Bible in 90 Days
15 “Make the Levites pure [C in a ritual sense], and ·present [elevate] 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 [L sons/T children of Israel]; I have taken them for myself instead of ·the firstborn of every Israelite woman [L those who open the womb, the firstborn of all the sons/T children of Israel]. 17 All the firstborn ·in Israel—people or animals[—L among the sons/T children of Israel and among people and among animals] are mine. When I ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn in Egypt [Ex. 12:12–13], I ·set the firstborn in Israel aside for myself [L consecrated/sanctified them to me; Ex. 13:2, 11–16; 22:29–30; 34:19–20]. 18 But I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn ·in Israel [L among the sons/T children of Israel]. 19 From all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] 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 [L make atonement for the sons/T children of Israel] and so that no ·disaster [plague] will strike the Israelites when they approach the ·Holy Place [Tabernacle].”
20 So Moses, Aaron, and all the ·Israelites [L community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] obeyed and did with the Levites what the Lord commanded Moses. 21 The Levites made themselves clean from sin and washed their clothes. Then Aaron ·presented [elevated] them as an offering to the Lord. He also ·removed their sins [made atonement for them] so they would be pure [C in a ritual sense]. 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 [serve; minister to] 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 [Wilderness] of Sinai in the first month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt [1:1]. He said, 2 “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to celebrate the Passover at the appointed time [Ex. 12:14–20; C commemorating the departure from Egypt]. 3 That appointed time is the fourteenth day of this month ·at twilight [L between the two evenings]; they must obey all the rules about it.”
4 So Moses told the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to celebrate the Passover, 5 and they did; it was in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai ·at twilight [L between the two evenings] on the fourteenth day of the first month. The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] 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 [C in a ritual sense; 5:2] 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 [L sons/T children of Israel]?”
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 [L sons/T children of Israel] this: ‘If you or your descendants become unclean [C in a ritual sense] 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 [L between the two evenings] on the fourteenth day of the second month. Eat the lamb with bitter herbs [Ex. 12:8] and bread made without ·yeast [leaven]. 12 Don’t leave any of it until the next morning or break any of its bones [Ex. 12:46]. When you celebrate the Passover, follow all the rules [2 Chr. 30:1–27]. 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 [Resident aliens] among you may celebrate the Lord’s Passover, but they must follow all the rules. You must have the same rules for ·foreigners [resident aliens] as you have for ·yourselves [L natives; citizens].’”
The Cloud Above the Tent
15 On the day the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Tent of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant], was set up, a cloud covered it. From dusk until dawn the cloud above the ·Tent [Tabernacle] looked like fire [Ex. 40:34–38]. 16 The cloud stayed above the ·Tent [Tabernacle], and at night it looked like fire. 17 When the cloud moved from its place over the Tent, the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] moved, and wherever the cloud stopped, the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] camped. 18 So the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] moved at the Lord’s command, and they camped at his command. While the cloud stayed over the ·Tent [Tabernacle], they remained camped. 19 Sometimes the cloud stayed over the ·Tent [Tabernacle] for a long time, but the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] 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 [Tabernacle] 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 [community; congregation; assembly] together and to march out of camp. 3 When both trumpets are blown, the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] 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 [clans] of Israel, should meet before you. 5 When you loudly blow the trumpets, the ·tribes [L camps] camping on the east should move. 6 When you loudly blow them again, the ·tribes [L camps] 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 [perpetual/eternal regulation] for you and your descendants ·from now on [throughout your generations]. 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 [remember] 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 [29:6; 1 Sam. 20:5; 2 Kin. 4:23; Ezra 3:5; Ps. 81:3; Is. 1:13; Amos 8:5]. Blow them over your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1], 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 [Tabernacle] of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant] on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. 12 So the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] moved from the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai and continued until the cloud stopped in the ·Desert [Wilderness] 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 [L the sons/descendants of Judah] moved first under their ·flag [banner]. Nahshon son of Amminadab was the commander. 15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of ·Issachar [L the sons/descendants of Issachar]. 16 Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of ·Zebulun [L the sons/descendants of Zebulun]. 17 Then the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] was taken down, and the ·Gershonites [L sons/descendants of Gershon; 3:18, 21–26; 4:21–28] and ·Merarites [L sons/descendants of Merari; 3:20, 33–37; 4:29–33], who carried it, moved next.
18 Then came the divisions from the camp of Reuben under their ·flag [banner], and Elizur son of Shedeur was the commander. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of ·Simeon [L the sons/descendants of Simeon]. 20 Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad. 21 Then came the Kohathites [3:19, 27–32; 4:1–20], who carried the holy things; the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] was to be set up before they arrived.
22 Next came the divisions from the camp of ·Ephraim [L the sons/descendants of Ephraim] under their ·flag [banner], and Elishama son of Ammihud was the commander. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of ·Manasseh [L the sons/descendants of Manasseh], 24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of ·Benjamin [L the sons/descendants of Benjamin].
