Numbers 1:47-25:18

New Century Version

⁴⁷ The families from the tribe of Levi were not listed with the others, because ⁴⁸ the Lord had told Moses: ⁴⁹ “Do not count the tribe of Levi or include them with the other Israelites. ⁵⁰ Instead put the Levites in charge of the Holy Tent of the Agreement and everything that is with it. They must carry the Holy Tent and everything in it, and they must take care of it and make their camp around it. ⁵¹ Any time the Holy Tent is moved, the Levites must take it down, and any time it is set up, the Levites must do it. Anyone else who goes near the Holy Tent will be put to death. ⁵² The Israelites will make their camps in separate divisions, each family near its flag. ⁵³ But the Levites must make their camp around the Holy Tent of the Agreement so that I will not be angry with the Israelites. The Levites will take care of the Holy Tent of the Agreement.”

⁵⁴ So the Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Camp Arrangement

2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ² “The Israelites should make their camps around the Meeting Tent, but they should not camp too close to it. They should camp under their family flag and banners.”

³ The camp of Judah will be on the east side, where the sun rises, and they will camp by divisions there under their flag. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. ⁴ There are 74,600 men in his division.

⁵ Next to them the tribe of Issachar will camp. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. ⁶ There are 54,400 men in his division.

⁷ Next is the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. ⁸ There are 57,400 men in his division.

⁹ There are a total of 186,400 men in the camps of Judah and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the first to march out of camp.

¹⁰ The divisions of the camp of Reuben will be on the south side, where they will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. ¹¹ There are 46,500 men in his division.

¹² Next to them the tribe of Simeon will camp. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. ¹³ There are 59,300 men in his division.

¹⁴ Next is the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. ¹⁵ There are 45,650 men in his division.

¹⁶ There are a total of 151,450 men in the camps of Reuben and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the second group to march out of camp.

¹⁷ When the Levites march out with the Meeting Tent, they will be in the middle of the other camps. The tribes will march out in the same order as they camp, each in its place under its flag.

¹⁸ The divisions of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side, where they will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. ¹⁹ There are 40,500 men in his division.

²⁰ Next to them the tribe of Manasseh will camp. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. ²¹ There are 32,200 men in his division.

²² Next is the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. ²³ There are 35,400 men in his division.

²⁴ There are a total of 108,100 men in the camps of Ephraim and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the third group to march out of camp.

²⁵ The divisions of the camp of Dan will be on the north side, where they will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶ There are 62,700 men in his division.

²⁷ Next to them the tribe of Asher will camp. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. ²⁸ There are 41,500 men in his division.

²⁹ Next is the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. ³⁰ There are 53,400 men in his division.

³¹ There are 157,600 men in the camps of Dan and its neighbors. They will be the last to march out of camp, and they will travel under their own flag.

³² These are the Israelites who were counted by families. The total number of Israelites in the camps, counted by divisions, is 603,550. ³³ Moses obeyed the Lord and did not count the Levites among the other people of Israel.

³⁴ So the Israelites obeyed everything the Lord commanded Moses. They camped under their flags and marched out by families and family groups.

Aaron’s Family, the Priests

3 This is the family history of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked to Moses on Mount Sinai.

² Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³ These were the names of Aaron’s sons, who were appointed to serve as priests. ⁴ But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the Lord when they offered the wrong kind of fire before the Lord in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to help him. ⁷ They will help him and all the Israelites at the Meeting Tent, doing the work in the Holy Tent. ⁸ The Levites must take care of everything in the Meeting Tent and serve the people of Israel by doing the work in the Holy Tent. ⁹ Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; of all the Israelites, the Levites are given completely to him. ¹⁰ Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests, but anyone else who comes near the holy things must be put to death.”

¹¹ The Lord also said to Moses, ¹² “I am choosing the Levites from all the Israelites to take the place of all the firstborn children of Israel. The Levites will be mine, ¹³ because the firstborn are mine. When you were in Egypt, I killed all the firstborn children of the Egyptians and took all the firstborn of Israel to be mine, both animals and children. They are mine. I am the Lord.”

¹⁴ The Lord again said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai, ¹⁵ “Count the Levites by families and family groups. Count every male one month old or older.” ¹⁶ So Moses obeyed the Lord and counted them all.

¹⁷ Levi had three sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁸ The Gershonite family groups were Libni and Shimei.

¹⁹ The Kohathite family groups were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

²⁰ The Merarite family groups were Mahli and Mushi.

These were the family groups of the Levites.

²¹ The family groups of Libni and Shimei belonged to Gershon; they were the Gershonite family groups. ²² The number that was counted was 7,500 males one month old or older. ²³ The Gershonite family groups camped on the west side, behind the Holy Tent. ²⁴ The leader of the families of Gershon was Eliasaph son of Lael. ²⁵ In the Meeting Tent the Gershonites were in charge of the Holy Tent, its covering, the curtain at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, ²⁶ the curtains in the courtyard, the curtain at the entry to the courtyard around the Holy Tent and the altar, the ropes, and all the work connected with these items.

²⁷ The family groups of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel belonged to Kohath; they were the Kohathite family groups. ²⁸ They had 8,600 males one month old or older, and they were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place. ²⁹ The Kohathite family groups camped south of the Holy Tent. ³⁰ The leader of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. ³¹ They were responsible for the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the tools of the Holy Place which they were to use, the curtain, and all the work connected with these items. ³² The main leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, who was in charge of all those responsible for the Holy Place.

³³ The family groups of Mahli and Mushi belonged to Merari; they were the Merarite family groups. ³⁴ The number that was counted was 6,200 males one month old or older. ³⁵ The leader of the Merari families was Zuriel son of Abihail, and they were to camp north of the Holy Tent. ³⁶ The Merarites were responsible for the frames of the Holy Tent, the braces, the posts, the bases, and all the work connected with these items. ³⁷ They were also responsible for the posts in the courtyard around the Holy Tent and their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.

³⁸ Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped east of the Holy Tent, toward the sunrise, in front of the Meeting Tent. They were responsible for the Holy Place for the Israelites. Anyone else who came near the Holy Place was to be put to death.

³⁹ Moses and Aaron counted the Levite men by their families, as the Lord commanded, and there were 22,000 males one month old or older.

Levites Take the Place of the Firstborn Sons

⁴⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn sons in Israel one month old or older, and list their names. ⁴¹ Take the Levites for me instead of the firstborn sons of Israel; take the animals of the Levites instead of the firstborn animals from the rest of Israel. I am the Lord.”

⁴² So Moses did what the Lord commanded and counted all the firstborn sons of the Israelites. ⁴³ When he listed all the firstborn sons one month old or older, there were 22,273 names.

⁴⁴ The Lord also said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites, and take the animals of the Levites instead of the animals of the other people. The Levites are mine. I am the Lord. ⁴⁶ Since there are 273 more firstborn sons than Levites, ⁴⁷ collect two ounces of silver for each of the 273 sons. Use the measure as set by the Holy Place, which is two-fifths of an ounce. ⁴⁸ Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the payment for the 273 Israelites.”

⁴⁹ So Moses collected the money for the people the Levites could not replace. ⁵⁰ From the firstborn of the Israelites, he collected thirty-five pounds of silver, using the measure set by the Holy Place. ⁵¹ Moses obeyed the command of the Lord and gave the silver to Aaron and his sons.

The Jobs of the Kohath Family

4 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Count the Kohathites among the Levites by family groups and families. ³ Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who come to serve in the Meeting Tent.

⁴ “The Kohathites are responsible for the most holy things in the Meeting Tent. ⁵ When the Israelites are ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the Holy Tent, take down the curtain, and cover the Ark of the Agreement with it. ⁶ Over this they must put a covering made from fine leather, then spread the solid blue cloth over that, and put the poles in place.

⁷ “Then they must spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread that shows a person is in God’s presence. They must put the plates, pans, bowls, and the jars for drink offerings on the table; they must leave the bread that is always there on the table. ⁸ Then they must put a red cloth over all of these things, cover everything with fine leather, and put the poles in place.

⁹ “With a blue cloth they must cover the lampstand, its lamps, its wick trimmers, its trays, and all the jars for the oil used in the lamps. ¹⁰ Then they must wrap everything in fine leather and put all these things on a frame for carrying them.

¹¹ “They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with fine leather, and put the poles in place.

¹² “They must gather all the things used for serving in the Holy Place and wrap them in a blue cloth. Then they must cover that with fine leather and put these things on a frame for carrying them.

¹³ “They must clean the ashes off the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. ¹⁴ They must gather all the things used for serving at the altar—the pans for carrying the fire, the meat forks, the shovels, and the bowls—and put them on the bronze altar. Then they must spread a covering of fine leather over it and put the poles in place.

