Bible in 90 Days
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze snake. And put it on a pole. If anyone is bitten, he should look at it. Then he will live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake. And he put it on a pole. Then when a snake bit anyone, he 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. This was 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. This was 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:
“. . . and Waheb in Suphah, and the ravines,
the Arnon, 15 and the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar.
These places are at the border of Moab.”
16 The Israelites went from there to Beer. A well is there where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people. I will give them water.”
17 Then the Israelites sang this song:
“Pour out water, well!
Sing about it.
18 Princes dug this well.
Important men made this hole.
With their scepters and poles, they dug it.”
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. There the top of Mount Pisgah looks over the desert.
Sihon and Og
21 The people of Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites. They said to him, 22 “Let us pass through your country. We will not go through any fields of grain or vineyards. We will not drink water from the wells. We will travel only along the king’s road. We will stay on it until we have passed through your country.”
23 But King Sihon would not let the Israelites pass through his country. He gathered his army together. They marched out to meet Israel in the desert. At Jahaz they fought the Israelites. 24 Israel killed the king. Then they captured his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They took the land as far as the Ammonite border. That border was strongly defended. 25 Israel captured all the Amorite cities and lived in them. They took 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. Sihon had taken all the land as far as the Arnon.
27 That is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon
and rebuild it.
Rebuild Sihon’s city.
28 A fire began in Heshbon.
Flames came from Sihon’s city.
It destroyed Ar in Moab.
It burned the Arnon highlands.
29 How terrible for you, Moab!
The people of Chemosh are ruined.
His sons ran away.
His daughters were captured
by Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30 But we defeated those Amorites.
We ruined their towns from Heshbon to Dibon.
We destroyed them as far as Nophah, near Medeba.”
31 So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
32 Moses sent spies to the town of Jazer. Then they captured the towns around it. They forced out the Amorites who lived there.
33 Then the Israelites went up the road toward Bashan. Og, the king of Bashan, and his army marched out to meet the Israelites. 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.
Balaam and Balak
22 Then the people of Israel went to the plains of Moab. 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, “This mob will take everything around us. It will be 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. It was near the Euphrates River in the land of Amaw. Balak said, “A nation has come out of Egypt. They cover the land. They have camped next to me. 6 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. They found Balaam. Then they told him what Balak had said.
8 Balaam said to them, “Stay here for the night. 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. He sent me this message: 11 ‘A nation has come out of Egypt. They cover the land. So come and put a curse on them. Then 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. I have blessed them.”
13 The next morning Balaam awoke and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your own country. The Lord will not let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite leaders went back to Balak. They said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 So Balak sent other leaders. He sent more leaders this time. 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 well. 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. I will find out what more the Lord tells me.”
20 That night God came to Balaam. He said, “These men have come to ask you to go with them. Go. But only do what I tell you.”
Balaam and His Donkey
21 Balaam got up the next morning. He 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 The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road. The angel had a sword in his hand. So 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. There were walls on both sides. 25 Again the donkey saw the angel of the Lord. So the donkey walked close to one wall. This crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he hit her again.
26 The angel of the Lord went ahead again. The angel stood at a narrow place. It was too narrow to turn left or right. 27 The donkey saw the angel of the Lord. So she lay down under Balaam. Balaam was very angry and hit her with his stick. 28 Then the Lord made the donkey talk. 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. You have ridden me for years. Have I ever done this to you before?”
“No,” Balaam said.
31 Then the Lord let Balaam see the angel. The angel of the Lord 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. What you are doing is wrong. 33 The donkey saw me. She turned away from me three times. If she had not turned away, I would have killed you by now. But I would 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 Balak heard that Balaam was coming. So he went out to meet him at Ar in Moab. It 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. He 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, “Build me seven altars here. And prepare seven bulls and seven male sheep for me.” 2 Balak did what Balaam asked. Then they offered a male sheep and a bull on each of the altars.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering. I will go. Maybe the Lord will come to me. I will tell you whatever he shows me.” Then Balaam went to a higher place.
4 God came to Balaam there. 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 Then Balaam gave them this message:
“Balak brought me here from Aram.