25 The last ones were the rear guard for all the tribes. These were the divisions from the camp of ·Dan [L the sons/descendants 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 [L the sons/descendants of Asher]; 27 Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of ·Naphtali [L the sons/descendants of Naphtali]. 28 This was the order the Israelite divisions marched in when they moved.
29 Hobab was the son of Reuel the Midianite, who was Moses’ father-in-law [C also called Jethro; Ex. 2:16]. 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 [abandon; forsake] us. You know where we can camp in the ·desert [wilderness], and you can be our ·guide [L eyes]. 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 [C Mount Sinai] and traveled for three days. The Ark of the Lord’s ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] went in front of the people for those three days, as they looked for a ·place to camp [resting place]. 34 The Lord’s cloud [C symbolic of God’s presence] was over them during the day when they left their camp.
35 When the Ark left the camp, Moses said,
“Rise up, Lord!
Scatter your enemies:
make those who hate you run from you [C the wilderness journey was seen as a march into battle].”
36 And when the Ark ·was set down [came to rest], Moses said,
“Return, Lord,
to the thousands of people of Israel.”
Fire from the Lord
11 Now the people complained ·to [L in the ears of] 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 [L on the outskirts] 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 “Burning”; Deut. 9:22], because the Lord’s fire had burned among them.
Seventy Elders Help Moses
4 Some ·troublemakers [rabble; foreign elements] among them wanted better food, and soon all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] began ·complaining [L weeping]. 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 [or vitality; strength]; we never see anything but this manna [Ex. 16:1–36]!”
7 The manna was like ·small white seeds [L coriander seed and its color was like bdellium/gum resin]. 8 The people would go to gather it, and then grind it in handmills, or crush it ·between stones [with mortars]. After they ·cooked [or boiled] it in a pot or made cakes with it, it tasted like ·bread [cakes] baked with olive oil. 9 When the dew fell on the camp each night, so did the manna.
10 Moses heard every ·family [clan] ·crying [weeping] as they stood in the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and ·Moses got upset [L it was bad in the eyes of Moses]. 11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought me, your servant, this trouble? ·What have I done wrong [L Why have I not found favor in your eyes] that you ·made me responsible [L set the burden on me] for all these people? 12 ·I am not the father of [L Did I conceive/Am I the mother of] all these people, and ·I didn’t [L did I…?] 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 [L bosom] 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 [difficult; L heavy] for me. 15 If you are going to continue doing this to me, then kill me now. If ·you care about me [L I have found favor in your eyes], put me to death, and ·then I won’t have [L do not let me see] any more troubles.”
16 The Lord said to Moses, “·Bring [L Gather for] 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 [C that enables Moses to do his work] that is in you, and I will ·give it to [or put it on] them. They will ·help you care for the people [L bear the burden of the people with you] so that you will not have to ·care for them [L bear it] alone.
18 “Tell the people this: ‘·Make yourselves holy [Consecrate yourselves; C in a ritual sense] for tomorrow, and you will eat meat. You cried ·to the [L in the ears of the] Lord, “·We want meat [L If only we had meat to eat]! 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 [loathe] 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 [L on foot] around me, and you say, ‘I will give them enough meat to eat for a month!’ 22 If we ·killed [slaughtered] all the flocks and herds, ·that would not be [L would there be…?] enough. If we caught all the fish in the sea, ·that would not be [L would there be…?] enough.”
23 But the Lord said to Moses, “·Do you think I’m weak [L Is the hand of the Lord too short]? Now you will see if ·I can do what I say [L the words I spoke to you come true or not].”
24 So Moses went out to the people and told them ·what the Lord had said [L the words of the Lord]. He gathered seventy of the elders together and had them stand around the Tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud [C representing God’s presence] and spoke to Moses. The Lord took some of the Spirit Moses had, and he ·gave it to [or put it on] the seventy leaders. ·With the Spirit in [L When the Spirit rested on] them, they prophesied, but just that one time [C as evidence that they had the Spirit; 1 Sam. 10:6–13; 19:18–24].
26 Two men named Eldad and Medad were also ·listed as leaders [L registered; enrolled], but they did not go to the Tent. They stayed in the camp, but the Spirit was also ·given to [or rested on] 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 [lord], stop them!” (·Ever since he was a young boy [or One of his chosen men], Joshua ·had been [or was] Moses’ assistant [Ex. 17:8; 24:13; 32:17; 33:7–11].)
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 [Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:16–21; 1 Cor. 12:27–31; 14:1–5]!” 30 Then Moses and the leaders of Israel went back to the camp.
