stone, it is murder, and the murderer shall die.

18 The same is true if he is killed with a wooden weapon.

19 The avenger of his death shall personally kill the murderer when he meets him.

20 So if anyone kills another out of hatred by throwing something at him, or ambushing him,

21 or angrily striking him with his fist so that he dies, he is a murderer; and the murderer shall be executed by the avenger.

22 "But if it is an accident--a case in which something is thrown unintentionally,

23 or in which a stone is thrown without anger, without realizing it will hit anyone, and without wanting to harm an enemy--yet the man dies,

24 then the people shall judge whether or not it was an accident, and whether or not to hand the killer over to the avenger of the dead man.

25 If it is decided that it was accidental, then the people shall save the killer from the avenger; the killer shall be permitted to stay in the City of Refuge; and he must live there until the death of the High Priest.

26 "If the slayer leaves the city,

27 and the avenger finds him outside and kills him, it is not murder,

28 for the man should have stayed inside the city until the death of the High Priest. But after the death of the High Priest, the man may return to his own land and home.

29 These are permanent laws for all Israel from generation to generation.

30 "All murderers must be executed, but only if there is more than one witness; no man shall die with only one person testifying against him.

31 Whenever anyone is judged guilty of murder, he must die--no ransom may be accepted for him.

32 Nor may a payment be accepted from a refugee in a City of Refuge, permitting him to return to his home before the death of the High Priest.

33 In this way the land will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for murder except by the execution of the murderer.

34 You shall not defile the land where you are going to live, for I, Jehovah, will be living there."

36

1 Then the heads of the subclan of Gilead (of the clan of Machir, of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the sons of Joseph) came to Moses and the leaders of Israel with a petition:

2 "The Lord instructed you to divide the land by lot among the people of Israel," they reminded Moses, "and to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

3 But if they marry into another tribe, their land will go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way the total area of our tribe will be reduced

4 and will not be returned at the Year of Jubilee."

5 Then Moses replied publicly, giving them these instructions from the Lord: "The men of the tribe of Joseph have a proper complaint.

6 This is what the Lord has further commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: 'Let them be married to anyone they like, so long as it is within their own tribe.

7 In this way none of the land of the tribe will shift to any other tribe, for the inheritance of every tribe is to remain permanently as it was first allotted.

8 The girls throughout the tribes of Israel who are heiresses must marry within their own tribe, so that their land won't leave the tribe.

9 In this way no inheritance shall move from one tribe to another.' "

10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses.

11 These girls, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, were married to men in their own tribe of Manasseh (son of Joseph); so their inheritance remained in their tribe.

12

13 These are the commandments and ordinances that the Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses, while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.