Duties of Priests and Levites

NUMBERS 18 [†]So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall  q bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary,  r and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. 2And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may  s join you and  t minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3They shall keep guard over you and  u over the whole tent,  v but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar  w lest they, and you, die. 4They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent,  x and no outsider shall come near you. 5And you shall  y keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar,  z that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. 6 a And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel.  b They are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 7And  c you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and  d that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, [1] and  e any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

8[†]Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, “Behold,  f I have given you charge of the contributions made to me, all the consecrated things of the people of Israel. I have given them to you  g as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual due. 9This shall be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs and every  h sin offering of theirs and every  i guilt offering of theirs, which they render to me, shall be most holy to you and to your sons. 10In a most holy place shall you eat it. Every male may eat it; it is holy to you. 11This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the  j wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to  k you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due.  l Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. 12 m All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain,  n the firstfruits of what they give to the LORD, I give to you. 13The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land,  o which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours.  l Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. 14 p Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15 q Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours. Nevertheless,  r the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16And their redemption price  s (at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels [2] in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary,  t which is twenty gerahs. 17 u But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall burn their fat as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 18But their flesh shall be yours, as  v the breast that is waved and as the right thigh are yours. 19[†] w All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the LORD I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due.  x It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you and for your offspring with you.” 20And the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them.  y I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.

21[†] z “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, 22 a so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting,  b lest they bear sin and die. 23But  c the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting,  d and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24For the tithe of the people of Israel, which  e they present as a contribution to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance  f among the people of Israel.”

25[†]And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26“Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the LORD,  g a tithe of the tithe. 27 h And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. 28So you shall also present a contribution to the LORD from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the LORD’s contribution to Aaron the priest. 29Out of all the gifts to you, you shall present every contribution due to the LORD; from each its best part is to be dedicated.’ 30Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it,  i then the rest shall be counted to the Levites as produce of the threshing floor, and as produce of the winepress. 31And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is  j your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32And you shall  k bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not  l profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.’”

Laws for Purification

NUMBERS 19 [†]Now the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2“This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish,  m and on which a yoke has never come. 3And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and  n it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. 4And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and  o sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5And the heifer shall be burned in his sight.  p Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. 6And the priest shall take  q cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. 7Then the priest  r shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 s The one who burns the heifer  r shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. 9And a man who is clean shall gather up  t the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a  u clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for  v impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer  r shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.

11[†] w “Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12He  x shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. 13Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself,  y defiles the tabernacle of the LORD,  z and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.

14“This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days. 15And every  a open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean. 16 b Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a  c grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17For the unclean they shall take  d some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh [1] water shall be added in a vessel. 18Then a clean person shall take  e hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. 19And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean  f on the third day and on the seventh day.  g Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall  h wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.

20“If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself,  i that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean. 21And it shall be a statute forever for them. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22And  j whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”

The Death of Miriam

NUMBERS 20 [†]And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came  k into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And  l Miriam died there and was buried there.

The Waters of Meribah

2[†] m Now there was no water for the congregation.  n And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3And the people  o quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished  p when our brothers perished before the LORD! 4Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? 5And  q why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and  r fell on their faces.  s And the glory of the LORD appeared to them, 7and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 t “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So  u you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9And Moses took the staff  v from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

Moses Strikes the Rock

10Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them,  w “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice,  u and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because  x you did not believe in me,  y to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 z These are the waters of Meribah, [1] where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy.

Edom Refuses Passage

14[†] a Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to  b the king of Edom: “Thus says  c your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: 15 d how our fathers went down to Egypt,  e and we lived in Egypt a long time.  f And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. 16[†]And  g when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and  h sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. 17[†] i Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard,  j or drink water from a well. We will go along the King’s Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.” 18But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.” 19And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway,  k and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock,  l then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20But he said,  m “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. 21Thus Edom  n refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel  o turned away from him.