The king of Moab brought me from the eastern mountains.
Balak said, ‘Come, put a curse on the people of Jacob for me.
Come, wish evil on the people of Israel.’
8 But God has not cursed them.
So I cannot curse them.
The Lord has not wished evil on them.
So I cannot wish evil on them.
9 I see them from the mountains.
I see them from the hills.
I see a people who live alone.
They think they are different from other nations.
10 No one can number the people of Jacob.
No one can count a fourth of Israel.
Let me die like good men.
Let me end up like them!”
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. There 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. This was on top of Mount Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars. And he offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.
15 So Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering. I will meet with God over there.”
16 So the Lord came to Balaam. He told Balaam what to say. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and say such and such.”
17 So Balaam went to Balak. Balak 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:
“Stand up, Balak, and listen.
Hear me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man. He will not lie.
God is not a human being. He does not change his mind.
What he says he will do, he does.
What he promises, he keeps.
20 He told me to bless them.
So I cannot change the blessing.
21 He has found no wrong in the people of Jacob.
He saw no fault in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them.
They praise their King.
22 God brought them out of Egypt.
They are as strong as a wild ox.
23 No tricks will work on the people of Jacob.
No magic works against Israel.
People now say this about them,
‘Look what God has done!’
24 The people are strong like a lioness.
They get up like a lion.
Lions don’t rest until they have eaten.
They drink their enemies’ blood.”
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. 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. He may let you curse them from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor. This mountain looks over the desert.
29 Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here. Then prepare for me seven bulls and seven male sheep.” 30 Balak did what Balaam asked. He offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.
24 Balaam saw that the Lord wanted to bless Israel. So Balaam did not try to use any magic. He looked toward the desert. 2 Balaam saw the Israelites camped in their tribes. Then the Spirit of God entered him. 3 And Balaam gave this message:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor.
This is the message of a man who sees clearly.
4 This is the message of a man who heard the words of God.
I see a vision from the All-Powerful One.
My eyes are open as I fall before him.
5 Your tents are beautiful, people of Jacob!
So are your homes, Israel!
6 Your tents spread out like valleys.
They are like gardens beside a river.
They are like spices planted by the Lord.
They are like cedar trees growing by the water.
7 Israel’s water buckets will always be full.
Their crops will have plenty of water.
Their king will be greater than Agag.
Their kingdom will be very great.
8 God brought them out of Egypt.
They are as strong as a wild ox.
They will defeat their enemies.
They will break their enemies’ bones.
They will shoot them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, they lie waiting to attack.
No one would wake a sleeping lion.
Anyone who blesses you will be blessed.
And anyone who curses you will be cursed.”
10 Then Balak was angry with Balaam. Balak pounded his fist. He said to Balaam, “I called you here to curse my enemies. But you have blessed 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, “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. 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:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor.
This is the message of a man who sees clearly.
16 This is the message of a man who hears the words of God.
I know the Most High God.
I see a vision from the All-Powerful One.
My eyes are open as I fall before him.
17 I see someone who will come some day.
I see someone who will come, but not soon.
A star will come from Jacob.
A ruler will rise from Israel.
He will crush the heads of the Moabites.
He will smash the skulls of the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will be conquered.
His enemy Edom will be conquered.
But Israel will grow wealthy.
19 The descendants of Jacob will beat them down.
The Israelites will destroy those left in the city.”
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and gave this message:
“Amalek was the most important nation.
But Amalek will be destroyed at last.”
21 Then Balaam saw the Kenites and gave this message:
“Your home is safe.
It is like a nest on a cliff.
22 But you Kenites will be burned up.
Assyria will keep you captive.”
23 Then Balaam gave this message:
“No one can live when God does this.
24 Ships will sail from the shores of Cyprus.
They will defeat Assyria and Eber.
But they will also be destroyed.”
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home. Balak also went on his way.
Israel at Peor
25 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 false gods. 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. Then 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 men who have become worshipers of Baal of Peor.”