¹⁵ “When the Israelites are ready to move, and when Aaron and his sons have covered the holy furniture and all the holy things, the Kohathites may go in and carry them away. In this way they won’t touch the holy things and die. It is the Kohathites’ job to carry the things that are in the Meeting Tent.

¹⁶ “Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, will be responsible for the Holy Tent and for everything in it, for all the holy things it has: the oil for the lamp, the sweet-smelling incense, the continual grain offering, and the oil used to appoint priests and things to the Lord’s service.”

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ¹⁸ “Don’t let the Kohathites be cut off from the Levites. ¹⁹ Do this for the Kohathites so that they may go near the Most Holy Place and not die: Aaron and his sons must go in and show each Kohathite what to do and what to carry. ²⁰ The Kohathites must not enter and look at the holy things, even for a second, or they will die.”

The Jobs of the Gershon Family

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, ²² “Count the Gershonites by families and family groups. ²³ Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who have a job to do in the Meeting Tent.

²⁴ “This is what the Gershonite family groups must do and what they must carry. ²⁵ They must carry the curtains of the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent, its covering, and its outer covering made from fine leather. They must also carry the curtains for the entrance to the Meeting Tent, ²⁶ the curtains of the courtyard that go around the Holy Tent and the altar, the curtain for the entry to the courtyard, the ropes, and all the things used with the curtains. They must do everything connected with these things. ²⁷ Aaron and his sons are in charge of what the Gershonites do or carry; you tell them what they are responsible for carrying. ²⁸ This is the work of the Gershonite family group at the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.

The Jobs of the Merari Family

²⁹ “Count the Merarite families and family groups. ³⁰ Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who work at the Meeting Tent. ³¹ It is their job to carry the following as they serve in the Meeting Tent: the frames of the Holy Tent, the crossbars, the posts, and bases, ³² in addition to the posts that go around the courtyard, their bases, tent pegs, ropes, and everything that is used with the poles around the courtyard. Tell each man exactly what to carry. ³³ This is the work the Merarite family group will do for the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.”

The Levite Families

³⁴ Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted the Kohathites by families and family groups, ³⁵ the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent. ³⁶ There were 2,750 men in the family groups. ³⁷ This was the total of the Kohath family groups who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁸ Also, the Gershonites were counted by families and family groups, ³⁹ the men from thirty to fifty years old who were given work at the Meeting Tent. ⁴⁰ The families and family groups had 2,630 men. ⁴¹ This was the total of the Gershon family groups who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded.

⁴² Also, the men in the families and family groups of the Merari family were counted, ⁴³ the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent. ⁴⁴ The family groups had 3,200 men. ⁴⁵ This was the total of the Merari family groups, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁴⁶ So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by families and family groups. ⁴⁷ They counted the men from thirty to fifty who were given work at the Meeting Tent and who carried the Tent. ⁴⁸ The total number of these men was 8,580. ⁴⁹ Each man was counted as the Lord had commanded Moses; each man was given his work and told what to carry as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Rules About Cleanliness

5 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the Israelites to send away from camp anyone with a harmful skin disease. Send away anyone who gives off body fluid or who has become unclean by touching a dead body. ³ Send both men and women outside the camp so that they won’t spread the disease there, where I am living among you.” ⁴ So Israel obeyed the Lord’s command and sent those people outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had told Moses.

Paying for Doing Wrong

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Tell the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman does something wrong to another person, that is really sinning against the Lord. That person is guilty ⁷ and must admit the wrong that has been done. The person must fully pay for the wrong that has been done, adding one-fifth to it, and giving it to the person who was wronged. ⁸ But if that person is dead and does not have any close relatives to receive the payment, the one who did wrong owes the Lord and must pay the priest. In addition, the priest must sacrifice a male sheep to remove the wrong so that the person will belong to the Lord. ⁹ When an Israelite brings a holy gift, it should be given to the priest. ¹⁰ No one has to give these holy gifts, but if someone does give them, they belong to the priest.’”

Suspicious Husbands

¹¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹² “Tell the Israelites: ‘A man’s wife might be unfaithful to him ¹³ and have sexual relations with another man. Her sin might be kept hidden from her husband so that he does not know about the wrong she did. Perhaps no one saw it, and she wasn’t caught. ¹⁴ But if her husband has feelings of jealousy and suspects she has sinned—whether she has or not— ¹⁵ he should take her to the priest. The husband must also take an offering for her of two quarts of barley flour. He must not pour oil or incense on it, because this is a grain offering for jealousy, an offering of remembrance. It is to find out if she is guilty.

¹⁶ “‘The priest will bring in the woman and make her stand before the Lord. ¹⁷ He will take some holy water in a clay jar, and he will put some dirt from the floor of the Holy Tent into the water. ¹⁸ The priest will make the woman stand before the Lord, and he will loosen her hair. He will hand her the offering of remembrance, the grain offering for jealousy; he will hold the bitter water that brings a curse. ¹⁹ The priest will make her take an oath and ask her, “Has another man had sexual relations with you? Have you been unfaithful to your husband? If you haven’t, this bitter water that brings a curse won’t hurt you. ²⁰ But if you have been unfaithful to your husband and have had sexual relations with a man besides him”— ²¹ the priest will then put on her the curse that the oath will bring—“the Lord will make the people curse and reject you. He will make your stomach get big, and he will make your body unable to give birth to another baby. ²² This water that brings a curse will go inside you and make your body unable to give birth to another baby.”

“‘The woman must say, “I agree.”

²³ “‘The priest should write these curses on a scroll, wash the words off into the bitter water, ²⁴ and make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse. If she is guilty, the water will make her sick. ²⁵ Then the priest will take the grain offering for jealousy from her. He will present it before the Lord and bring it to the altar. ²⁶ He will take a handful of the grain, which is a memorial offering, and burn it on the altar. After that he will make the woman drink the water ²⁷ to see if she is not pure and if she has sinned against her husband. When it goes into her, if her stomach gets big and she is not able to have another baby, her people will reject her. ²⁸ But if the woman has not sinned, she is pure. She is not guilty, and she will be able to have babies.

²⁹ “‘So this is the teaching about jealousy. This is what to do when a woman does wrong and is unfaithful while she is married to her husband. ³⁰ It also should be done if the man gets jealous because he suspects his wife. The priest will have her stand before the Lord, and he will do all these things, just as the teaching commands. ³¹ In this way the husband can be proven correct, and the woman will suffer if she has done wrong.’”

Rules for the Nazirites

6 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites: ‘If men or women want to promise to belong to the Lord in a special way, they will be called Nazirites. ³ During this time, they must not drink wine or beer, or vinegar made from wine or beer. They must not even drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. ⁴ While they are Nazirites, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, even the seeds or the skin.

⁵ “‘During the time they have promised to belong to the Lord, they must not cut their hair. They must be holy until this special time is over. They must let their hair grow long. ⁶ During their special time of belonging to the Lord, Nazirites must not go near a dead body. ⁷ Even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister dies, they must not touch them, or they will become unclean. They must still keep their promise to belong to God in a special way. ⁸ While they are Nazirites, they belong to the Lord in a special way.

⁹ “‘If they are next to someone who dies suddenly, their hair, which was part of their promise, has been made unclean. So they must shave their head seven days later to be clean. ¹⁰ Then on the eighth day, they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ¹¹ The priest will offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. This removes sin so they will belong to the Lord. (They had sinned because they were near a dead body.) That same day they will again promise to let their hair grow ¹² and give themselves to the Lord for another special time. They must bring a male lamb a year old as a penalty offering. The days of the special time before don’t count, because they became unclean during their first special time.

¹³ “‘This is the teaching for the Nazirites. When the promised time is over, they must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent ¹⁴ and give their offerings to the Lord. They must offer a year-old male lamb that has nothing wrong with it, as a burnt offering, a year-old female lamb that has nothing wrong with it, as a sin offering, and a male sheep that has nothing wrong with it, for a fellowship offering. ¹⁵ They must also bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with them. And they must bring a basket of bread made without yeast, loaves made with fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers made without yeast spread with oil.

¹⁶ “‘The priest will give these offerings to the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. ¹⁷ Then he will kill the male sheep as a fellowship offering to the Lord; along with it, he will present the basket of bread made without yeast, the grain offering, and the drink offering.

¹⁸ “‘The Nazirites must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and shave off their hair that they grew for their promise. The hair will be put in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

¹⁹ “‘After the Nazirites cut off their hair, the priest will give them a boiled shoulder from the male sheep. From the basket he will also give a loaf and a wafer, both made without yeast. ²⁰ Then the priest will present them to the Lord. They are holy and belong to the priest. Also, he is to present the breast and the thigh from the male sheep. After that, the Nazirites may drink wine.