The Death of Aaron

22[†]And they journeyed from  p Kadesh, and the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came to  q Mount Hor. 23And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, 24 r “Let Aaron be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel, because  s you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor. 26[†]And strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron  r shall be gathered to his people and shall die there.” 27Moses did as the LORD commanded. And they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28[†] t And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there  u on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished,  v all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Arad Destroyed

NUMBERS 21 [†]When  w the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in  x the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. 2[†] y And Israel vowed a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.” [1] 3And the LORD heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called  z Hormah. [2]

The Bronze Serpent

4[†]From Mount Hor  a they set out by the way to the Red Sea,  b to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5And the people  c spoke against God and against Moses,  d “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and  e we loathe this worthless food.” 6 f Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and  g they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 h And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you.  i Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9[†]So  j Moses made a bronze [3] serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

The Song of the Well

10[†]And the people of Israel set out and  k camped in Oboth. 11 k And they set out from Oboth and  k camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise. 12From there they set out and camped in  l the Valley of Zered. 13From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the  m Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14[†]Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD,

“Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,

15 and the slope of the valleys

that extends to the seat of  n Ar,

and leans to the border of Moab.”

16[†]And from there they continued  o to Beer; [4] that is the well of which the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so that  p I may give them water.” 17Then Israel sang this song:

“Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!—

18 the well that the princes made,

that the nobles of the people dug,

with  q the scepter and with their staffs.”

And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah, 19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah  r that looks down on the desert. [5]

King Sihon Defeated

21[†]Then  s Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 t “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 u But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and  v came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 w And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the  x Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 25And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27[†]Therefore the  y ballad singers say,

“Come to  z Heshbon, let it be built;

let the city of Sihon be established.

28 For  a fire came out from  z Heshbon,

flame from the city of Sihon.

It devoured  n Ar of Moab,

and swallowed [6] the heights of the Arnon.

29[†]  a Woe to you, O Moab!

You are undone, O people of  b Chemosh!

He has made his sons fugitives,

and his daughters captives,

to an Amorite king, Sihon.

30 So we overthrew them;

Heshbon, as far as  c Dibon, perished;

and we laid waste as far as Nophah;

fire spread as far as  d Medeba.” [7]

King Og Defeated

31[†]Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32And Moses sent to spy out  e Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle  f at Edrei. 34 g But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And  h you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land.

Balak Summons Balaam

NUMBERS 22 [†]Then  i the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. 2And  j Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3And  k Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. 4And Moab said to  l the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 m sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor  n at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, [1] to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 o Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

7[†]So the elders of Moab and  l the elders of Midian departed with  p the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message. 8And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 q And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for  r they are blessed.” 13So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.” 14So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

15[†]Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. 16And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, 17 s for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do.  t Come, curse this people for me.’” 18But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak,  u “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold,  v I could not go beyond the command of the LORD my God to do less or more. 19[†]So you, too,  w please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.” 20 q And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them;  x but only do what I tell you.” 21So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel

22[†]But God’s anger was kindled because he went,  y and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way  z as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28Then the LORD  a opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”

31Then the LORD  b opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out  c to oppose you because your way is perverse [2] before me. 33The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” 34[†]Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD,  d “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men,  e but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

36[†]When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab,  f on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border. 37And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to  g honor you?” 38Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything?  h The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.” 39[†]Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.

41[†]And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

Balaam’s First Oracle

NUMBERS 23 And Balaam said to Balak,  i “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam  j offered on each altar a bull and a ram. 3And Balaam said to Balak,  k “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come  l to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height, 4 m and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 5And the LORD  n put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. 7And Balaam  o took up his discourse and said,

“From  p Aram Balak has brought me,

the king of Moab  q from the eastern mountains:

‘Come,  r curse Jacob for me,

and come, denounce Israel!’

8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed?

How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

9[†] For from the top of the crags  s I see him,

from the hills I behold him;

behold,  t a people dwelling alone,

and  u not counting itself among the nations!

10[†]  v Who can count the dust of Jacob

or number the fourth part [1] of Israel?

Let me die  w the death of the upright,

and let my end be like his!”

11And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me?  x I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” 12And he answered and said,  y “Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Second Oracle

13[†]And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.” 14And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah,  z and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15Balaam said to Balak,  a “Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the LORD over there.” 16And the LORD met Balaam and  b put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.” 17And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?” 18And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“Rise, Balak, and hear;

give ear to me, O son of Zippor:

19[†]  c God is not man, that he should lie,

or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Has he said, and will he not do it?

Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

20 Behold, I received a command to bless:

 d he has blessed, and  e I cannot revoke it.

21[†]  f He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,

nor has he seen trouble in Israel.