6 Moses and the Israelites were gathered at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. They were crying there. Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers. This was 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 he 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 24,000 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 is like I am in his concern for the people. He tried to save my honor among them. So I will not kill them. 12 So tell Phinehas that I am making my peace agreement with him. 13 He and all his descendants will have an agreement. They will always be priests. This is 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. Zur was the chief of a Midianite family.
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “The Midianites are your enemies. You should kill them. 18 They have already made you their enemies. They tricked you at Peor. Then there was Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. She was the woman who was killed when the sickness came. It came because the people were worshiping the false god at Peor.”
The People Are Counted
26 After the great sickness, the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. He said, 2 “Count all the people of Israel by families. Count all the men who are 20 years old or older. They will serve in the army of Israel.” 3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to the people. They were on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho. They said, 4 “Count the men 20 years old or older. This is what the Lord commanded Moses.”
Here are the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5 The tribe of Reuben was counted. Reuben was the first son born to Israel. From Hanoch came the Hanochite family group. From Pallu came the Palluite family group. 6 From Hezron came the Hezronite family group. From Carmi came the Carmite family group. 7 These were the family groups of Reuben. The total number of men was 43,730.
8 The son of Pallu was Eliab. 9 Eliab’s sons were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were the leaders who turned against Moses and Aaron. They followed Korah when he turned against the Lord. 10 The earth opened up and swallowed them and Korah. They died when the fire burned up the 250 men. This was a warning. 11 But the children of Korah did not die.
12 These were the family groups in the tribe of Simeon. From Nemuel came the Nemuelite family group. From Jamin came the Jaminite family group. From Jakin came the Jakinite family group. 13 From Zerah came the Zerahite family group. From Shaul came the Shaulite family group. 14 These were the family groups of Simeon. The total number of men was 22,200.
15 These were the family groups in the tribe of Gad. From Zephon came the Zephonite family group. From Haggi came the Haggite family group. From Shuni came the Shunite family group. 16 From Ozni came the Oznite family group. From Eri came the Erite family group. 17 From Arodi came the Arodite family group. From Areli came the Arelite family group. 18 These were the family groups of Gad. The total number of men was 40,500.
19 Two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan.
20 These were the family groups in the tribe of Judah. From Shelah came the Shelanite family group. From Perez came the Perezite family group. From Zerah came the Zerahite family group. 21 These were the family groups from Perez. From Hezron came the Hezronite family group. From Hamul came the Hamulite family group. 22 These were the family groups of Judah. The total number of men was 76,500.
23 These were the family groups in the tribe of Issachar. From Tola came the Tolaite family group. From Puah came the Puite family group. 24 From Jashub came the Jashubite family group. From Shimron came the Shimronite family group. 25 These were the family groups of Issachar. The total number of men was 64,300.
26 These were the family groups in the tribe of Zebulun. From Sered came the Seredite family group. From Elon came the Elonite family group. From Jahleel came the Jahleelite family group. 27 These were the family groups of Zebulun. The total number of men was 60,500.
28 These were the family groups of Joseph through Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 These were the family groups of Manasseh. From Makir came the Makirite family group. (Makir was the father of Gilead.) From Gilead came the Gileadite family group. 30 These were the family groups that came from Gilead. From Iezer came the Iezerite family group. From Helek came the Helekite family group. 31 From Asriel came the Asrielite family group. From Shechem came the Shechemite family group. 32 From Shemida came the Shemidaite family group. From Hepher came the Hepherite family group. 33 (Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons. He had only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.) 34 These were the family groups of Manasseh. The total number of men was 52,700.
35 These were the family groups in the tribe of Ephraim. From Shuthelah came the Shuthelahite family group. From Beker came the Bekerite family group. From Tahan came the Tahanite family group. 36 This was the family group from Shuthelah. From Eran came the Eranite family group. 37 These were the family groups of Ephraim. The total number of men was 32,500. These are the family groups that came from Joseph.
38 These were the family groups in the tribe of Benjamin. From Bela came the Belaite family group. From Ashbel came the Ashbelite family group. From Ahiram came the Ahiramite family group. 39 From Shupham came the Shuphamite family group. From Hupham came the Huphamite family group. 40 These were the family groups from Bela through Ard and Naaman. From Ard came the Ardite family group. From Naaman came the Naamite family group. 41 These were the family groups of Benjamin. The total number of men was 45,600.