The Lord Sends Quail
31 ·The Lord sent a strong wind [L Then a wind went out from the Lord] from the sea, and it blew quail into the area all around the camp. The quail were about ·three feet [L two cubits] deep on the ground, and there were quail a day’s walk in any direction [Ex. 16:13; Ps. 78:26–31]. 32 The people went out and gathered quail all that day, that night, and the next day. Everyone gathered at least ·sixty bushels [L ten homers], and they spread them around the camp. 33 But the Lord became very angry, and he ·gave the people a terrible sickness [L struck the people with a terrible plague] that came while the meat was still ·in their mouths [L between their teeth]. 34 So the people named that place Kibroth Hattaavah [C Graves of Wanting/Craving], because there they buried those who ·wanted [craved] other food.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people went to stay at Hazeroth.
Miriam and Aaron Speak Against Moses
12 Miriam [Ex. 15:20] and Aaron [C Moses’ sister and brother] began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite [C perhaps Zipporah (Hab. 3:7), but more likely an Ethiopian]). 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 [or devout]. He was the ·least proud [L most humble; or most devout] 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 [C representing his presence; Ex. 13:21] 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:
When prophets are among you,
I, the Lord, ·will show myself [make myself known] to them in visions;
I will speak to them in dreams [C indirectly].
7 But this is not true with my servant Moses.
I trust him to lead all my ·people [L house].
8 I speak face to face with him—
clearly, not with hidden meanings [C directly].
He has even seen the form of the Lord [Heb. 3:1–6].
·You should be [L Why are you not…?] afraid
to speak against my servant Moses.”
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 [C rendering her ritually unclean; Num. 5:2; Lev. 13:2]. 11 Aaron said to Moses, “Please, my ·master [lord], ·forgive us for our foolish sin [do not punish us for our foolish sin; L do not lay sin on us that we foolishly committed]. 12 Don’t let her be like a baby who is ·born dead [stillborn]. (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 [L would she not…?] have been shamed for seven days, so ·put her [she was shut] outside the camp for seven days. After that, she may come back.” 15 So Miriam was ·put [shut] 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 [Wilderness] of Paran.
The Spies Explore Canaan
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send men to ·explore [spy on] the land of Canaan, which I will give to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Send one leader from each tribe [Deut. 1:19–46].”
3 So Moses obeyed the Lord’s command and sent the ·Israelite leaders [L leaders of the sons/T children of Israel] out from the ·Desert [Wilderness] 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 [spy on] Canaan and said, “Go through ·southern Canaan [the Negev] 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 [unwalled], or do they have walls? 20 What about the soil? Is it ·fertile [rich] or poor? ·Are there trees there [L Does it have trees or not]? ·Try to [or Be courageous and] bring back some of the fruit from that land.” (It was the season for the first grapes.)
21 So they went up and ·explored [spied on] the land, from the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Zin all the way to Rehob by Lebo Hamath. 22 They went through the ·southern area [Negev] to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai [Josh. 15:14; Judg. 1:10; 1 Chr. 9:17], the descendants of Anak lived [Deut. 1:28; 2:10–11, 21; 9:2; Josh. 11:21–22]. (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 [C “Bunch”], because the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] cut off the bunch of grapes there. 25 After forty days of ·exploring [spying on] the land, the men returned to the camp.
26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and all the ·Israelites [L community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] at Kadesh, in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Paran. The men reported to them and showed ·everybody [L all the community/congregation/assembly] the fruit from the land. 27 They ·told [reported to] Moses, “We went to the land where you sent us, and it is a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8]! 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 [Negev; Ex. 17:8–16]; the Hittites, Jebusites [C inhabitants in and around Jerusalem], 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 [L sons/T children of Israel] a bad report about the land they ·explored [spied on], saying, “The land that we ·explored [spied on] ·is too large to conquer [L devours its inhabitants]. All the people we saw are very tall. 33 We saw the Nephilim people there [C perhaps named for the pre-flood people mentioned in Gen. 6:4]. (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 [community; congregation; assembly] in the camp began crying loudly. 2 All the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] ·complained [grumbled] against Moses and Aaron, and all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] said to them, “We wish we had died in Egypt or in this ·desert [wilderness]. 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land to ·be killed with [L make us fall by] swords? Our wives and children will be ·taken away [war plunder]. 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 [L fell] facedown in front of all the ·Israelites [L assembly/crowd of the community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who had ·explored [spied on] the land, tore their clothes [C ritual of grief]. 7 They said to all of the ·Israelites [L community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel], “The land we ·explored [spied on] is very good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land and give us that ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8]. 9 Don’t ·turn [rebel] 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 [community; congregation; assembly] talked about ·killing them with stones [stoning them]. But the glory of the Lord [C representing his manifest presence] appeared at the Meeting Tent to all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people ·ignore [despise] me? How long will they not believe me in spite of the ·miracles [signs] I have done among them? 12 I will ·give them a terrible sickness [L strike them with disease/pestilence] and ·get rid of [disinherit; dispossess] them. But I will make you into a great nation that will be stronger than they are [Ex. 32:10].”
13 Then Moses said to the Lord, “The Egyptians will hear about it! You brought these people from there by your great power [Ex. 12–15], 14 and the Egyptians will tell this to those who live in this land [C Canaan]. 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 [C representing God’s presence] stays over your people and that you lead your people with that cloud during the day and with fire at night [Ex. 13:20–22]. 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 [swore to] them. So he ·killed [slaughtered] them in the ·desert [wilderness].’
