Bible in 90 Days
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a venomous snake and put it on a pole. If anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” 9 Moses made a bronze snake and put it on the pole. If a snake had bitten anyone, if that person looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites set out and camped at Oboth. 11 They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 From there they set out and camped at the Zered Canyon. 13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border. (The Arnon is the border between Moab and the Amorites.) 14 For this reason it says in the Book of the Wars of the Lord:
Waheb[a] in Suphah, the ravines of the Arnon, 15 the sloping ravines that bend toward the settlement of Ar and lie on the border of Moab.
16 From there they continued to Be’er.[b] That is the well which the Lord spoke about to Moses: “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well! Sing about it.
18 Sing about the well which the officials dug,
which the nobles of the people hollowed out
with their scepters and their staffs.
From the wilderness they continued to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 from Bamoth to the valley in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah that overlooks the wasteland.[c]
The Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites to say, 22 “Permit us to pass through your land. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard. We will not drink the water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
23 Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Instead Sihon gathered all his people together and went out into the wilderness to confront Israel. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. 24 Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because the Ammonite border was strong. 25 Israel took all these cities. Israel began living in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages. 26 Because Heshbon had been the city of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon, 27 therefore the poets[d] say,
Come to Heshbon.
Let the city of Sihon be built and established,
28 for a fire has gone out of Heshbon,
a flame from the town of Sihon.
It has consumed Ar of Moab
and engulfed the heights of the Arnon.[e]
29 Woe to you, Moab!
You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!
He has given up his sons as refugees,
and his daughters go into captivity
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 We overthrew them.
Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon.
We have laid waste as far as Nophah.
Fire reaches as far as Medeba.
31 So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent spies to Jazer. They took its towns and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33 They turned and went up on the road to Bashan. Og king of Bashan came out with all his people to confront Israel in battle at Edrei.
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hand along with all his people and his land. You will do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”
35 So they struck him down along with his sons and all his people until there were no survivors. Then they took possession of his land.
Balak Hires Balaam
22 The Israelites set out and camped on the Plains of Moab along the Jordan across from Jericho. 2 Balak son of Zippor saw everything that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 So Moab was afraid of the people, because they were so numerous. Moab was terrified because of the Israelites. 4 Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this assembly will eat up everything around us, just as cattle eat up the grass in the field.”
Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 He sent messengers to summon Balaam, the son of Beor, from Pethor by the Euphrates River, in the land of his own people.[f]
He said, “Look, a people came out of Egypt. They cover the surface of the land, and they are settling right across from me. 6 Please come now. Curse this people for me, for they are more powerful than I am. Perhaps I will succeed and strike them down, driving them out of the land, for I know that whomever you bless is blessed, and whomever you curse is cursed.”
7 The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with payments for his occult practices[g] in their hand. They came to Balaam and told him what Balak said.
8 Balaam said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will report to you what the Lord says to me.” So the Moabite officials stayed with Balaam.
9 God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent messengers to me, who said, 11 ‘Look, the people that has come out of Egypt covers the surface of the land. Now, come, curse them for me. Perhaps I will be able to fight against them and drive them out.’”
12 God said to Balaam, “You are not to go with them. You are not to curse the people, for they are blessed.”
13 Balaam got up in the morning and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your land, because the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
14 The officials of Moab got up and went back to Balak. They said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”
15 So Balak again sent other officials, more numerous and more prestigious than the others. 16 They went to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says, ‘Do not let anything prevent you from coming to me, 17 for I will reward you very richly. Also I will do whatever you tell me. Just come and curse this people for me.’”
18 Balaam responded to Balak’s servants, “Even if Balak would give to me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go against the command of the Lord my God to do anything small or great. 19 But please, stay and spend the night here, and I will find out what else the Lord might say to me.”
20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them. However, do only what I tell you.” 21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the officials of Moab.
Balaam’s Donkey
22 But God’s anger burned because Balaam was going with them. So the Angel[h] of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand. So the donkey turned off the road and went into the field. Balaam struck the donkey to make it turn back to the road. 24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards with walls on both sides. 25 The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord and pressed against the wall and squeezed Balaam’s foot against the wall. Balaam struck the donkey again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or to the left. 27 The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord and lay down under Balaam. Balaam’s anger burned, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, which said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”
29 Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me! If only there was a sword in my hand, I would kill you now!”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, the one you have always ridden to this day? Is this what I usually do to you?”
He said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt and bowed with his face to the ground. 32 The Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Look, I myself have come out to oppose you, because your way is reckless[i] before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would have surely killed you by now and let the donkey live.”