42 This was the family group in the tribe of Dan. From Shuham came the Shuhamite family group. That was the family of Dan. 43 The total number of men in the Shuhamite family group of Dan was 64,400.
44 These were the family groups in the tribe of Asher. From Imnah came the Imnite family group. From Ishvi came the Ishvite family group. From Beriah came the Beriite family group. 45 These were the family groups that came from Beriah. From Heber came the Heberite family group. From Malkiel came the Malkielite family group. 46 (Asher also had a daughter named Serah.) 47 These were the family groups of Asher. The total number of men was 53,400.
48 These were the family groups in the tribe of Naphtali. From Jahzeel came the Jahzeelite family group. From Guni came the Gunite family group. 49 From Jezer came the Jezerite family group. From Shillem came the Shillemite family group. 50 These were the family groups of Naphtali. The total number of men was 45,400.
51 So the total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.
52 The Lord said to Moses, 53 “Divide the land among these people by the number of names. 54 A large tribe will get more land. And a small tribe will get less land. The amount of land each tribe gets will depend on the number of its people. 55 Divide the land by drawing lots. And the land each tribe gets will be named for that tribe. 56 Divide the land by drawing lots. Divide it between large and small groups.”
57 The tribe of Levi was also counted. These were the family groups of Levi. From Gershon came the Gershonite family group. From Kohath came the Kohathite family group. From Merari came the Merarite family group. 58 These also were Levite family groups: the Libnite family group, the Hebronite family group, the Mahlite family group, the Mushite family group and the Korahite family group. (Kohath was the ancestor of Amram. 59 Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was from the tribe of Levi. She was born in Egypt. She and Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died. They died because they made an offering before the Lord with the wrong kind of fire.)
62 The total number of male Levites one month old or older was 23,000. But these men were not counted with the other Israelites. They did not receive any of the land that the Lord gave the other Israelites.
63 Moses and Eleazar the priest counted all these people. They counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. 64 Moses and Aaron the priest had counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. But no one Moses counted on the plains of Moab was in the first counting. 65 The Lord had told the Israelites they would all die in the desert. The only two left were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Zelophehad’s Daughters
27 Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. Hepher was the son of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Makir. Makir was the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad’s daughters belonged to the family groups of Manasseh son of Joseph. The daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 2 They went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. There they stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and all the people. They said, 3 “Our father died in the desert. He was not one of Korah’s followers who came against the Lord. Our father died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. 4 Our father’s name will die out because he had no sons. Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case to the Lord. 6 The Lord said to him, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. They should get what their father owned. Give them property among their father’s relatives.
8 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then everything he owned should go to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then everything he owned should go to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then everything he owned should go to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father had no brothers, then everything he owned should go to the nearest relative in his family group. This should be a rule among the people of Israel as the Lord has given this command to Moses.’”
Joshua Is the New Leader
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Climb this mountain in the Abarim Mountains. Look at the land I have given to the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you will die as your brother Aaron did. 14 You both acted against my command in the Desert of Zin. You did not honor me as holy before the people at the waters of Meribah.” (This was at Meribah in Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “The Lord is the God of the spirits of all people. May he choose a good leader for these people. 17 He must go in and out before them. He must lead them out like sheep and bring them in. The Lord’s people must not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun. My Spirit is in him. Put your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. Then give him his orders as they watch. 20 Let him share your honor. Then all the Israelites will obey him. 21 He must stand before Eleazar the priest. And Eleazar will get advice from the Lord by using the Urim. At his command all the Israelites will go out. At his command they will all come in.”
22 Moses did what the Lord told him. Moses had Joshua stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. 23 Then Moses put his hands on him and gave him orders. This was just as the Lord had told him.