17 “So show your strength now, Lord. Do what you said: 18 ‘The Lord ·doesn’t become angry quickly [is slow to anger], but he has great ·love [covenant love; loyalty; Ex. 34:6; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Nah. 1:3]. He forgives sin and ·law breaking [transgression]. But the Lord never forgets to punish guilty people. ·When parents sin, he will also punish [L He visits the sin/iniquity/guilt of the fathers on] their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren [Ex. 20:5–6].’ 19 By your great ·love [covenant love; loyalty], 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 [signs] I did in Egypt and in the ·desert [wilderness], but they ·disobeyed me [L did not listen to my voice] and tested me ten times [C symbolic for many times]. 23 So not one of them will see the land I ·promised [swore to give] to their ancestors. No one who ·rejected [despised] me will see that land. 24 But my servant Caleb ·thinks differently [L has a different spirit] and follows me completely. So I will bring him into the land he has already seen, and his ·children [seed] will ·own [possess] that land [Josh. 15:13–19; Judg. 1:9–15]. 25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, leave tomorrow and follow the ·desert [Wilderness] road toward the ·Red [or Reed; Ex. 10:19] Sea.”
The Lord Punishes the People
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long will these evil ·people [community; congregation; assembly] ·complain [grumble] about me? I have heard the ·complaining [grumbling] of these ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. 28 So tell them, ‘This is ·what the Lord says [L the utterance/decree of the Lord]. I heard what you said, and as surely as I live, I will do those very things to you: 29 ·You will die [L Your dead bodies will fall] in this ·desert [wilderness]. Every one of you who is twenty years old or older [C of military age] and who was counted with the people [1:1–54]—all of you who ·complained [grumbled] against me—will die. 30 Not one of you will enter the land where I ·promised [L lifted my hand; C as when swearing an oath] 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 [war plunder], but I will bring them into the land to enjoy what you refused. 32 As for you, ·you will die [L your bodies will fall] in this ·desert [wilderness]. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years. Because you were ·not loyal [unfaithful; C the term suggests sexual unfaithfulness as a metaphor of spiritual unfaithfulness], they will suffer until ·you lie dead [the last of your bodies lie] in the ·desert [wilderness]. 34 For forty years you will suffer for your sins—a year for each of the forty days you ·explored [spied on] 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 [this evil community/congregation/assembly] who have come together against me. So they will all die here in this ·desert [wilderness].”
36 The men Moses had sent to ·explore [spy on] the land had returned and ·spread complaints [grumbled] among all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly]. 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 [plague]. 38 Only two of the men who ·explored [spied on] the land did not die—Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh.
39 When Moses told these things to all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], they ·were very sad [mourned greatly]. 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 [transgressing] the Lord’s command? You will not ·win [succeed]! 42 Don’t go, because the Lord is not with you and you will be ·beaten [struck down] by your enemies. 43 You will run into the Amalekites and Canaanites, who will ·kill [L fell] you with swords. You have turned away from the Lord, so the Lord will not be with you.”
44 But they were ·proud [presumptuous; reckless]. They went toward the top of the mountains, ·but [or even though] Moses and the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] 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 [L struck them down] and beat them back all the way to Hormah.
Rules About Sacrifices
15 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] 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 [Lev. 1:1–17] or sacrifices for ·special promises [a vow], or as gifts to him, or as festival offerings. 4 The one who brings the offering shall also give the Lord a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1]. It should be ·two quarts [L one-tenth of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with ·one quart [L one-fourth of a hin] of olive oil. 5 Each time you offer a lamb as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] or sacrifice, also prepare ·one quart [L one-fourth of a hin] of wine as a drink offering.
6 “‘If you are giving a ·male sheep [ram], also prepare a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] of ·four quarts [L two-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with ·one and one-fourth quarts [L one-third of a hin] of olive oil. 7 Also prepare ·one and one-fourth quarts [L one-third of a hin] 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 [Lev. 1:1–17] or sacrifice, whether it is for a ·special promise [vow] or a ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [Lev. 3:1] to the Lord, 9 bring a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with the bull. It should be ·six quarts [L three-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with ·two quarts [L half a hin] of olive oil. 10 Also bring ·two quarts [L half a hin] 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 [ram], lamb or young goat this way. 12 Do this for every one of the animals you bring.
13 “‘All ·citizens [natives] 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 [L Throughout your generations] if ·foreigners [resident aliens] 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 As for the ·people [community; congregation; assembly], the ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] is the same for you and for ·foreigners [resident aliens], and it will be ·from now on [a perpetual requirement]; you and the ·foreigners [resident aliens] are alike before the Lord. 16 The ·teachings [instructions; laws] and ·rules [regulations] are the same for you and for the ·foreigners [resident aliens] among you.’”