²¹ “‘This is the teaching for the Nazirites who make a promise. Everyone who makes the Nazirite promise must give all of these gifts to the Lord. If they promised to do more, they must keep their promise, according to the teaching of the Nazirites.’”

The Priests’ Blessings

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you should bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁷ “So Aaron and his sons will bless the Israelites with my name, and I will bless them.”

The Holy Tent

7 When Moses finished setting up the Holy Tent, he gave it for service to the Lord by pouring olive oil on the Tent and on everything used in it. He also poured oil on the altar and all its tools to prepare them for service to the Lord. ² Then the leaders of Israel made offerings. These were the heads of the families, the leaders of each tribe who counted the people. ³ They brought to the Lord six covered carts and twelve oxen—each leader giving an ox, and every two leaders giving a cart. They brought these to the Holy Tent.

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ⁵ “Accept these gifts from the leaders and use them in the work of the Meeting Tent. Give them to the Levites as they need them.”

⁶ So Moses accepted the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, which they needed for their work. ⁸ Then Moses gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, which they needed for their work. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, directed the work of all of them. ⁹ Moses did not give any oxen or carts to the Kohathites, because their job was to carry the holy things on their shoulders.

¹⁰ When the oil was poured on the altar, the leaders brought their offerings to it to give it to the Lord’s service; they presented them in front of the altar. ¹¹ The Lord told Moses, “Each day one leader must bring his gift to make the altar ready for service to me.”

^12-83 Each of the twelve leaders brought these gifts. Each leader brought one silver plate that weighed about three and one-fourth pounds, and one silver bowl that weighed about one and three-fourths pounds. These weights were set by the Holy Place measure. The bowl and the plate were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. Each leader also brought a large gold dish that weighed about four ounces and was filled with incense.

In addition, each of the leaders brought one young bull, one male sheep, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five male sheep, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old for a fellowship offering.

On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Judah.

On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Issachar.

On the third day Eliab son of Helon brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Zebulun.

On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Reuben.

On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Simeon.

On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Gad.

On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Ephraim.

On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Manasseh.

On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Benjamin.

On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Dan.

On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Asher.

On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Naphtali.

⁸⁴ So these were the gifts from the Israelite leaders when oil was poured on the altar and it was given for service to the Lord: twelve silver plates, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes. ⁸⁵ Each silver plate weighed about three and one-fourth pounds, and each bowl weighed about one and three-fourths pounds. All the silver plates and silver bowls together weighed about sixty pounds according to a weight set by the Holy Place measure. ⁸⁶ The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed four ounces each, according to the weight set by the Holy Place measure. Together the gold dishes weighed about three pounds. ⁸⁷ The total number of animals for the burnt offering was twelve bulls, twelve male sheep, and twelve male lambs a year old. There was also a grain offering, and there were twelve male goats for a sin offering. ⁸⁸ The total number of animals for the fellowship offering was twenty-four bulls, sixty male sheep, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. All these offerings were for giving the altar to the service of the Lord after the oil had been poured on it.

⁸⁹ When Moses went into the Meeting Tent to speak with the Lord, he heard the Lord speaking to him. The voice was coming from between the two gold creatures with wings that were above the lid of the Ark of the Agreement. In this way the Lord spoke with him.

The Lampstand

8 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘Put the seven lamps where they can light the area in front of the lampstand.’”

³ Aaron did this, putting the lamps so they lighted the area in front of the lampstand; he obeyed the command the Lord gave Moses. ⁴ The lampstand was made from hammered gold, from its base to the flowers. It was made exactly the way the Lord had showed Moses.

The Levites Are Given to God

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Take the Levites away from the other Israelites and make them clean. ⁷ This is what you should do to make them clean: Sprinkle the cleansing water on them, and have them shave their bodies and wash their clothes so they will be clean. ⁸ They must take a young bull and the grain offering of flour mixed with oil that goes with it. Then take a second young bull for a sin offering. ⁹ Bring the Levites to the front of the Meeting Tent, and gather all the Israelites around. ¹⁰ When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the Israelites should put their hands on them.^{[a] 11} Aaron will present the Levites before the Lord as an offering presented from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do the work of the Lord.

¹² “The Levites will put their hands on the bulls’ heads—one bull will be a sin offering to the Lord, and the other will be a burnt offering, to remove the sins of the Levites so they will belong to the Lord. ¹³ Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and present the Levites as an offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ In this way you must set apart the Levites from the other Israelites; the Levites will be mine.

¹⁵ “Make the Levites pure, and present them as an offering so that they may come to work at the Meeting Tent. ¹⁶ They will be given completely to me from the Israelites; I have taken them for myself instead of the firstborn of every Israelite woman. ¹⁷ All the firstborn in Israel—people or animals—are mine. When I killed all the firstborn in Egypt, I set the firstborn in Israel aside for myself. ¹⁸ But I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn in Israel. ¹⁹ From all the Israelites I have given the Levites to Aaron and his sons so that they may serve the Israelites at the Meeting Tent. They will help remove the Israelites’ sins so they will belong to the Lord and so that no disaster will strike the Israelites when they approach the Holy Place.”

²⁰ So Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites obeyed and did with the Levites what the Lord commanded Moses. ²¹ The Levites made themselves clean and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as an offering to the Lord. He also removed their sins so they would be pure. ²² After that, the Levites came to the Meeting Tent to work, and Aaron and his sons told them what to do. They did with the Levites what the Lord commanded Moses.

²³ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “This command is for the Levites. Everyone twenty-five years old or older must come to the Meeting Tent, because they all have jobs to do there. ²⁵ At the age of fifty, they must retire from their jobs and not work again. ²⁶ They may help their fellow Levites with their work at the Meeting Tent, but they must not do the work themselves. This is the way you are to give the Levites their jobs.”

The Passover Is Celebrated

9 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. He said, ² “Tell the Israelites to celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. ³ That appointed time is the fourteenth day of this month at twilight; they must obey all the rules about it.”

⁴ So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, ⁵ and they did; it was in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁶ But some of the people could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were unclean from touching a dead body. So they went to Moses and Aaron that day and ⁷ said to Moses, “We are unclean because of touching a dead body. But why should we be kept from offering gifts to the Lord at this appointed time? Why can’t we join the other Israelites?”

⁸ Moses said to them, “Wait, and I will find out what the Lord says about you.”

⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Tell the Israelites this: ‘If you or your descendants become unclean because of a dead body, or if you are away on a trip during the Passover, you must still celebrate the Lord’s Passover. ¹¹ But celebrate it at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month. Eat the lamb with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. ¹² Don’t leave any of it until the next morning or break any of its bones. When you celebrate the Passover, follow all the rules. ¹³ Anyone who is clean and is not away on a trip but does not eat the Passover must be cut off from the people. That person did not give an offering to the Lord at the appointed time and must be punished for the sin.

¹⁴ “‘Foreigners among you may celebrate the Lord’s Passover, but they must follow all the rules. You must have the same rules for foreigners as you have for yourselves.’”

The Cloud Above the Tent

¹⁵ On the day the Holy Tent, the Tent of the Agreement, was set up, a cloud covered it. From dusk until dawn the cloud above the Tent looked like fire. ¹⁶ The cloud stayed above the Tent, and at night it looked like fire. ¹⁷ When the cloud moved from its place over the Tent, the Israelites moved, and wherever the cloud stopped, the Israelites camped. ¹⁸ So the Israelites moved at the Lord’s command, and they camped at his command. While the cloud stayed over the Tent, they remained camped. ¹⁹ Sometimes the cloud stayed over the Tent for a long time, but the Israelites obeyed the Lord and did not move. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud was over it only a few days. At the Lord’s command the people camped, and at his command they moved. ²¹ Sometimes the cloud stayed only from dusk until dawn; when the cloud lifted the next morning, the people moved. When the cloud lifted, day or night, the people moved. ²² The cloud might stay over the Tent for two days, a month, or a year. As long as it stayed, the people camped, but when it lifted, they moved. ²³ At the Lord’s command the people camped, and at his command they moved. They obeyed the Lord’s order that he commanded through Moses.

The Silver Trumpets

10 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them to call the people together and to march out of camp. ³ When both trumpets are blown, the people should gather before you at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ⁴ If you blow only one trumpet, the leaders, the heads of the family groups of Israel, should meet before you. ⁵ When you loudly blow the trumpets, the tribes camping on the east should move. ⁶ When you loudly blow them again, the tribes camping on the south should move; the loud sound will tell them to move. ⁷ When you want to gather the people, blow the trumpets, but don’t blow them as loudly.