Daily Offerings
28 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give this command to the Israelites. Tell them: ‘Bring me food offerings made by fire. The smell is pleasing to me. Be sure to bring them at the right time.’ 3 Say to them: ‘These are the offerings you must bring to the Lord. Bring two year-old lambs as a burnt offering each day. They must have nothing wrong with them. 4 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at twilight. 5 Also bring a grain offering of two quarts of fine flour. It must be mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives. 6 This is the daily burnt offering which began at Mount Sinai. The smell is pleasing to the Lord. 7 Offer one quart of wine with each lamb as a drink offering. Pour it out to the Lord at the Holy Place. 8 Offer the second lamb at twilight. As in the morning, also give a grain offering and a drink offering. This offering is made by fire. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
Sabbath Offerings
9 “‘On the Sabbath day you must give two year-old lambs. They must have nothing wrong with them. Also give a drink offering and a grain offering. The grain offering must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 10 This is the burnt offering for the Sabbath. It is in addition to the daily burnt offering and drink offering.
Monthly Offerings
11 “‘On the first day of each month bring a burnt offering to the Lord. This will be two young bulls, one male sheep and seven male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 12 Give a grain offering with each bull. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. Also give a grain offering with the male sheep. It must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 13 Also give a grain offering with each lamb. It must be two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering. And its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 14 The drink offering with each bull will be two quarts of wine. With the male sheep it will be one and one-half quarts. And with each lamb it will be one quart of wine. This is the burnt offering that must be offered each month of the year. 15 Besides the daily burnt offerings and drink offerings, bring a sin offering to the Lord. It must be one male goat.
Passover
16 “‘The Lord’s Passover will be on the fourteenth day of the first month. 17 The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the fifteenth day of that month. It lasts for seven days. You may eat only bread made without yeast. 18 Have a holy meeting on the first day of the festival. Don’t work that day. 19 Bring these burnt offerings to the Lord: two young bulls, one male sheep and seven male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 20 Also give a grain offering with each bull. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. Give a grain offering with the male sheep. It must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. 21 Give a grain offering with each of the seven lambs. It must be two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. 22 Bring one goat as a sin offering. It will remove your sins so you will belong to God. 23 Bring these offerings in addition to the burnt offerings you give every morning. 24 So bring food offerings each day for seven days. The offering is made by fire. And its smell is pleasing to the Lord. Do it in addition to the daily burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day have a holy meeting. Don’t work that day.
Feast of Weeks
26 “‘On the day of firstfruits offer new grain to the Lord. This is during the Feast of Weeks. Have a holy meeting. Don’t work that day. 27 Give this burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one male sheep and seven male lambs a year old. This smell is pleasing to the Lord. 28 Also give a grain offering with each bull. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep, it must be four quarts of flour. 29 With each of the seven lambs offer two quarts of flour. 30 Offer one male goat to remove your sins so you will belong to God. 31 Bring these offerings and their drink offerings. These are in addition to the daily burnt offering and its grain offering. The animals must have nothing wrong with them.
Feast of Trumpets
29 “‘Have a holy meeting on the first day of the seventh month. Don’t work on that day. That is the day you blow the trumpets. 2 Bring these burnt offerings to the Lord: one young bull, one male sheep and seven male year-old lambs. They all must have nothing wrong with them. Their smell will be pleasing to the Lord. 3 Give a grain offering with the bull. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep offer four quarts. 4 And with each of the seven lambs offer two quarts. 5 Offer one male goat for a sin offering. It will remove your sins so you will belong to God. 6 These offerings are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings. Their grain offerings and drink offerings must be done as you have been told. These offerings are made by fire to the Lord. And their smell is pleasing to him.
The Day of Cleansing
7 “‘Have a holy meeting on the tenth day of the seventh month. On that day do not eat and do not work. 8 Bring these burnt offerings to the Lord: one young bull, one male sheep and seven male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. The smell will be pleasing to the Lord. 9 Give a grain offering with the bull. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep it must be four quarts. 10 And with each of the seven lambs it must be two quarts. 11 Offer one male goat as a sin offering. This will be in addition to the sin offering which removes your sins. It will also be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and the drink offerings.