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]: ‘You are going to another land, where I am taking you. 19 When you eat the food there, ·offer [elevate] part of it to the Lord. 20 ·Offer [Elevate] a loaf of bread from the first of your ·grain [or dough], which will be your ·offering [elevation offering] from the threshing floor. 21 ·From now on [L Throughout your generations] ·offer [elevate] to the Lord the first part of your ·grain [or dough].
22 “‘Now what if you ·forget [unintentionally fail] to ·obey [do] 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 [commanded] you and will continue ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. 24 If the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] ·forget [unintentionally fail] to ·obey [do] one of these commands, all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] must offer a young bull as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17], a smell pleasing to the Lord. By law you must also give the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] and the drink offering with it, and you must bring a male goat as a ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] offering.
25 “‘The priest will ·remove that sin for all the Israelites so they will belong to the Lord [L atone for all the community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel]. They are forgiven, because they ·didn’t know they were sinning [sinned unintentionally]. For the unintentional wrong they did they brought offerings to the Lord, an offering by fire and a ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] offering. 26 So all of the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] of ·Israel [L the sons/T children of Israel] and the ·foreigners [resident aliens] living among them will be forgiven. ·No one meant to do wrong [They were all involved in unintentional sin].
27 “‘If just one person sins ·without meaning to [unintentionally], a year-old female goat must be brought for a ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] offering. 28 The priest will ·remove [atone for] the sin of the person who sinned ·accidentally [unintentionally]. He will ·remove it before the Lord [atone for him]; and the person will be forgiven. 29 The same ·teaching [instruction; law] is for everyone who sins ·accidentally [unintentionally]—for those ·born Israelites [natives] and for ·foreigners [resident aliens] living among you.
30 “‘But anyone who sins ·on purpose [L with a high hand; C knowingly] ·is against [insults] the Lord and must be cut off from the people, whether it is ·someone born among you [a native] or a ·foreigner [resident alien]. 31 That person has ·turned against [despised] the Lord’s word and has ·not obeyed [broken] 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 [L sons/T children of Israel] were still in the ·desert [wilderness], they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day [Gen. 2:2–3; Ex. 20:8–11; 35:2; Deut. 5:13–15]. 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 [community; congregation; assembly] must kill him by ·throwing stones at [stoning] him outside the camp.” 36 So all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] 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 [L sons/T children of Israel] and tell them this: ‘·Tie several pieces of thread together and attach them to [Make fringes/tassels on] the corners of your clothes. Put a blue thread ·in each one of these tassels [L on the fringe/tassel of each corner]. Wear them ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. 39 You will have these ·tassels [fringes] 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 [L follow after your own heart or your own eyes to be unfaithful/play the harlot after them]. 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 [Ex. 12–15]. 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 [26:9–11; 27:3; Ex. 6:21, 24], the son of Kohath, the son of Levi; Dathan and Abiram were brothers [Deut. 11:6; Ps. 106:17], the sons of Eliab; and On was the son of Peleth; Dathan, Abiram, and On were from the tribe of Reuben [Gen. 49:3–4].) 2 These men gathered two hundred fifty other ·Israelite men [L men of the sons/T children of Israel], ·well-known leaders [L men of name/reputation] chosen by the ·community [congregation; assembly], and ·challenged [confronted] Moses. 3 They ·came as a group to speak to [L assembled against] Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far. All the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them [Ex. 19:6]. So why do you put yourselves above all the ·people [assembly; crowd] of the Lord?”
4 When Moses heard this, he ·bowed facedown [L fell on his face]. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his ·followers [community; congregation; assembly]: “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 [community; congregation; assembly] do this: Get some ·pans for burning incense [censers; firepans]. 7 Tomorrow put fire and incense in them and take them before the Lord [Lev. 10:1–2]. He will choose the man who is holy. You ·Levites [L sons/descendants of Levi] have gone too far.”
8 Moses also said to Korah, “Listen, you ·Levites [L sons of Levi]. 9 The God of Israel has ·separated [divided] you from the rest of the ·Israelites [L community/congregation/assembly of Israel]. He brought you near to himself to do the work in the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and to stand before all the ·Israelites [community; congregation; assembly] and ·serve [minister to] them [8:14; Ex. 32:29; Lev. 8–9; Deut. 33:8–11]. ·Isn’t that enough [L Is it too little for you]? 10 He has brought you and all your ·fellow [brother] ·Levites [L sons of Levi] near to himself, yet now you ·want to be priests [L seek the priesthood]. 11 You and your ·followers [community; congregation; assembly] have joined together against the Lord. ·Your complaint is not against Aaron [L Who is Aaron that you complain/grumble against him?].”