The LORD their God is with them,

and the shout of a king is among them.

22  g God brings them out of Egypt

and is for them like  h the horns of the wild ox.

23[†] For there is no enchantment against Jacob,

no  i divination against Israel;

now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,

 j ‘What has God wrought!’

24[†] Behold, a people!  k As a lioness it rises up

and as a lion it lifts itself;

 l it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey

and drunk the blood of the slain.”

25And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” 26But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you,  m ‘All that the LORD says, that I must do’?” 27And Balak said to Balaam,  n “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 28So Balak took Balaam to the top of  o Peor, which overlooks  p the desert. [2] 29And Balaam said to Balak,  q “Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 r And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balaam’s Third Oracle

NUMBERS 24 [†]When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go, as at  s other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 2And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel  t camping tribe by tribe. And  u the Spirit of God came upon him, 3and he  v took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,

the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, [1]

4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God,

who sees the vision of the Almighty,

 w falling down with his eyes uncovered:

5[†] How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,

your encampments, O Israel!

6 Like palm groves [2] that stretch afar,

like gardens beside a river,

 x like aloes  y that the LORD has planted,

like cedar trees beside the waters.

7[†] Water shall flow from his buckets,

and his seed shall be  z in many waters;

his king shall be higher than  a Agag,

and  b his kingdom shall be exalted.

8 God brings him out of Egypt

and is for him like the  c horns of the wild ox;

he shall  d eat up the nations, his adversaries,

and shall  e break their bones in pieces

and  f pierce them through with his arrows.

9[†] He crouched, he lay down like a lion

and  g like a lioness; who will rouse him up?

 h Blessed are those who bless you,

and cursed are those who curse you.”

10And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he  i struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam,  j “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. 11Therefore now flee to your own place. I said,  k ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the LORD has held you back from honor.” 12And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13 l ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad  m of my own will. What the LORD speaks, that will I speak’? 14And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come,  n I will let you know what this people will do to your people  o in the latter days.”

Balaam’s Final Oracle

15[†] p And he took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,

the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God,

and knows the knowledge of  q the Most High,

who sees the vision of the Almighty,

 r falling down with his eyes uncovered:

17[†]  s I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not near:

 t a star shall come out of Jacob,

and  u a scepter shall rise out of Israel;

it shall  v crush the forehead [3] of Moab

and break down all the sons of Sheth.

18[†]  w Edom shall be dispossessed;

 x Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.

Israel is doing valiantly.

19[†] And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion

and destroy the survivors of cities!”

20[†]Then he looked on Amalek and  y took up his discourse and said,

“Amalek was the first among the nations,

 z but its end is utter destruction.”

21[†]And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,

“Enduring is your dwelling place,

and your nest is set in the rock.

22 Nevertheless, Kain shall be burned

when Asshur takes you away captive.”

23[†]And he took up his discourse and said,

“Alas, who shall live when God does this?

24 But ships shall come from  a Kittim

and shall afflict Asshur and  b Eber;

and he too  c shall come to utter destruction.”

25[†]Then Balaam rose and  d went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.

Baal Worship at Peor

NUMBERS 25 [†]While Israel lived in  e Shittim,  f the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 g These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3[†]So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4[†]And the LORD said to Moses,  h “Take all the chiefs of the people and  i hang [1] them in the sun before the LORD,  j that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” 5And Moses said to  k the judges of Israel,  l “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

6[†]And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were  m weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7[†] n When Phinehas  o the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9[†]Nevertheless,  p those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

The Zeal of Phinehas

10And the LORD said to Moses, 11“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he  q was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in  r my jealousy. 12Therefore say,  s ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13and it shall be to him and to  t his descendants after him the covenant of  u a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”

14The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites. 15And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of  v Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian.

16[†]And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 w “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18for they have harassed you with their  x wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of  y Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”

Census of the New Generation

NUMBERS 26 [†] z After the plague, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, 2 a “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” 3And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them  b in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 4“Take a census of the people, [1] from twenty years old and upward,” as the LORD  c commanded Moses. The people of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were:

5 d Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites; 6of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites. 7These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were  e 43,730. 8And the sons of Pallu: Eliab. 9[†]The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram,  f chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the LORD 10and  g the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and  h they became a warning. 11[†]But  i the sons of Korah did not die.