⁸ “Aaron’s sons, the priests, should blow the trumpets. This is a law for you and your descendants from now on. ⁹ When you are fighting an enemy who attacks you in your own land, blow the trumpets loudly. The Lord your God will take notice of you and will save you from your enemies. ¹⁰ Also blow your trumpets at happy times and during your feasts and at New Moon festivals. Blow them over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, because they will help you remember your God. I am the Lord your God.”

The Israelites Move Camp

¹¹ The cloud lifted from the Tent of the Agreement on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. ¹² So the Israelites moved from the Desert of Sinai and continued until the cloud stopped in the Desert of Paran. ¹³ This was their first time to move, and they did it as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁴ The divisions from the camp of Judah moved first under their flag. Nahshon son of Amminadab was the commander. ¹⁵ Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar. ¹⁶ Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun. ¹⁷ Then the Holy Tent was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, moved next.

¹⁸ Then came the divisions from the camp of Reuben under their flag, and Elizur son of Shedeur was the commander. ¹⁹ Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon. ²⁰ Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad. ²¹ Then came the Kohathites, who carried the holy things; the Holy Tent was to be set up before they arrived.

²² Next came the divisions from the camp of Ephraim under their flag, and Elishama son of Ammihud was the commander. ²³ Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, ²⁴ and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.

²⁵ The last ones were the rear guard for all the tribes. These were the divisions from the camp of Dan under their flag, and Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was the commander. ²⁶ Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of Asher; ²⁷ Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali. ²⁸ This was the order the Israelite divisions marched in when they moved.

²⁹ Hobab was the son of Reuel the Midianite,^[b] who was Moses’ father-in-law. Moses said to Hobab, “We are moving to the land the Lord promised to give us. Come with us and we will be good to you, because the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”

³⁰ But Hobab answered, “No, I will not go. I will go back to my own land where I was born.”

³¹ But Moses said, “Please don’t leave us. You know where we can camp in the desert, and you can be our guide. ³² Come with us. We will share with you all the good things the Lord gives us.” ³³ So they left the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The Ark of the Lord’s Agreement went in front of the people for those three days, as they looked for a place to camp. ³⁴ The Lord’s cloud was over them during the day when they left their camp.

³⁵ When the Ark left the camp, Moses said,

³⁶ And when the Ark was set down, Moses said,

Fire from the Lord

11 Now the people complained to the Lord about their troubles, and when he heard them, he became angry. Then fire from the Lord burned among the people at the edge of the camp. ² The people cried out to Moses, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped burning. ³ So that place was called Taberah,^[c] because the Lord’s fire had burned among them.

Seventy Elders Help Moses

⁴ Some troublemakers among them wanted better food, and soon all the Israelites began complaining. They said, “We want meat! ⁵ We remember the fish we ate for free in Egypt. We also had cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. ⁶ But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

⁷ The manna was like small white seeds. ⁸ The people would go to gather it, and then grind it in handmills, or crush it between stones. After they cooked it in a pot or made cakes with it, it tasted like bread baked with olive oil. ⁹ When the dew fell on the camp each night, so did the manna.

¹⁰ Moses heard every family crying as they stood in the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses got upset. ¹¹ He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought me, your servant, this trouble? What have I done wrong that you made me responsible for all these people? ¹² I am not the father of all these people, and I didn’t give birth to them. So why do you make me carry them to the land you promised to our ancestors? Must I carry them in my arms as a nurse carries a baby? ¹³ Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying to me, ‘We want meat!’ ¹⁴ I can’t take care of all these people alone. It is too much for me. ¹⁵ If you are going to continue doing this to me, then kill me now. If you care about me, put me to death, and then I won’t have any more troubles.”

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders, men that you know are leaders among the people. Bring them to the Meeting Tent, and have them stand there with you. ¹⁷ I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is in you, and I will give it to them. They will help you care for the people so that you will not have to care for them alone.

¹⁸ “Tell the people this: ‘Make yourselves holy for tomorrow, and you will eat meat. You cried to the Lord, “We want meat! We were better off in Egypt!” So now the Lord will give you meat to eat. ¹⁹ You will eat it not for just one, two, five, ten, or even twenty days, ²⁰ but you will eat that meat for a whole month. You will eat it until it comes out your nose, and you will grow to hate it. This is because you have rejected the Lord, who is with you. You have cried to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

²¹ Moses said, “Lord, here are six hundred thousand people standing around me, and you say, ‘I will give them enough meat to eat for a month!’ ²² If we killed all the flocks and herds, that would not be enough. If we caught all the fish in the sea, that would not be enough.”

²³ But the Lord said to Moses, “Do you think I’m weak? Now you will see if I can do what I say.”

²⁴ So Moses went out to the people and told them what the Lord had said. He gathered seventy of the elders together and had them stand around the Tent. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. The Lord took some of the Spirit Moses had, and he gave it to the seventy leaders. With the Spirit in them, they prophesied, but just that one time.

²⁶ Two men named Eldad and Medad were also listed as leaders, but they did not go to the Tent. They stayed in the camp, but the Spirit was also given to them, and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran to Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

²⁸ Joshua son of Nun said, “Moses, my master, stop them!” (Ever since he was a young boy, Joshua had been Moses’ assistant.)

²⁹ But Moses answered, “Are you jealous for me? I wish all the Lord’s people could prophesy. I wish the Lord would give his Spirit to all of them!” ³⁰ Then Moses and the leaders of Israel went back to the camp.

The Lord Sends Quail

³¹ The Lord sent a strong wind from the sea, and it blew quail into the area all around the camp. The quail were about three feet deep on the ground, and there were quail a day’s walk in any direction. ³² The people went out and gathered quail all that day, that night, and the next day. Everyone gathered at least sixty bushels, and they spread them around the camp. ³³ But the Lord became very angry, and he gave the people a terrible sickness that came while the meat was still in their mouths. ³⁴ So the people named that place Kibroth Hattaavah,^[d] because there they buried those who wanted other food.

³⁵ From Kibroth Hattaavah the people went to stay at Hazeroth.

Miriam and Aaron Speak Against Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite). ² They said, “Is Moses the only one the Lord speaks through? Doesn’t he also speak through us?” And the Lord heard this.

³ (Now Moses was very humble. He was the least proud person on earth.)

⁴ So the Lord suddenly spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “All three of you come to the Meeting Tent.” So they went. ⁵ The Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam, and they both came near. ⁶ He said, “Listen to my words:

⁹ The Lord was very angry with them, and he left.

¹⁰ When the cloud lifted from the Tent and Aaron turned toward Miriam, she was as white as snow; she had a skin disease. ¹¹ Aaron said to Moses, “Please, my master, forgive us for our foolish sin. ¹² Don’t let her be like a baby who is born dead. (Sometimes a baby is born with half of its flesh eaten away.)”

¹³ So Moses cried out to the Lord, “God, please heal her!”

¹⁴ The Lord answered Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, she would have been shamed for seven days, so put her outside the camp for seven days. After that, she may come back.” ¹⁵ So Miriam was put outside of the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until she came back.

¹⁶ After that, the people left Hazeroth and camped in the Desert of Paran.

The Spies Explore Canaan

13 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Send men to explore the land of Canaan, which I will give to the Israelites. Send one leader from each tribe.”

³ So Moses obeyed the Lord’s command and sent the Israelite leaders out from the Desert of Paran. ⁴ These are their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; ⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; ⁶ from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; ⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; ⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun; ⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu; ¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; ¹¹ from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi; ¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli; ¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; ¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; ¹⁵ from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

¹⁶ These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the new name Joshua.)

¹⁷ Moses sent them to explore Canaan and said, “Go through southern Canaan and then into the mountains. ¹⁸ See what the land looks like. Are the people who live there strong or weak? Are there a few or many? ¹⁹ What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What about the towns they live in—are they open like camps, or do they have walls? ²⁰ What about the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees there? Try to bring back some of the fruit from that land.” (It was the season for the first grapes.)

²¹ So they went up and explored the land, from the Desert of Zin all the way to Rehob by Lebo Hamath. ²² They went through the southern area to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (The city of Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) ²³ In the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch of a grapevine that had one bunch of grapes on it and carried that branch on a pole between two of them. They also got some pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of Eshcol,^[e] because the Israelites cut off the bunch of grapes there. ²⁵ After forty days of exploring the land, the men returned to the camp.