12 Then Moses called Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! 13 Is it too little that you have brought us out of a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; C Egypt] to this ·desert [wilderness] to kill us? Now you want to ·order us around [lord it over us]. 14 You haven’t brought us into a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8]; you haven’t given us ·any land [L an inheritance] 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 [tribute]. 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 [community; congregation; assembly] must stand before the Lord tomorrow. And Aaron will stand there with you and them. 17 Each of you must take your ·pan [censer; firepan] and put incense in it; present these two hundred fifty ·pans [censers; firepans] before the Lord. You and Aaron must also present your ·pans [censers; firepans].” 18 So each man got his ·pan [censer; firepan] and put burning incense in it and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 19 Korah ·gathered [assembled] all his ·followers [community; congregation; assembly] who were against Moses and Aaron, and they stood at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. Then the glory of the Lord [C representing God’s manifest presence, often in the form of fire and smoke] appeared to everyone.
20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “·Move away [Separate/Divide yourselves] from these men so I can destroy them quickly.”
22 But Moses and Aaron ·bowed facedown [L fell on their faces] and cried out, “God, you are the God ·over [of] the spirits of all ·people [flesh; 27:16; Gen 2:7]. Please don’t be angry with this whole ·group [community; congregation; assembly]. Only one man has really sinned.”
23 Then the Lord said to Moses, 24 “Tell ·everyone [the community/congregation/assembly] to ·move away from [L go up from around] the ·tents [dwellings] 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 [Turn aside] from the tents of these evil men! Don’t touch anything of theirs, or you will be ·destroyed [swept away] because of their sins.” 27 So they ·moved away [went up] from the ·tents [dwellings] 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 [L from my heart/mind]. 29 If these men die a normal death—·the way men usually die [if a normal fate comes on them]—then the Lord did not really send me. 30 But if the Lord ·does [L creates] something new, you will know they have ·insulted [despised] the Lord. The ground will open and swallow them. They will be buried alive and will go to ·the place of the dead [L Sheol; C the grave or the underworld], 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 its mouth 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 [L Sheol ;C the grave or the underworld], and everything they owned went with them. Then the earth covered them. They ·died and were gone [perished] from the ·community [assembly; crowd]. 34 ·The people of [L All] Israel around them heard their screams and ran away, saying, “The earth will swallow us, too!”
35 Then a fire came ·down [or out] from the Lord and ·destroyed [consumed] the two hundred fifty men who had presented the incense [Lev. 10:1–2].
36 The Lord said to Moses, 37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take all the ·incense pans [censers; firepans] out of the ·fire [flames]. Have him scatter the ·coals [L fire] a long distance away. But the ·incense pans [censers; firepans] are still holy. 38 Take the ·pans [censers; firepans] 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 [L sons/T children of Israel].”
39 So Eleazar the priest gathered all the bronze ·pans [censers; firepans] that had been brought by the men who were burned up. He had the ·pans [censers; firepans] 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 [L the seed] of Aaron should burn incense before the Lord. Anyone else would die like Korah and his ·followers [community; congregation; assembly].
Aaron Saves the People
41 The next day all the ·Israelites [L community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] ·complained [grumbled] against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have killed the Lord’s people.”
42 When the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] ·gathered [assembled] to ·complain [grumble] against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Meeting Tent, and the cloud covered it. The glory of the Lord [C representing his manifest presence] 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 [this community/congregation/assembly] so I can ·destroy [consume] them quickly.” So Moses and Aaron ·bowed facedown [L fell on their faces].
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Get your ·pan [censer; firepan], and put fire from the altar and incense in it. Hurry to the people and ·remove their sin [make atonement for them]. The Lord is angry with them; the ·sickness [plague; pestilence] has already started.” 47 So Aaron did as Moses said. He ran to the middle of the ·people [assembly; crowd], where the ·sickness [plague; pestilence] had already started among them. So Aaron offered the incense to ·remove their sin [make atonement for them]. 48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the ·sickness [plague; pestilence] stopped there. 49 But 14,700 people died from that ·sickness [plague; pestilence], 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 [plague; pestilence] had been stopped.
Aaron’s Walking Stick Buds
17 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel and get twelve ·walking sticks [staffs] from them—one from the leader of each ·tribe [family group; L house of their fathers]. Write the name of each man on his ·stick [staff], and 3 on the ·stick [staff] from Levi, write Aaron’s name. There must be one ·stick [staff] for the head of each ·tribe [family; L house of their fathers]. 4 Put them in the Meeting Tent in front of the ·Ark of the Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; L Testimony; Ex. 25:10], where I meet with you. 5 I will choose one man whose ·walking stick [staff] will begin to grow leaves [C indicating God’s affirmation]; in this way I will stop the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] from always ·complaining [grumbling] against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Each of the twelve leaders gave him a ·walking stick [staff]—one from each ·tribe [family; L house of their fathers]—and Aaron’s ·walking stick [staff] was among them. 7 Moses put them before the Lord in the Tent of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant].
8 The next day, when Moses entered the Tent of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant], he saw that Aaron’s ·stick [staff] (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 [L sons/T children of Israel] all the ·walking sticks [staffs] from the Lord’s presence. They all looked, and each man took back his ·stick [staff].