Feast of Shelters
12 “‘Have a holy meeting on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Do not work on that day. Celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days. 13 Give these burnt offerings to the Lord: 13 young bulls, 2 male sheep and 14 male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. The smell is pleasing to the Lord. 14 Also offer a grain offering with each of the 13 bulls. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With each of the 2 male sheep it must be four quarts. 15 And with each of the 14 lambs it must be two quarts. 16 Offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
17 “‘On the second day of this festival give an offering. Offer 12 bulls, 2 male sheep and 14 male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 18 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep and lambs. 19 Offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
20 “‘On the third day offer 11 bulls, 2 male sheep and 14 male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 21 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep and lambs. 22 Offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
23 “‘On the fourth day offer 10 bulls, 2 male sheep and 14 male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 24 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep and lambs. 25 Offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
26 “‘On the fifth day offer 9 bulls, 2 male sheep and 14 male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 27 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep and lambs. 28 Offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
29 “‘On the sixth day offer 8 bulls, 2 male sheep and 14 male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 30 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep and lambs. 31 Offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
32 “‘On the seventh day offer 7 bulls, 2 male sheep and 14 male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 33 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep and lambs. 34 Offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
35 “‘On the eighth day have a closing meeting. Do not work on that day. 36 Bring a burnt offering. Its smell will be pleasing to the Lord. Offer 1 bull, 1 male sheep and 7 male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 37 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bull, male sheep and lambs. 38 Offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
39 “‘At your festivals you should bring these to the Lord: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings. These are in addition to other promised offerings and special gifts you want to give to the Lord.’”
40 Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him.
Special Promises
30 Moses spoke with the leaders of the Israelite tribes. He told them these commands from the Lord.
2 “A person might make a promise to the Lord. He might promise to do something special. If he does, he must keep his promise. He must do what he said. 3 A young woman still living at home might make a promise to the Lord. She might pledge to do something special. 4 Her father might hear about the promise or pledge and say nothing. Then she must do what she promised. She must keep her pledge. 5 But when her father hears about the promise or pledge, he might not allow it. Then the promise or pledge does not have to be kept. Her father would not allow them. So the Lord will free her from her promise.
6 “A woman might make a pledge or a careless promise and then get married. 7 Her husband might hear about it and say nothing. Then she must keep her promise or the pledge she made. 8 But when her husband hears about it, he might not allow it. He cancels her pledge or the careless promise she made. The Lord will free her from keeping it.
9 “A widow or divorced woman might make a promise. She must do whatever she promised.
10 “A woman might make a promise or pledge while she was married. 11 When her husband hears about it, he might say nothing. He might not stop her. Then she must keep her promise or pledge. 12 But when her husband hears about it, he might cancel it. Then she does not have to do what she said. Her husband has canceled it. The Lord will free her from it. 13 A woman’s husband may make her keep or cancel any promise or pledge she has made. 14 But her husband might say nothing to her about it for several days. Then she must keep her promises. If he hears about them and says nothing, she must keep her promises. 15 But he might cancel them long after he heard about them. Then he is responsible if she breaks her promise.”
16 These are commands that the Lord gave to Moses. They are for husbands and wives. And they are for fathers with daughters living at home.
Israel Attacks the Midianites
31 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Pay back the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites. After that you will die.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “Get some men ready for war. The Lord will use them to pay back the Midianites. 4 Send to war 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5 So 12,000 men got ready for war. There were 1,000 men from each tribe. 6 Moses sent those 1,000 men from each tribe to war. Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the holy things and the trumpets. 7 They fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded Moses. And they killed every Midianite man. 8 Among those they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba. They were the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword.
9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children. They also took all their flocks, herds and goods. 10 Then they burned all the Midianite towns and camps. 11 They took all the people and animals and goods. 12 Then they went back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the Israelites. They brought back the captives, the animals and the goods. The camp was on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River. This was across from Jericho.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the people went outside the camp to meet them. 14 Moses was angry with the army officers who returned from war. He was angry with those commanders over 1,000 men and those over 100 men.
15 He asked them, “Why did you let the women live? 16 They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice. They turned the Israelites from the Lord at Peor. Then a terrible sickness struck the Lord’s people. 17 Kill all the Midianite boys. Kill all the Midianite women who have had physical relations. 18 But save the girls for yourselves who are virgins.