²⁶ They came back to Moses and Aaron and all the Israelites at Kadesh, in the Desert of Paran. The men reported to them and showed everybody the fruit from the land. ²⁷ They told Moses, “We went to the land where you sent us, and it is a fertile land! Here is some of its fruit. ²⁸ But the people who live there are strong. Their cities are walled and very large. We even saw some Anakites there. ²⁹ The Amalekites live in the southern area; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the mountains; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan River.”

³⁰ Then Caleb told the people near Moses to be quiet, and he said, “We should certainly go up and take the land for ourselves. We can certainly do it.”

³¹ But the men who had gone with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” ³² And those men gave the Israelites a bad report about the land they explored, saying, “The land that we explored is too large to conquer. All the people we saw are very tall. ³³ We saw the Nephilim people there. (The Anakites come from the Nephilim people.) We felt like grasshoppers, and we looked like grasshoppers to them.”

The People Complain Again

14 That night all the people in the camp began crying loudly. ² All the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron, and all the people said to them, “We wish we had died in Egypt or in this desert. ³ Why is the Lord bringing us to this land to be killed with swords? Our wives and children will be taken away. We would be better off going back to Egypt.” ⁴ They said to each other, “Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron bowed facedown in front of all the Israelites gathered there. ⁶ Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who had explored the land, tore their clothes. ⁷ They said to all of the Israelites, “The land we explored is very good. ⁸ If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land and give us that fertile land. ⁹ Don’t turn against the Lord! Don’t be afraid of the people in that land! We will chew them up. They have no protection, but the Lord is with us. So don’t be afraid of them.”

¹⁰ Then all the people talked about killing them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the Meeting Tent to all the Israelites. ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people ignore me? How long will they not believe me in spite of the miracles I have done among them? ¹² I will give them a terrible sickness and get rid of them. But I will make you into a great nation that will be stronger than they are.”

¹³ Then Moses said to the Lord, “The Egyptians will hear about it! You brought these people from there by your great power, ¹⁴ and the Egyptians will tell this to those who live in this land. They have already heard about you, Lord. They know that you are with your people and that you were seen face to face. They know that your cloud stays over your people and that you lead your people with that cloud during the day and with fire at night. ¹⁵ If you put these people to death all at once, the nations who have heard about your power will say, ¹⁶ ‘The Lord was not able to bring them into the land he promised them. So he killed them in the desert.’

¹⁷ “So show your strength now, Lord. Do what you said: ¹⁸ ‘The Lord doesn’t become angry quickly, but he has great love. He forgives sin and law breaking. But the Lord never forgets to punish guilty people. When parents sin, he will also punish their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren.’ ¹⁹ By your great love, forgive these people’s sin, just as you have forgiven them from the time they left Egypt until now.”

²⁰ The Lord answered, “I have forgiven them as you asked. ²¹ But, as surely as I live and as surely as my glory fills the whole earth, I make this promise: ²² All these people saw my glory and the miracles I did in Egypt and in the desert, but they disobeyed me and tested me ten times. ²³ So not one of them will see the land I promised to their ancestors. No one who rejected me will see that land. ²⁴ But my servant Caleb thinks differently and follows me completely. So I will bring him into the land he has already seen, and his children will own that land. ²⁵ Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, leave tomorrow and follow the desert road toward the Red Sea.”

The Lord Punishes the People

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²⁷ “How long will these evil people complain about me? I have heard the grumbling and complaining of these Israelites. ²⁸ So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says. I heard what you said, and as surely as I live, I will do those very things to you: ²⁹ You will die in this desert. Every one of you who is twenty years old or older and who was counted with the people—all of you who complained against me—will die. ³⁰ Not one of you will enter the land where I promised you would live; only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun will go in. ³¹ You said that your children would be taken away, but I will bring them into the land to enjoy what you refused. ³² As for you, you will die in this desert. ³³ Your children will be shepherds here for forty years. Because you were not loyal, they will suffer until you lie dead in the desert. ³⁴ For forty years you will suffer for your sins—a year for each of the forty days you explored the land. You will know me as your enemy.’ ³⁵ I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will certainly do these things to all these evil people who have come together against me. So they will all die here in this desert.”

³⁶ The men Moses had sent to explore the land had returned and spread complaints among all the people. They had given a bad report about the land. ³⁷ The men who gave a very bad report died; the Lord killed them with a terrible sickness. ³⁸ Only two of the men who explored the land did not die—Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh.

³⁹ When Moses told these things to all the Israelites, they were very sad. ⁴⁰ Early the next morning they started to go toward the top of the mountains, saying, “We have sinned. We will go where the Lord told us.”

⁴¹ But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? You will not win! ⁴² Don’t go, because the Lord is not with you and you will be beaten by your enemies. ⁴³ You will run into the Amalekites and Canaanites, who will kill you with swords. You have turned away from the Lord, so the Lord will not be with you.”

⁴⁴ But they were proud. They went toward the top of the mountains, but Moses and the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord did not leave the camp. ⁴⁵ The Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in those mountains came down and attacked the Israelites and beat them back all the way to Hormah.

Rules About Sacrifices

15 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you as a home, ³ give the Lord offerings made by fire. These may be from your herds or flocks, as a smell pleasing to the Lord. These may be burnt offerings or sacrifices for special promises, or as gifts to him, or as festival offerings. ⁴ The one who brings the offering shall also give the Lord a grain offering. It should be two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of olive oil. ⁵ Each time you offer a lamb as a burnt offering or sacrifice, also prepare a quart of wine as a drink offering.

⁶ “‘If you are giving a male sheep, also prepare a grain offering of four quarts of fine flour mixed with one and one-fourth quarts of olive oil. ⁷ Also prepare one and one-fourth quarts of wine as a drink offering. Its smell will be pleasing to the Lord.

⁸ “‘If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, whether it is for a special promise or a fellowship offering to the Lord, ⁹ bring a grain offering with the bull. It should be six quarts of fine flour mixed with two quarts of olive oil. ¹⁰ Also bring two quarts of wine as a drink offering. This offering is made by fire, and its smell will be pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Prepare each bull or male sheep, lamb or young goat this way. ¹² Do this for every one of the animals you bring.

¹³ “‘All citizens must do these things in this way, and the smell of their offerings by fire will be pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁴ From now on if foreigners who live among you want to make offerings by fire so the smell will be pleasing to the Lord, they must offer them the same way you do. ¹⁵ The law is the same for you and for foreigners, and it will be from now on; you and the foreigners are alike before the Lord. ¹⁶ The teachings and rules are the same for you and for the foreigners among you.’”

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “Tell the Israelites: ‘You are going to another land, where I am taking you. ¹⁹ When you eat the food there, offer part of it to the Lord. ²⁰ Offer a loaf of bread from the first of your grain, which will be your offering from the threshing floor. ²¹ From now on offer to the Lord the first part of your grain.

²² “‘Now what if you forget to obey any of these commands the Lord gave Moses? ²³ These are the Lord’s commands given to you through Moses, which began the day the Lord gave them to you and will continue from now on. ²⁴ If the people forget to obey one of these commands, all the people must offer a young bull as a burnt offering, a smell pleasing to the Lord. By law you must also give the grain offering and the drink offering with it, and you must bring a male goat as a sin offering.

²⁵ “‘The priest will remove that sin for all the Israelites so they will belong to the Lord. They are forgiven, because they didn’t know they were sinning. For the wrong they did they brought offerings to the Lord, an offering by fire and a sin offering. ²⁶ So all of the people of Israel and the foreigners living among them will be forgiven. No one meant to do wrong.

²⁷ “‘If just one person sins without meaning to, a year-old female goat must be brought for a sin offering. ²⁸ The priest will remove the sin of the person who sinned accidentally. He will remove it before the Lord, and the person will be forgiven. ²⁹ The same teaching is for everyone who sins accidentally—for those born Israelites and for foreigners living among you.

³⁰ “‘But anyone who sins on purpose is against the Lord and must be cut off from the people, whether it is someone born among you or a foreigner. ³¹ That person has turned against the Lord’s word and has not obeyed his commands. Such a person must surely be cut off from the others. He is guilty.’”

A Man Worked on the Sabbath

³² When the Israelites were still in the desert, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. ³³ Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and all the people. ³⁴ They held the man under guard, because they did not know what to do with him. ³⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely die. All the people must kill him by throwing stones at him outside the camp.” ³⁶ So all the people took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Tassels

³⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁸ “Speak to the Israelites and tell them this: ‘Tie several pieces of thread together and attach them to the corners of your clothes. Put a blue thread in each one of these tassels. Wear them from now on. ³⁹ You will have these tassels to look at to remind you of all the Lord’s commands. Then you will obey them and not be disloyal by following what your bodies and eyes want. ⁴⁰ Then you will remember to obey all my commands, and you will be God’s holy people. ⁴¹ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.’”

Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On

16 Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On turned against Moses. (Korah was the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi; Dathan and Abiram were brothers, the sons of Eliab; and On was the son of Peleth; Dathan, Abiram, and On were from the tribe of Reuben.) ² These men gathered two hundred fifty other Israelite men, well-known leaders chosen by the community, and challenged Moses. ³ They came as a group to speak to Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far. All the people are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. So why do you put yourselves above all the people of the Lord?”

⁴ When Moses heard this, he bowed facedown. ⁵ Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who belongs to him. He will bring the one who is holy near to him; he will bring to himself the person he chooses. ⁶ So Korah, you and all your followers do this: Get some pans for burning incense. ⁷ Tomorrow put fire and incense in them and take them before the Lord. He will choose the man who is holy. You Levites have gone too far.”

⁸ Moses also said to Korah, “Listen, you Levites. ⁹ The God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelites. He brought you near to himself to do the work in the Lord’s Holy Tent and to stand before all the Israelites and serve them. Isn’t that enough? ¹⁰ He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near to himself, yet now you want to be priests. ¹¹ You and your followers have joined together against the Lord. Your complaint is not against Aaron.”

¹² Then Moses called Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! ¹³ You have brought us out of a fertile land to this desert to kill us, and now you want to order us around. ¹⁴ You haven’t brought us into a fertile land; you haven’t given us any land with fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? No! We will not come!”

¹⁵ Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Don’t accept their gifts. I have not taken anything from them, not even a donkey, and I have not done wrong to any of them.”

¹⁶ Then Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers must stand before the Lord tomorrow. And Aaron will stand there with you and them. ¹⁷ Each of you must take your pan and put incense in it; present these two hundred fifty pans before the Lord. You and Aaron must also present your pans.” ¹⁸ So each man got his pan and put burning incense in it and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ¹⁹ Korah gathered all his followers who were against Moses and Aaron, and they stood at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to everyone.

²⁰ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²¹ “Move away from these men so I can destroy them quickly.”

²² But Moses and Aaron bowed facedown and cried out, “God, you are the God over the spirits of all people. Please don’t be angry with this whole group. Only one man has really sinned.”

²³ Then the Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “Tell everyone to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

²⁵ Moses stood and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶ Moses warned the people, “Move away from the tents of these evil men! Don’t touch anything of theirs, or you will be destroyed because of their sins.” ²⁷ So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were standing outside their tents with their wives, children, and little babies.

²⁸ Then Moses said, “Now you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things; it was not my idea. ²⁹ If these men die a normal death—the way men usually die—then the Lord did not really send me. ³⁰ But if the Lord does something new, you will know they have insulted the Lord. The ground will open and swallow them. They will be buried alive and will go to the place of the dead, and everything that belongs to them will go with them.”

³¹ When Moses finished saying these things, the ground under the men split open. ³² The earth opened and swallowed them and all their families. All Korah’s men and everything they owned went down. ³³ They were buried alive, going to the place of the dead, and everything they owned went with them. Then the earth covered them. They died and were gone from the community. ³⁴ The people of Israel around them heard their screams and ran away, saying, “The earth will swallow us, too!”

³⁵ Then a fire came down from the Lord and destroyed the two hundred fifty men who had presented the incense.

³⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁷ “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take all the incense pans out of the fire. Have him scatter the coals a long distance away. But the incense pans are still holy. ³⁸ Take the pans of these men who sinned and lost their lives, and hammer them into flat sheets that will be used to cover the altar. They are holy, because they were presented to the Lord, and they will be a sign to the Israelites.”

³⁹ So Eleazar the priest gathered all the bronze pans that had been brought by the men who were burned up. He had the pans hammered into flat sheets to put on the altar, ⁴⁰ as the Lord had commanded him through Moses. These sheets were to remind the Israelites that only descendants of Aaron should burn incense before the Lord. Anyone else would die like Korah and his followers.

Aaron Saves the People

⁴¹ The next day all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have killed the Lord’s people.”

⁴² When the people gathered to complain against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Meeting Tent, and the cloud covered it. The glory of the Lord appeared. ⁴³ Then Moses and Aaron went in front of the Meeting Tent.

⁴⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Move away from these people so I can destroy them quickly.” So Moses and Aaron bowed facedown.

⁴⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Get your pan, and put fire from the altar and incense in it. Hurry to the people and remove their sin. The Lord is angry with them; the sickness has already started.” ⁴⁷ So Aaron did as Moses said. He ran to the middle of the people, where the sickness had already started among them. So Aaron offered the incense to remove their sin. ⁴⁸ He stood between the dead and the living, and the sickness stopped there. ⁴⁹ But 14,700 people died from that sickness, in addition to those who died because of Korah. ⁵⁰ Then Aaron went back to Moses at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. The terrible sickness had been stopped.

Aaron’s Walking Stick Buds

17 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the people of Israel and get twelve walking sticks from them—one from the leader of each tribe. Write the name of each man on his stick, and ³ on the stick from Levi, write Aaron’s name. There must be one stick for the head of each tribe. ⁴ Put them in the Meeting Tent in front of the Ark of the Agreement, where I meet with you. ⁵ I will choose one man whose walking stick will begin to grow leaves; in this way I will stop the Israelites from always complaining against you.”

⁶ So Moses spoke to the Israelites. Each of the twelve leaders gave him a walking stick—one from each tribe—and Aaron’s walking stick was among them. ⁷ Moses put them before the Lord in the Tent of the Agreement.

⁸ The next day, when Moses entered the Tent, he saw that Aaron’s stick (which stood for the family of Levi) had grown leaves. It had even budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. ⁹ So Moses brought out to the Israelites all the walking sticks from the Lord’s presence. They all looked, and each man took back his stick.

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s walking stick back in front of the Ark of the Agreement. It will remind these people who are always turning against me to stop their complaining against me so they won’t die.” ¹¹ So Moses obeyed what the Lord commanded him.

¹² The people of Israel said to Moses, “We are going to die! We are destroyed. We are all destroyed! ¹³ Anyone who even comes near the Holy Tent of the Lord will die. Will we all die?”

The Work of the Priests and Levites

18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your family are now responsible for any wrongs done against the Holy Place; you and your sons are responsible for any wrongs done against the priests. ² Bring with you your fellow Levites from your tribe, and they will help you and your sons serve in the Tent of the Agreement. ³ They are under your control, to do all the work that needs to be done in the Tent. But they must not go near the things in the Holy Place or near the altar. If they do, both you and they will die. ⁴ They will join you in taking care of the Meeting Tent. They must do the work at the Tent, and no one else may come near you.

⁵ “You must take care of the Holy Place and the altar so that I won’t become angry with the Israelites again. ⁶ I myself chose your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift given for you to the Lord, to work at the Meeting Tent. ⁷ But only you and your sons may serve as priests. Only you may serve at the altar or go behind the curtain. I am giving you this gift of serving as a priest, and anyone else who comes near the Holy Place will be put to death.”

⁸ Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself make you responsible for the offerings given to me. All the holy offerings that the Israelites give to me, I give to you and your sons as your share, your continual portion. ⁹ Your share of the holy offerings is that part which is not burned. When the people bring me gifts as most holy offerings, whether they are grain or sin or penalty offerings, they will be set apart for you and your sons. ¹⁰ You must eat the offering in a most holy place. Any male may eat it, but you must respect it as holy.

¹¹ “I also give you the offerings the Israelites present to me. I give these to you and your sons and daughters as your continual share. Anyone in your family who is clean may eat it.

¹² “And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. This is what the Israelites give to me, the Lord, from the first crops they harvest. ¹³ When they bring to the Lord all the first things they harvest, they will be yours. Anyone in your family who is clean may eat these things.

¹⁴ “Everything in Israel that is given to the Lord is yours. ¹⁵ The first one born to any family, whether people or animals, will be offered to the Lord. And that will be yours. But you must make a payment for every firstborn child and every firstborn animal that is unclean. ¹⁶ When they are one month old, you must make a payment for them of two ounces of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure.

¹⁷ “But you must not make a payment for the firstborn ox or sheep or goat. Those animals are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire. The smell is pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁸ But the meat will be yours, just as the breast that is presented and the right thigh will be yours. ¹⁹ Anything the Israelites present as holy gifts I, the Lord, give to you, your sons and daughters as your continual portion. This is a lasting agreement of salt^[f] before the Lord for you and your children forever.”

²⁰ The Lord also said to Aaron, “You will not inherit any of the land, and you will not own any land among the other people. I will be yours. Out of all the Israelites, only you will inherit me.