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s ·walking stick [staff] back in front of the ·Ark of the Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; L Testimony; Ex. 25:10]. It will ·remind [L serve as a sign to] these people who are always turning against me to stop their ·complaining [grumbling] against me so they won’t die.” 11 So Moses obeyed what the Lord commanded him.
12 The ·people [L sons/T children] of Israel said to Moses, “We ·are going to die [will perish]! We are ·destroyed [lost]. We are all ·destroyed [lost]! 13 Anyone who even comes near the Holy Tent of the Lord will die. Will we all ·die [perish]?”
The Work of the Priests and Levites
18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your ·family [father’s house] 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 [brother] Levites from your tribe, and they will ·help [join; C the name Levi means “joined”] you and your sons serve in the Tent of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10]. 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 [stranger; outsider] 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 [L sons/T children of Israel] again. 6 I myself chose your ·fellow [brother] Levites from among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] 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 [L guard the priesthood]. 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 [any stranger/outsider] 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 [L sons/T children of Israel] give to me, I give to you and your sons as your share, your ·continual [perpetual] portion. 9 Your share of the ·holy offerings [L holy of the holy things] is that part which is not burned. When the people bring me gifts as ·most holy offerings [L holy of the holy things], whether they are ·grain [L gift; tribute; Lev. 2:1] or ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] or ·penalty [guilt; reparation; Lev. 5:14—6:7] offerings, they will be set apart for you and your sons. 10 You must eat the offering in ·a most holy place [L the holy of holy places]. Any male may eat it, but you must respect it as holy.
11 “I also give you the offerings the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] present to me. I give these to you and your sons and daughters as your ·continual [perpetual] share. Anyone in your ·family [L house] who is clean [C in a ritual sense] 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 [L they] 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 [L house] who is clean [C in a ritual sense] may eat these things.
14 “Everything in Israel that is ·given to the Lord [devoted; C set aside for God] is yours. 15 The ·first one born [L one that opens the womb] 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 [ransom; redeem] every firstborn child and every firstborn animal that is unclean [C in a ritual sense]. 16 When they are one month old, you ·must make a payment for [ransom; redeem] them of ·two ounces [L five shekels, that is twenty gerahs] of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure [3:40–50; Ex. 13:2, 11–16].
17 “But you must not ·make a payment for [ransom; redeem] the firstborn ox or sheep or goat. Those animals are holy. ·Sprinkle [Dash] their blood on the altar and ·burn [turn into smoke] 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 [L sons/T children of Israel] present as holy gifts I, the Lord, give to you, your sons and daughters as your ·continual [perpetual] portion. This is a lasting ·agreement [treaty; covenant] of salt [C representing perpetual agreement because salt can survive fire; Lev. 2:13] 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 [Gen. 49:5–7]. I will be yours. Out of all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], only you will inherit me.
21 “When the people of Israel give me a ·tenth [T tithe] of what they make, I will give that tenth to the ·Levites [L sons of Levi; Lev. 27:30–32; Deut. 12:17–19; 14:22–29]. This is their payment for the work they do serving at the Meeting Tent. 22 But the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] 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 [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement throughout your generations]. The Levites will not inherit any land among the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], 24 but when the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] give a ·tenth [T tithe] of everything they make to me, I will give that ·tenth [T tithe] to the Levites as a reward. That is why I said about the Levites: ‘They will not inherit any land among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].’”
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them: ‘You will receive a ·tenth [T tithe] of everything the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] make, which I will give to you. But you must give a ·tenth of that [L tenth of a tenth; T tithe of a tithe] back to the Lord. 27 I will accept your offering just as much as I accept the offerings from others, who give ·new grain [L the grain of the threshing floor] or ·new wine [L the fullness of the winepress]. 28 In this way you will present an offering to the Lord as the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] do. When you receive a ·tenth [T tithe] from the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], you will give a ·tenth [tithe] 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 [L product of the threshing floor] and ·wine [L product of the wine press] from the other people. 31 You and your ·families [L house] 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 [profane] the holy offerings of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], you will not die.’”
The Offering for Cleansing
19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “These are the ·teachings [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that the Lord commanded. Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to get a young red ·cow [T heifer] that does not have ·anything wrong with it [L a defect and is without a blemish] and that has never ·been worked [L worn a yoke]. 3 Give the ·cow [T heifer] to Eleazar the priest; he will take it outside the camp and ·kill [slaughter] it in his presence. 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 [T heifer] must be burned while he watches; the skin, the meat, the blood, and ·the intestines [L its dung] must all be burned. 6 Then the priest must take a cedar stick, a hyssop branch, and a red string [C the redness of the heifer and these objects probably represent blood] and throw them onto the burning ·cow [T heifer]. 7 After the priest has washed himself and his clothes with water, he may come back into the camp, but he will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] until evening. 8 The man who burns the ·cow [T heifer] must wash himself and his clothes in water; he will be unclean until evening.