34 Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I didn’t know that you stood in the road to confront me. Now if this is displeasing to you, I will go back.”
35 The Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you will speak only the words that I speak to you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
Balak Meets Balaam
36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Didn’t I send for you urgently when I summoned you? Why didn’t you come to me? Don’t you know that I can really reward you?”
38 Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you now. But am I really able to say anything? I will speak only the words that God puts in my mouth.”
39 Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and sent for Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41 In the morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth Baal. From there, he saw the outskirts of the people.
Balaam’s First Message
23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”
2 Balak did just as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go off by myself. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” ⎣So Balak went and stood by his burnt offering, and Balaam called to God⎦[j] and then he went off to a barren hill.
4 God met Balaam, and Balaam said to him, “I have set up seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.”
5 The Lord put a message into Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you are to deliver this message.”
6 Balaam returned to Balak and found him standing by his burnt offering, along with all the officials of Moab. 7 Balaam took up his oracle. He said:
From Aram, Balak has brought me.
Balak, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains, said,
“Come, curse Jacob for me.
Come, denounce Israel.”
8 How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
9 Yes, from the rocky peaks I see him.
From the hills I look at him.
Look! A people that dwells apart,
that does not consider itself to be one of the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob,
or number even a fourth of Israel?
May I die the death of the righteous!
May my final end be like his!
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have just blessed them.”
12 Balaam answered, “Don’t I have to speak accurately whatever the Lord puts in my mouth?”
Balaam’s Second Message
13 Balak said to Balaam, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will see only their outskirts. You will not see all of them. From there curse them for me.”
14 Balak took Balaam into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah. Balak built seven altars and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord over there.”
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. The Lord said, “Return to Balak, and you are to deliver this message.”
17 Balaam came back to Balak and found him standing by his burnt offering, and the officials of Moab were with him. Balak said to him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Balaam took up his oracle and said:
Get up, Balak, and listen!
Give ear to me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he changes his mind.
Does he say something, and then not carry it out?
Does he speak, and then not bring it about?
20 Look, I have received a command to bless.
He has blessed, and I cannot change that.
21 No disaster is in sight for Jacob.
No suffering is seen in Israel.
The Lord his God is with him.
The shout for the King is among them.
He rejoices in his King.
22 God brings them out of Egypt.
God is like the horns of a wild ox for him.
23 Surely there is no occult power against Jacob,
no omen against Israel.
They will say about Jacob and Israel,
“What great things God has done!”
24 Look, the people rise up like a lioness.
Like a lion they lift themselves up.
He will not lie down until he eats the prey,
until he drinks the blood of the slain.
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all! Do not bless them at all!”
26 But Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I say to you that I must do everything the Lord says?”
Balaam’s Third Message
27 Balak said to Balaam, “Come on, I will take you to another place. Maybe God will agree to let you curse them for me from there.”
28 Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland. 29 Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30 Balak did just as Balaam had said and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.
24 When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go to look for omens as he had done at the other times, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, the Spirit of God was upon him. 3 He took up his oracle and said:
The declaration of Balaam son of Beor,
the declaration of the man whose eye is open,
4 the declaration of the one who hears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
who is falling down, but his eyes are wide open:
5 How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
and your dwelling places, O Israel!
6 Like rows of palm trees[k] they stretch out,
like gardens by the riverside,
like aloes which the Lord has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from his buckets.
His seed[l] will have abundant waters.
His king will be higher than Agag.
His kingdom will be lifted up.
8 God brings him out of Egypt.
God is like the horns of a wild ox for him.
He will eat up the nations who are his adversaries.
He will gnaw on their bones.
He will pierce them through with his arrows.
9 He crouches like a lion.
He lies down like a lioness.
Who will rouse him?
The one who blesses you is blessed.
The one who curses you is cursed.
10 Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he slapped his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but look, all you have done is bless them these three times. 11 Now get out of here. Go to your own place! I said I would really reward you, but look, the Lord has denied you a reward.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “Didn’t I tell the messengers you sent to me, ‘I will say what the Lord says. 13 Even if Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can’t go against the command of the Lord by doing anything good or bad of my own will’?[m] 14 Yes, I am going back to my people, but pay attention now—I will tell you what this people will do to your people in days to come.”
Balaam’s Fourth Message
15 Balaam took up his oracle and said:
The declaration of Balaam son of Beor,
the declaration of the man whose eye is open,
16 the declaration of the one who hears the words of God,
who receives knowledge from the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
who is falling down, but his eyes are wide open:
17 I see him, but not now.
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob.
A scepter will rise up out of Israel.
It will smash the foreheads of Moab
and the skulls[n] of all the people of Sheth.