12The sons of  j Simeon according to their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites; 13of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites. 14These are the clans of the Simeonites,  k 22,200.

15The sons of  l Gad according to their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites; 16of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites; 17of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites. 18These are the clans of the sons of Gad as they were listed,  m 40,500.

19[†]The sons of  n Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20And the sons of Judah according to their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites. 21And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites. 22These are the clans of Judah as they were listed,  o 76,500.

23The sons of  p Issachar according to their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites; 24of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites. 25These are the clans of Issachar as they were listed,  q 64,300.

26The sons of  r Zebulun, according to their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites. 27These are the clans of the Zebulunites as they were listed,  s 60,500.

28[†]The sons of  t Joseph according to their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 u The sons of Manasseh: of  v Machir, the clan of the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead;  w of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites. 30These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites; 31and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites; 32and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites. 33Now  x Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34These are the clans of Manasseh, and those listed were  y 52,700.

35These are the sons of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites. 36And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites. 37These are the clans of the sons of Ephraim as they were listed,  z 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their clans.

38The sons of  a Benjamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites; 39of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites. 40And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites. 41These are the sons of Benjamin according to their clans, and those listed were  b 45,600.

42These are the sons of  c Dan according to their clans: of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These are the clans of Dan according to their clans. 43All the clans of the Shuhamites, as they were listed, were  d 64,400.

44The sons of  e Asher according to their clans: of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites. 45Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites. 46And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47These are the clans of the sons of Asher as they were listed,  f 53,400.

48The sons of  g Naphtali according to their clans: of Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites; 49of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites. 50These are the clans of Naphtali according to their clans, and those listed were  h 45,400.

51This was the list of the people of Israel,  i 601,730.

52The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 53 j “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. 54 k To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list. 55But the land shall be  l divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 56Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller.”

57 m This was the list of the Levites according to their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites. 58These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. And Kohath was the father of Amram. 59The name of Amram’s wife was  n Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister. 60 o And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 p But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD. 62And those listed were  q 23,000, every male from a month old and upward. For  r they were not listed among the people of Israel, because  s there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.

63These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel  t in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64 u But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65For the LORD had said of them,  v “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left,  w except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

The Daughters of Zelophehad

NUMBERS 27 [†]Then drew near the daughters of  x Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, 3[†]“Our father  y died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD  z in the company of Korah, but  a died for his own sin. And he had no sons. 4Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son?  b Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”

5Moses  c brought their case before the LORD. 6And the LORD said to Moses, 7“The daughters of Zelophehad  d are right.  e You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. 8And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest  f kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel  g a statute and rule, as the LORD commanded Moses.’”

Joshua to Succeed Moses

12[†]The LORD said to Moses, “Go up into  h this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. 13When you have seen it, you also  i shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14 j because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing  k to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are  l the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16“Let the LORD,  m the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17who  n shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be  o as sheep that have no shepherd.” 18So the LORD said to Moses, “Take  p Joshua the son of Nun, a man  q in whom is the Spirit, and  r lay your hand on him. 19Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall  s commission him in their sight. 20[†]You shall invest him with some of your authority,  t that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. 21And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him  u by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” 22And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, 23and he laid his hands on him and  s commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses.

Daily Offerings

NUMBERS 28 [†]The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering,  v my food for my food offerings, my  w pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’ 3 x And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering. 4The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 5also  y a tenth of an ephah [1] of fine flour for  z a grain offering, mixed  a with a quarter of a hin [2] of beaten oil. 6It is a  b regular burnt offering, which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. 7Its drink offering shall be a quarter of a hin for each lamb. In the Holy Place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the LORD. 8The other lamb you shall offer at twilight. Like the grain offering of the morning, and like its drink offering, you shall offer it as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Sabbath Offerings

9[†]“On the Sabbath day, two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering: 10this is  c the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

Monthly Offerings

11[†] d “At the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; 12also  e three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for each bull, and two tenths of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram; 13and a tenth of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for every lamb; for a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. 14Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, a third of a hin for a ram, and a quarter of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year. 15Also  f one male goat for a sin offering to the LORD; it shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

Passover Offerings

16[†] g “On the fourteenth day of the first month is the LORD’s Passover, 17[†] h and on the fifteenth day of this month is a feast. Seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. 18[†] i On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, 19[†]but offer a food offering, a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls from the herd, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old;  j see that they are without blemish; 20also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil; three tenths of an ephah shall you offer for a bull, and two tenths for a ram; 21a tenth shall you offer for each of the seven lambs; 22also  k one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you. 23You shall offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a regular burnt offering. 24In the same way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 25And  l on the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work.