9 “Then someone who is clean [C in a ritual sense] will collect the ashes from the ·cow [T heifer] and put them in a clean place outside the camp. The ·Israelites [L community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] will keep these ashes to use in the cleansing water, in a ·special ceremony to cleanse away sin [L sin offering; or purification offering; Lev. 4:3]. 10 The man who collected the ·cow’s [T heifer’s] ashes must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This is a lasting ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement] ·for the Israelites [L in their midst] and for the ·foreigners [resident aliens] among them.
11 “Those who touch a dead person’s body will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] for seven days. 12 They must ·wash themselves with the cleansing [purify themselves with the] water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not ·wash themselves [purify 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 [do not purify themselves] and go to the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], 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 [instruction; law] about someone who dies in a tent: Anyone in the tent or anyone who enters it will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] for seven days. 15 And every open jar or pot without a cover becomes unclean. 16 If anyone is ·outside [L in the open field] and touches someone who was killed by a sword or who died [C 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 sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] offering to make that person clean [C in a ritual sense] again. Pour ·fresh [running; L living] 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 [be purified]. 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 [purified], they must be cut off from the ·community [assembly; crowd]. Since they were not sprinkled with the cleansing water, they stay unclean, and they could make the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] unclean. 21 This is a lasting ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement]. 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 [L sons; T children] of Israel, the community [congregation; assembly] arrived at the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam [C Moses’ sister; Ex. 15:20–21; Num. 12:1–13] died and was buried. 2 There was no water for the ·people [community; congregation; assembly], so they ·came together [assembled] against Moses and Aaron. 3 They ·argued with [contended with; brought a case against] 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 [community; congregation; assembly] into this ·desert [wilderness]? 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 [community; congregation; assembly] and went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. There they ·bowed facedown [L fell on their faces], and the glory of the Lord [C his manifest presence] appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take your ·walking stick [staff], and you and your brother Aaron should gather the ·people [community; congregation; assembly]. 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 [community; congregation; assembly] and their animals.”
9 So Moses took the ·stick [staff] from in front of the Lord, as he had said. 10 Moses and Aaron ·gathered [assembled] the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] in front of the rock, and Moses said, “Now listen to me, you ·who turn against God [L rebels]! Do you want us [C rather than God] to bring water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and hit the rock twice with his ·stick [staff; C he was supposed to speak to it, 20:8]. Water began pouring out, and the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] and their animals drank it.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not ·believe [trust] me, and because you did not ·honor me as holy [show my holiness] before the ·people [L sons/T children of Israel], you will not lead ·them [L this community; congregation; assembly] into the land I will give them [20:22–29; Deut. 34:1–12].”
13 These are the waters of Meribah [C “Argument”], where the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] ·argued with [contended with; brought a case against] 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 [hardship] we have had, 15 how our ·ancestors [fathers] went down into Egypt and we lived there for many years. The people of Egypt ·were cruel to [oppressed] us and our ·ancestors [fathers], 16 but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard ·us [L our voice] and sent us an ·angel [messenger] to bring us out of Egypt.
“Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your ·land [boundaries]. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not ·touch [pass through] any fields of grain or vineyards, and will not drink water from the wells. We will travel only along the ·king’s road [King’s Highway; C a north-south international highway], not turning right or left until we have passed through your ·country [boundaries].”
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 [L sons/T children of Israel] answered: “We will go along the ·main road [highway], 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 [boundaries], so the Israelites turned back.
Aaron Dies
22 ·All the Israelites [L The sons/T children of Israel, all the community/assembly/congregation] moved from Kadesh to Mount Hor, 23 near the border of Edom. There the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will ·die [L be gathered to his people]. He will not enter the land that I’m giving to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], because you both ·acted [rebelled] against my command at the waters of Meribah [20:1–13]. 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 people [L be gathered].”
27 Moses obeyed the Lord’s command. They climbed up Mount Hor, and all the ·people [community; assembly; congregation] 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 [community; assembly; congregation] learned that Aaron was dead, ·everyone in [L all the house of] Israel cried for him for thirty days.
War with the Canaanites
21 The Canaanite king of Arad lived in the ·southern area [Negev]. 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 [a vow] to the Lord: “If you will ·help us defeat these people [L give this people into our hands], we will ·completely destroy [devote to the Lord] their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to the Israelites, and he let them defeat the Canaanites. The Israelites ·completely destroyed [devoted to the Lord] the Canaanites and their cities, so the place was named Hormah [C “Completely Destroyed”; “Devoted to the Lord”].
The Bronze Snake
4 The Israelites left Mount Hor and went on the road toward the ·Red [or Reed] Sea, in order to go around the country of Edom. But the people became impatient on the way 5 and ·grumbled at [L spoke against] God and Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this ·desert [wilderness]? There is no bread and no water, and we hate this terrible food!”
6 So the Lord sent them ·poisonous [L burning] snakes; they bit the people, and many of the ·Israelites [L people from Israel] died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we ·grumbled at [spoke against] you and the Lord. Pray that the Lord will take away these snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.
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