²¹ “When the people of Israel give me a tenth of what they make, I will give that tenth to the Levites. This is their payment for the work they do serving at the Meeting Tent. ²² But the other Israelites must never go near the Meeting Tent, or they will die for their sin. ²³ Only the Levites should work in the Meeting Tent and be responsible for any sins against it. This is a rule from now on. The Levites will not inherit any land among the other Israelites, ²⁴ but when the Israelites give a tenth of everything they make to me, I will give that tenth to the Levites as a reward. That is why I said about the Levites: ‘They will not inherit any land among the Israelites.’”

²⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁶ “Speak to the Levites and tell them: ‘You will receive a tenth of everything the Israelites make, which I will give to you. But you must give a tenth of that back to the Lord. ²⁷ I will accept your offering just as much as I accept the offerings from others, who give new grain or new wine. ²⁸ In this way you will present an offering to the Lord as the other Israelites do. When you receive a tenth from the Israelites, you will give a tenth of that to Aaron, the priest, as the Lord’s share. ²⁹ Choose the best and holiest part from what you are given as the portion you must give to the Lord.’

³⁰ “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best, it will be accepted as much as the grain and wine from the other people. ³¹ You and your families may eat all that is left anywhere, because it is your pay for your work in the Meeting Tent. ³² And if you always give the best part to the Lord, you will never be guilty. If you do not sin against the holy offerings of the Israelites, you will not die.’”

The Offering for Cleansing

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “These are the teachings that the Lord commanded. Tell the Israelites to get a young red cow that does not have anything wrong with it and that has never been worked. ³ Give the cow to Eleazar the priest; he will take it outside the camp and kill it. ⁴ Then Eleazar the priest must put some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Meeting Tent. ⁵ The whole cow must be burned while he watches; the skin, the meat, the blood, and the intestines must all be burned. ⁶ Then the priest must take a cedar stick, a hyssop branch, and a red string and throw them onto the burning cow. ⁷ After the priest has washed himself and his clothes with water, he may come back into the camp, but he will be unclean until evening. ⁸ The man who burns the cow must wash himself and his clothes in water; he will be unclean until evening.

⁹ “Then someone who is clean will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. The Israelites will keep these ashes to use in the cleansing water, in a special ceremony to cleanse away sin. ¹⁰ The man who collected the cow’s ashes must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This is a lasting rule for the Israelites and for the foreigners among them.

¹¹ “Those who touch a dead person’s body will be unclean for seven days. ¹² They must wash themselves with the cleansing water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not wash themselves on the third day and the seventh day, they cannot be clean. ¹³ If those who touch a dead person’s body stay unclean and go to the Lord’s Holy Tent, it becomes unclean; they must be cut off from Israel. If the cleansing water is not sprinkled on them, they are unclean and will stay unclean.

¹⁴ “This is the teaching about someone who dies in a tent: Anyone in the tent or anyone who enters it will be unclean for seven days. ¹⁵ And every open jar or pot without a cover becomes unclean. ¹⁶ If anyone is outside and touches someone who was killed by a sword or who died a natural death, or if anyone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be unclean for seven days.

¹⁷ “So you must use the ashes from the burnt offering to make that person clean again. Pour fresh water over the ashes into a jar. ¹⁸ A clean person must take a hyssop branch and dip it into the water, and then he must sprinkle it over the tent and all its objects. He must also sprinkle the people who were there, as well as anyone who touched a bone, or the body of someone who was killed, or a dead person, or a grave. ¹⁹ The person who is clean must sprinkle this water on the unclean people on the third day and on the seventh day. On the seventh day they will become clean. They must wash their clothes and take a bath, and they will be clean that evening. ²⁰ If any who are unclean do not become clean, they must be cut off from the community. Since they were not sprinkled with the cleansing water, they stay unclean, and they could make the Lord’s Holy Tent unclean. ²¹ This is a lasting rule. Those who sprinkle the cleansing water must also wash their clothes, and anyone who touches the water will be unclean until evening. ²² Anything an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and whoever touches it will be unclean until evening.”

Moses Disobeys God

20 In the first month all the people of Israel arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. ² There was no water for the people, so they came together against Moses and Aaron. ³ They argued with Moses and said, “We should have died in front of the Lord as our brothers did. ⁴ Why did you bring the Lord’s people into this desert? Are we and our animals to die here? ⁵ Why did you bring us from Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain, figs, grapevines, or pomegranates, and there’s no water to drink!”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron left the people and went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. There they bowed facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. ⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ⁸ “Take your walking stick, and you and your brother Aaron should gather the people. Speak to that rock in front of them so that its water will flow from it. When you bring the water out from that rock, give it to the people and their animals.”

⁹ So Moses took the stick from in front of the Lord, as he had said. ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock, and Moses said, “Now listen to me, you who turn against God! Do you want us to bring water out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted his hand and hit the rock twice with his stick. Water began pouring out, and the people and their animals drank it.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me, and because you did not honor me as holy before the people, you will not lead them into the land I will give them.”

¹³ These are the waters of Meribah,^[g] where the Israelites argued with the Lord and where he showed them he was holy.

Edom Will Not Let Israel Pass

¹⁴ From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom. He said, “Your brothers, the Israelites, say to you: You know about all the troubles we have had, ¹⁵ how our ancestors went down into Egypt and we lived there for many years. The people of Egypt were cruel to us and our ancestors, ¹⁶ but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard us and sent us an angel to bring us out of Egypt.

“Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your land. ¹⁷ Please let us pass through your country. We will not touch any fields of grain or vineyards, and will not drink water from the wells. We will travel only along the king’s road, not turning right or left until we have passed through your country.”

¹⁸ But the king of Edom answered: “You may not pass through here. If you try, I will come and meet you with swords.”

¹⁹ The Israelites answered: “We will go along the main road, and if we or our animals drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to walk through. That’s all.”

²⁰ But he answered: “You may not pass through here.”

Then the Edomites went out to meet the Israelites with a large and powerful army. ²¹ The Edomites refused to let them pass through their country, so the Israelites turned back.

Aaron Dies

²² All the Israelites moved from Kadesh to Mount Hor, ²³ near the border of Edom. There the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²⁴ “Aaron will die. He will not enter the land that I’m giving to the Israelites, because you both acted against my command at the waters of Meribah. ²⁵ Take Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor, ²⁶ and take off Aaron’s special clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will die there; he will join his ancestors.”

²⁷ Moses obeyed the Lord’s command. They climbed up Mount Hor, and all the people saw them go. ²⁸ Moses took off Aaron’s clothes and put them on Aaron’s son Eleazar. Then Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar came back down the mountain, ²⁹ and when all the people learned that Aaron was dead, everyone in Israel cried for him for thirty days.

War with the Canaanites

21 The Canaanite king of Arad lived in the southern area. When he heard that the Israelites were coming on the road to Atharim, he attacked them and captured some of them. ² Then the Israelites made this promise to the Lord: “If you will help us defeat these people, we will completely destroy their cities.” ³ The Lord listened to the Israelites, and he let them defeat the Canaanites. The Israelites completely destroyed the Canaanites and their cities, so the place was named Hormah.^[h]

The Bronze Snake

⁴ The Israelites left Mount Hor and went on the road toward the Red Sea, in order to go around the country of Edom. But the people became impatient on the way ⁵ and grumbled at God and Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this desert? There is no bread and no water, and we hate this terrible food!”

⁶ So the Lord sent them poisonous snakes; they bit the people, and many of the Israelites died. ⁷ The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we grumbled at you and the Lord. Pray that the Lord will take away these snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze snake, and put it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, that person will live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Then when a snake bit anyone, that person looked at the bronze snake and lived.

The Journey to Moab

¹⁰ The Israelites went and camped at Oboth. ¹¹ They went from Oboth to Iye Abarim, in the desert east of Moab. ¹² From there they went and camped in the Zered Valley. ¹³ From there they went and camped across the Arnon, in the desert just inside the Amorite country. The Arnon is the border between the Moabites and the Amorites. ¹⁴ That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says:

¹⁶ The Israelites went from there to Beer; a well is there where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people and I will give them water.”

¹⁷ Then the Israelites sang this song:

The people went from the desert to Mattanah. ¹⁹ From Mattanah they went to Nahaliel and on to Bamoth. ²⁰ From Bamoth they went to the valley of Moab where the top of Mount Pisgah looks over the desert.

Israel Kills Sihon and Og

²¹ The Israelites sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, ²² “Let us pass through your country. We will not go through any fields of grain or vineyards, or drink water from the wells. We will travel only along the king’s road until we have passed through your country.”