Offerings for the Feast of Weeks

26[†]“On  m the day of the firstfruits, when you offer a grain offering of new grain to the LORD at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, 27but offer a burnt offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD:  n two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; 28also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths for one ram, 29a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 30with  o one male goat, to make atonement for you. 31Besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, you shall offer them and their drink offering.  p See that they are without blemish.

Offerings for the Feast of Trumpets

NUMBERS 29 [†]“On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work.  q It is a day for you to blow the trumpets, 2and you shall offer a burnt offering, for a pleasing aroma to the LORD: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; 3also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah [1] for the bull, two tenths for the ram, 4and one tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5with  o one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6besides  r the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and  s the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

Offerings for the Day of Atonement

7[†] t “On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and  u afflict yourselves. [2] You shall do no work, 8but you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old:  v see that they are without blemish. 9And their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the one ram, 10a tenth for each of the seven lambs: 11also  w one male goat for a sin offering, besides  x the sin offering of atonement, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

Offerings for the Feast of Booths

12[†] y “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days. 13And  z you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish; 14and their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, 15and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

17“On the second day twelve bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 18with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs,  a in the prescribed quantities; 19also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

20“On the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 21with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 22also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

23“On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 24with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 25also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

26“On the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 27with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 28also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

29“On the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 30with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 31also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offerings.

32“On the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, 33with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 34also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

35 b “On the eighth day you shall have a  c solemn assembly. You shall not do any ordinary work, 36but you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish, 37and the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; 38also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

39[†]“These you shall offer to the LORD at your  d appointed feasts, in addition to your  e vow offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your grain offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.”

40 [3] So Moses told the people of Israel everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Men and Vows

NUMBERS 30 [†]Moses spoke to  f the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, “This is what the LORD has commanded. 2 g If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or  h swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word.  i He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Women and Vows

3[†]“If a woman vows a vow to the LORD and binds herself by a pledge, while within her father’s house in her youth, 4and her father hears of her vow and of her pledge by which she has bound herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. 5But if her father opposes her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. And the LORD will forgive her, because her father opposed her.

6“If she marries a husband, while under her  j vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, 7and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. 8But if, on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her  j vow that was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she bound herself.  k And the LORD will forgive her. 9(But any vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, anything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.) 10[†]And if she vowed in her husband’s house or bound herself by a pledge with an oath, 11and her husband heard of it and said nothing to her and did not oppose her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she bound herself shall stand. 12But if her husband makes them null and void on the day that he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning her pledge of herself shall not stand. Her husband has made them void, and  l the LORD will forgive her. 13Any vow and any binding oath to afflict herself, [1] her husband may establish, [2] or her husband may make void. 14But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges that are upon her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her on the day that he heard of them. 15But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then  m he shall bear her iniquity.”

16These are the statutes that the LORD commanded Moses about a man and his wife and about a father and his daughter while she is in her youth within her father’s house.

Vengeance on Midian

NUMBERS 31 [†]The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 n “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall  o be gathered to your people.” 3So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian. 4You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” 5So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand  p armed for war. 6[†]And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and  q the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7They warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and  r killed every male. 8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain,  s Evi, Rekem,  t Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed  u Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 10All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their  v encampments, they burned with fire, 11 w and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. 12Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on  x the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

13[†]Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. 14And Moses was angry with  y the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15Moses said to them, “Have you  z let all the women live? 16Behold,  a these,  b on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of  c Peor, and so  d the plague came among the congregation of the LORD. 17Now therefore,  e kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him  f keep alive for yourselves. 19[†] g Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and  h whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. 20You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”

21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded Moses: 22only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified  i with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. 24You must  j wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”

25[†]The LORD said to Moses, 26“Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation, 27and  k divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. 28And levy for the LORD a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle,  l one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks. 29Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the LORD. 30And from the people of Israel’s half you shall take  m one drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites  n who keep guard over the tabernacle of the LORD.” 31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

32Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep, 3372,000 cattle, 3461,000 donkeys, 35and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him. 36And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep, 37and  o the LORD’s tribute of sheep was 675. 38The cattle were 36,000, of which the LORD’s tribute was 72. 39The donkeys were 30,500, of which the LORD’s tribute was 61. 40The persons were 16,000, of which the LORD’s tribute was 32 persons. 41And Moses gave the tribute, which was the contribution for the LORD, to Eleazar the priest,  p as the LORD commanded Moses.