19 “All you men who killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days you and your captives must make yourselves clean. 20 You must clean all your clothes. And you must clean anything made of leather, wool or wood.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest spoke to the soldiers who had gone to war. He said, “These are the teachings that the Lord gave to Moses. 22 Put any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin or lead into the fire. 23 Put into the fire anything that will not burn. Then wash those things with the cleansing water. Then they will be clean. If something cannot stand the fire, wash it with the water. 24 On the seventh day wash your clothes. Then you will be clean. After that you may come into the camp.”
Dividing the Goods
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “You, Eleazar the priest and the leaders should take a count. Count the goods, the men and the animals that were taken. 27 Then divide those things between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the people. 28 Tax the soldiers who went to war. The Lord’s share is 1 thing out of every 500 things. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep or goats. 29 Take it from the soldiers’ half. And give it to Eleazar the priest. It is the Lord’s share. 30 And from the people’s half, take 1 thing out of every 50. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats or other animals. Give that to the Levites. They take care of the Lord’s Holy Tent.” 31 So Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32 There remained from what the soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys 35 and 32,000 women. These were the women who were virgins. 36 The soldiers who went to war got 337,500 sheep. 37 They gave 675 of the sheep to the Lord. 38 They got 36,000 cattle. They gave 72 of them to the Lord. 39 They got 30,500 donkeys. They gave 61 of them to the Lord. 40 They got 16,000 people. And they gave 32 of them to the Lord. 41 Moses gave the Lord’s share to Eleazar the priest. This was what the Lord had commanded him.
42 Moses separated the people’s half from the soldiers’ half. 43 The people got 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys 46 and 16,000 people. 47 From the people’s half Moses took 1 thing out of every 50 for the Lord. This included the animals and the people. Then he gave them to the Levites. They took care of the Lord’s Holy Tent. This was what the Lord had commanded Moses.
48 Then the officers of the army came to Moses. They were the commanders of 1,000 men and commanders of 100 men. 49 They told Moses, “We, your servants, have counted our soldiers under our command. Not one of them is missing. 50 So we have brought the Lord a gift. We have brought the gold things that each of us found: arm bands, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces. These are to remove our sins so we will belong to the Lord.”
51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold things from them. 52 The commanders of 1,000 men and the commanders of 100 men gave the Lord the gold. All of it together weighed about 420 pounds. 53 Each soldier had taken something for himself. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of 1,000 men and the commanders of 100 men. Then they put it in the Meeting Tent. It was a memorial before the Lord for the people of Israel.
The Tribes East of the Jordan
32 The people of Reuben and Gad had many cattle. They saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were good for cattle. 2 So they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the people. 3-4 They said, “We, your servants, have many cattle. The Lord has captured for the Israelites a land that is good for cattle. This is the land around Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon. 5 If it pleases you, we would like this land to be given to us. Don’t make us cross the Jordan River.”
6 Moses told the people of Gad and Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to war while you stay behind? 7 You will discourage the Israelites. They will not want to go over to the land the Lord has given them. 8 Your ancestors did the same thing. From Kadesh Barnea I sent them to look at the land. 9 They went as far as the Valley of Eshcol. They saw the land. And they discouraged the Israelites from going into the land the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord became very angry that day. He made this promise: 11 ‘None of the people who came from Egypt and who are 20 years old or older will see this land. I promised it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But these people have not followed me completely. 12 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun followed the Lord completely.’
13 “The Lord was very angry with Israel. So he made them wander in the desert for 40 years. Finally all the people who had sinned against him had died. 14 And now you are acting just like your fathers! You sinful people are making the Lord even more angry with Israel. 15 If you quit following the Lord, it will add to their stay in the desert. So you will destroy all these people.”
16 But the Reubenites and Gadites came up to Moses. They said, “We will build pens for our animals. And we will build cities for our wives and children here. 17 Then our families will be in strong, walled cities. They will be safe from the people who live in this land. Then we will prepare for war. We will help the other Israelites get their land. 18 We will not return home until every Israelite has received his land. 19 We won’t take any of the land west of the Jordan River. Our part of the land is east of the Jordan.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.