²³ But King Sihon would not let the Israelites pass through his country. He gathered his whole army together, and they marched out to meet Israel in the desert. At Jahaz they fought the Israelites. ²⁴ Israel killed the king and captured his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They took the land as far as the Ammonite border, which was strongly defended. ²⁵ Israel captured all the Amorite cities and lived in them, taking Heshbon and all the towns around it. ²⁶ Heshbon was the city where Sihon, the Amorite king, lived. In the past he had fought with the king of Moab and had taken all the land as far as the Arnon.

²⁷ That is why the poets say:

³¹ So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.

³² After Moses sent spies to the town of Jazer, they captured the towns around it, forcing out the Amorites who lived there.

³³ Then the Israelites went up the road toward Bashan. Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet the Israelites, and they fought at Edrei.

³⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I will hand him, his whole army, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon.”

³⁵ So the Israelites killed Og and his sons and all his army; no one was left alive. And they took his land.

Balak Sends for Balaam

22 Then the people of Israel went to the plains of Moab, and they camped near the Jordan River across from Jericho.

² Balak son of Zippor saw everything the Israelites had done to the Amorites. ³ And Moab was scared of so many Israelites; truly, Moab was terrified by them.

⁴ The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “These people will take everything around us like an ox eating grass.”

Balak son of Zippor was the king of Moab at this time. ⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, near the Euphrates River in his native land. Balak said, “A nation has come out of Egypt that covers the land. They have camped next to me, ⁶ and they are too powerful for me. So come and put a curse on them. Maybe then I can defeat them and make them leave the area. I know that if you bless someone, the blessings happen, and if you put a curse on someone, it happens.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and Midian went with payment in their hands. When they found Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.

⁸ Balaam said to them, “Stay here for the night, and I will tell you what the Lord tells me.” So the Moabite leaders stayed with him.

⁹ God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”

¹⁰ Balaam said to God, “The king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, sent them to me with this message: ¹¹ ‘A nation has come out of Egypt that covers the land. So come and put a curse on them, and maybe I can fight them and force them out of my land.’”

¹² But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. Don’t put a curse on those people, because I have blessed them.”

¹³ The next morning Balaam awoke and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your own country; the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”

¹⁴ So the Moabite leaders went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

¹⁵ So Balak sent other leaders—this time there were more of them, and they were more important. ¹⁶ They went to Balaam and said, “Balak son of Zippor says this: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to me. ¹⁷ I will pay you very well, and I will do what you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.”

¹⁸ But Balaam answered Balak’s servants, “King Balak could give me his palace full of silver and gold, but I cannot disobey the Lord my God in anything, great or small. ¹⁹ You stay here tonight as the other men did, and I will find out what more the Lord tells me.”

²⁰ That night God came to Balaam and said, “These men have come to ask you to go with them. Go, but only do what I tell you.”

Balaam’s Donkey Speaks

²¹ Balaam got up the next morning and put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went with the Moabite leaders. ²² But God became angry because Balaam went, so the angel of the Lord stood in the road to stop Balaam. Balaam was riding his donkey, and he had two servants with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a sword in his hand, the donkey left the road and went into the field. Balaam hit the donkey to force her back on the road.

²⁴ Later, the angel of the Lord stood on a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵ Again the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and she walked close to one wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her again.

²⁶ The angel of the Lord went ahead again and stood at a narrow place, too narrow to turn left or right. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. This made him so angry that he hit her with his stick. ²⁸ Then the Lord made the donkey talk, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to make you hit me three times?”

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made me look foolish! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!”

³⁰ But the donkey said to Balaam, “I am your very own donkey, which you have ridden for years. Have I ever done this to you before?”

“No,” Balaam said.

³¹ Then the Lord let Balaam see the angel of the Lord, who was standing in the road with his sword drawn. Then Balaam bowed facedown on the ground.

³² The angel of the Lord asked Balaam, “Why have you hit your donkey three times? I have stood here to stop you, because what you are doing is wrong. ³³ The donkey saw me and turned away from me three times. If she had not turned away, I would have killed you by now, but I would have let her live.”

³⁴ Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned; I did not know you were standing in the road to stop me. If I am wrong, I will go back.”

³⁵ The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s leaders.

³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at Ar in Moab, which was beside the Arnon, at the edge of his country. ³⁷ Balak said to Balaam, “I had asked you before to come quickly. Why didn’t you come to me? I am able to reward you well.”

³⁸ But Balaam answered, “I have come to you now, but I can’t say just anything. I can only say what God tells me to say.”

³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. ⁴⁰ Balak offered cattle and sheep as a sacrifice and gave some meat to Balaam and the leaders with him.

⁴¹ The next morning Balak took Balaam to Bamoth Baal; from there he could see the edge of the Israelite camp.

Balaam’s First Message

23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven male sheep for me.” ² Balak did what Balaam asked, and they offered a bull and a male sheep on each of the altars.

³ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering and I will go. If the Lord comes to me, I will tell you whatever he shows me.” Then Balaam went to a higher place.

⁴ God came to Balaam there, and Balaam said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.”

⁵ The Lord told Balaam what he should say. Then the Lord said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.”

⁶ So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak and all the leaders of Moab were still standing beside his burnt offering ⁷ when Balaam gave them this message:

¹¹ Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but you have only blessed them!”

¹² But Balaam answered, “I must say what the Lord tells me to say.”

Balaam’s Second Message

¹³ Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place, where you can also see the people. But you can only see part of them, not all of them. Curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴ So Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim, on top of Mount Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars and offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.

¹⁵ So Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering, and I will meet with God over there.”

¹⁶ So the Lord came to Balaam and told him what to say. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and say such and such.”

¹⁷ So Balaam went to Balak, where he and the leaders of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”

¹⁸ Then Balaam gave this message:

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “You haven’t cursed these people, so at least don’t bless them!”

²⁶ Balaam answered Balak, “I told you before that I can only do what the Lord tells me.”

Balaam’s Third Message

²⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, I will take you to another place. Maybe God will be pleased to let you curse them from there.” ²⁸ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, the mountain that looks over the desert.

²⁹ Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare for me seven bulls and seven male sheep.” ³⁰ Balak did what Balaam asked, and he offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.

24 Balaam saw that the Lord wanted to bless Israel, so he did not try to use any magic but looked toward the desert. ² When Balaam saw the Israelites camped in their tribes, the Spirit of God took control of him, ³ and he gave this message:

¹⁰ Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he pounded his fist. He said to Balaam, “I called you here to curse my enemies, but you have continued to bless them three times. ¹¹ Now go home! I said I would pay you well, but the Lord has made you lose your reward.”

¹² Balaam said to Balak, “When you sent messengers to me, I told them, ¹³ ‘Balak could give me his palace filled with silver and gold, but I still cannot go against the Lord’s commands. I could not do anything, good or bad, on my own, but I must say what the Lord says.’ ¹⁴ Now I am going back to my own people, but I will tell you what these people will do to your people in the future.”

Balaam’s Final Message

¹⁵ Then Balaam gave this message:

²⁰ Then Balaam saw Amalek and gave this message:

²¹ Then Balaam saw the Kenites and gave this message:

²³ Then Balaam gave this message:

²⁵ Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.

Israel Worships Baal at Peor

25 While the people of Israel were still camped at Acacia, the men began sinning sexually with Moabite women. ² The women invited them to their sacrifices to their gods, and the Israelites ate food there and worshiped these gods. ³ So the Israelites began to worship Baal of Peor, and the Lord was very angry with them.

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Get all the leaders of the people and kill them in open daylight in the presence of the Lord. Then the Lord will not be angry with the people of Israel.”

⁵ So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death your people who have become worshipers of Baal of Peor.”

⁶ Moses and the Israelites were gathered at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, crying there. Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in plain sight of Moses and all the people. ⁷ Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, so he left the meeting and got his spear. ⁸ He followed the Israelite into his tent and drove his spear through both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman. Then the terrible sickness among the Israelites stopped.

⁹ This sickness had killed twenty-four thousand people.

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has saved the Israelites from my anger. He hates sin as much as I do. Since he tried to save my honor among them, I will not kill them. ¹² So tell Phinehas that I am making my peace agreement with him. ¹³ He and his descendants will always be priests, because he had great concern for the honor of his God. He removed the sins of the Israelites so they would belong to God.”

¹⁴ The Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu. He was the leader of a family in the tribe of Simeon. ¹⁵ And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was the chief of a Midianite family.

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “The Midianites are your enemies, and you should kill them. ¹⁸ They have already made you their enemies, because they tricked you at Peor and because of their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. She was the woman who was killed when the sickness came because the people sinned at Peor.”