42From the people of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army— 43now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, 4436,000 cattle, 45and 30,500 donkeys, 46and 16,000 persons— 47 q from the people of Israel’s half Moses took one of every 50, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

48[†]Then  r the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses 49and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. 50And we have brought the LORD’s offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads,  s to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.” 51And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles. 52And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the LORD, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels. [1] 53 t (The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself.) 54And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting,  u as a memorial for the people of Israel before the LORD.

Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead

NUMBERS 32 [†]Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of  v Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. 2So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, 3[†] w “Ataroth,  x Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam,  y Nebo, and Beon, 4the land  z that the LORD struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”

6[†]But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? 7Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the LORD has given them? 8Your fathers did this,  a when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the LORD had given them. 10 b And the LORD’s anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 11‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt,  c from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give  d to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the  e Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for  f they have wholly followed the LORD.’ 13And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them  g wander in the wilderness forty years, until  h all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. 14And behold, you have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel! 15For if you  i turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.”

16Then they came near to him and said,  j “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17but  k we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 l We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. 19For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond,  m because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” 20So  n Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war, 21and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until he has  o driven out his enemies from before him 22and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and  p this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23[†]But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and  q be sure your sin will find you out. 24 r Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” 25And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 s Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27 t but your servants will pass over, every man who is  u armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord orders.”

28So  v Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to  w Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. 29And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the LORD, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” 31And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the LORD has said to your servants, we will do. 32We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

33And  x Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. 34[†]And the people of Gad built  y Dibon,  z Ataroth,  a Aroer, 35Atroth-shophan,  b Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 c Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran,  d fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37And the people of Reuben built  e Heshbon,  y Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 f Nebo, and  g Baal-meon ( h their names were changed), and  c Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. 39And the sons of  i Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40[†]And Moses  j gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. 41And  k Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair. [1] 42And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

Recounting Israel’s Journey

NUMBERS 33 [†]These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2Moses wrote down their starting places,  l stage by stage, by command of the LORD, and these are their stages according to their starting places. 3They  m set out from Rameses in  n the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out  o triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn,  p whom the LORD had struck down among them.  q On their gods also the LORD executed judgments.

5[†]So the people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at  r Succoth. 6And they set out from Succoth and camped at  s Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. 7And they set out from Etham and turned back to  t Pi-hahiroth, which is east of Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol. 8And they set out from before Hahiroth [1] and  u passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and they  v went a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. 9And they set out from Marah and came to  w Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. 10And they set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. 11And they set out from the Red Sea and camped in  x the wilderness of Sin. 12And they set out from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13And they set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14And they set out from Alush and camped at  y Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 15And they set out from Rephidim and camped in the  z wilderness of Sinai. 16[†]And they set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at  a Kibroth-hattaavah. 17And they set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at  b Hazeroth. 18[†]And they  c set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19And they set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. 20And they set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. 21And they set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22And they set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. 23And they set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24And they set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25And they set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26And they set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27And they set out from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28And they set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29And they set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30[†]And they set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31And they set out from Moseroth and camped at  d Bene-jaakan. 32And they set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at  e Hor-haggidgad. 33And they set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at  e Jotbathah. 34And they set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35[†]And they set out from Abronah and camped at  f Ezion-geber. 36And they set out from Ezion-geber and camped in the  g wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh). 37[†]And they set out from  h Kadesh and camped at  i Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.

38And Aaron the priest went up  j Mount Hor at the command of the LORD and died there, in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39And Aaron was  k 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40And  l the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the people of Israel.

41And they set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42And they set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43And they set out from Punon and camped at  m Oboth. 44And they set out from Oboth and camped at  n Iye-abarim, in the territory of Moab. 45And they set out from Iyim and camped at  o Dibon-gad. 46And they set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47And they set out from Almon-diblathaim  p and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. 48And they set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in  q the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho; 49they camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as  r Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

Drive Out the Inhabitants

50[†]And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 51“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them,  s When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52then  t you shall drive out  u all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their  v figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. 53And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 w You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans.  x To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. 55But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as  y barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56And I will do to you  z as I thought to do to them.”

Boundaries of the Land

NUMBERS 34 [†]The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter  a the land of Canaan  b (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders), 3 c your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom, and your southern border shall run from the end of  d the Salt Sea on the east. 4And your border shall turn south of  e the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to  e Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon. 5And the border shall turn  f from Azmon to  g the Brook of Egypt, and its limit shall be at the sea.

6“For the western border, you shall have the Great Sea and its [1] coast. This shall be your western border.

7[†]“This shall be your northern border: from the Great Sea you shall draw a line to  h Mount Hor. 8From Mount Hor you shall draw a line  i to Lebo-hamath, and the limit of the border shall be at  j Zedad. 9Then the border shall extend to Ziphron, and its limit shall be at  k Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.

10[†]“You shall draw a line for your eastern border from Hazar-enan to Shepham. 11And the border shall go down from Shepham to  l Riblah on the east side of Ain. And the border shall go down and reach to the shoulder of  m the Sea of Chinnereth on the east. 12And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its limit shall be at  n the Salt Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around.”

13Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying,  o “This is the land that you shall inherit by lot, which the LORD has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe. 14 p For the tribe of the people of Reuben by fathers’ houses and the tribe of the people of Gad by their fathers’ houses have received their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh. 15The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.”

List of Tribal Chiefs

16[†]The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17“These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance:  q Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18You shall take one  r chief from every tribe to divide the land for inheritance. 19These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20Of the tribe of the people of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. 21Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22Of the tribe of the people of Dan a chief, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23Of the people of Joseph: of the tribe of the people of Manasseh a chief, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24And of the tribe of the people of Ephraim a chief, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25Of the tribe of the people of Zebulun a chief, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26Of the tribe of the people of Issachar a chief, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27And of the tribe of the people of Asher a chief, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28Of the tribe of the people of Naphtali a chief, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. 29These are the men whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance for the people of Israel in the land of Canaan.”

Cities for the Levites

NUMBERS 35 [†]The LORD spoke to Moses in  s the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 2 t “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession as cities for them to dwell in. And you shall give to the Levites pasturelands around the cities. 3The cities shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts. 4The pasturelands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits [1] all around. 5And you shall measure, outside the city, on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the middle. This shall belong to them as pastureland for their cities.

6“The cities that you give to the Levites shall be  u the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. 7All the cities that you give to the Levites shall be  v forty-eight, with their pasturelands. 8And as for the cities that you shall give  w from the possession of the people of Israel,  x from the larger tribes you shall take many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in proportion to the inheritance that it inherits, shall give of its cities to the Levites.”

Cities of Refuge

9[†]And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them,  y When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 z then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. 12The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13And the cities that you give shall be your  a six cities of refuge. 14 b You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. 15These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and  c for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.

16[†] d “But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 17And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 18Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 19 e The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him,  f lying in wait, so that he died, 21or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer.  e The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22[†]“But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him  g without lying in wait 23or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm, 24then  h the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and  e the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules. 25And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it  i until the death of the high priest  j who was anointed with the holy oil. 26But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled, 27and  e the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. 28For he must remain in his city of refuge  i until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. 29And these things shall be for  k a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

30[†]“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the  l evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 31Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. 32And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. 33You shall not  m pollute the land in which you live, for blood  m pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except  n by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 o You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell,  p for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”

Marriage of Female Heirs

NUMBERS 36 [†]The heads of the fathers’ houses of the clan of the  q people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel. 2They said,  r “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, and  s my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4And when  t the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

5And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph  u is right. 6This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best,  v only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. 7The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel  w shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8And  x every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall hold on to its own inheritance.’”

10The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses, 11 y for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father’s brothers. 12They were married into the clans of the people of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s clan.

13[†]These are the commandments and the rules that the LORD commanded through Moses to the people of Israel  z in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.