18 Edom will lose its territory to others.
Seir, Israel’s enemy, also will become a possession,
but Israel will display its power.
19 One who comes from Jacob will rule,
and he will destroy the survivors of the city.
Balaam’s Final Messages
20 He looked at Amalek, took up his oracle, and said:
First among the nations was Amalek,
but his end will come to destruction.
21 He looked at the Kenites, took up his oracle, and said:
Permanent is your dwelling place.
Set in stone is your nest.
22 However, you Kenites will be destroyed,
when Ashshur takes you captive.
23 He took up his oracle and said:
Ah, who will live when God does this?
24 But ships will come from the coast of Kittim.
They will oppress Ashshur.
They will oppress Eber.
But they also will come to destruction.[o]
25 Balaam got up and left to return to his place. Balak also went on his way.
Israel Worships Baal
25 While Israel stayed in Shittim,[p] the people started to commit sexual immorality with the women of Moab. 2 The women invited the people to the sacrifices for their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 The Israelites attached themselves to[q] the Baal of Peor. The Lord’s anger burned against Israel. 4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the heads of the people and impale them before the Lord in broad daylight so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”
5 Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill any of his men who have attached themselves to the Baal of Peor.”
The Result of the Baal Worship
6 Just then, an Israelite man came and brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in the sight of Moses and the entire Israelite community, while the people were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he rose up from the middle of the assembly and took a spear in his hand. 8 He followed the Israelite man into the large tent and ran both of them through, the Israelite man and the woman, right through her belly. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped. 9 Those who died by the plague were 24,000.
10 The Lord spoke to Moses: 11 “Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the Israelites, because he was very zealous for me among you. So I did not put an end to the Israelites in my zeal. 12 Therefore say, ‘Look, I myself will give to him my covenant of peace. 13 He and his descendants after him will have the covenant of a permanent priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.’”
14 The name of the Israelite man who was struck dead, who was struck dead with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, a tribal chief of the father’s house for the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was struck dead was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, who was a tribal head of a father’s house in Midian.
16 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ⎣“Speak to the Israelites, saying,⎦[r] 17 ‘Treat the Midianites as enemies and strike them dead. 18 For they treated you as enemies when they deceived you with their treachery in the incident involving Peor and Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite tribal chief, their sister, who was struck dead on the day of the plague in the Peor incident.’”
The Second Census
26 After the plague, the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest.[s] He said, 2 “Take a census of the entire Israelite community, twenty years old and up, according to their fathers’ houses, all who are of age to serve in Israel’s army.”
3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them on the Plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. They said, 4 “Take a census of the men twenty years old and up, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”
These are the Israelites who came out from the land of Egypt:
5 Reuben was Israel’s firstborn. The male descendants[t] of Reuben were: from Hanok, the Hanokite clan; from Pallu, the Palluite clan; 6 from Hezron, the Hezronite clan; from Karmi, the Karmite clan. 7 These were the Reubenite clans. Those who were registered totaled 43,730.
8 The son of Pallu was Eliab. 9 The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram.[u]
(These were the same Dathan and Abiram who were chosen leaders of the community who fought against Moses and Aaron along with the followers of Korah, when they fought against the Lord. 10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when his followers died and when the fire consumed the two hundred fifty men. So they became a warning sign. 11 However, the sons of Korah did not die out.)
12 The male descendants of Simeon according to their clans were: from Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan; from Jamin, the Jaminite clan; from Jakin, the Jakinite clan; 13 from Zerah, the Zerahite clan; from Shaul, the Shaulite clan. 14 These Simeonite clans totaled 22,200.
15 The male descendants of Gad according to their clans were: from Zephon, the Zephonite clan; from Haggi, the Haggite clan; from Shuni, the Shunite clan; 16 from Ozni, the Oznite clan; from Eri, the Erite clan; 17 from Arodi,[v] the Arodite clan; from Areli, the Arelite clan. 18 These clans of the descendants of Gad who were registered totaled 40,500.
19 Er and Onan were sons of Judah. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20 The male descendants of Judah according to their clans were: from Shelah, the Shelanite clan; from Perez, the Perezite clan; from Zerah, the Zerahite clan. 21 The male descendants of Perez were: from Hezron, the Hezronite clan; from Hamul, the Hamulite clan. 22 These clans of Judah who were registered totaled 76,500.
23 The male descendants of Issachar according to their clans were: from Tola, the Tolaite clan; from Puah, the Puite clan;[w] 24 from Jashub, the Jashubite clan; from Shimron, the Shimronite clan. 25 These clans of Issachar who were registered totaled 64,300.
26 The male descendants of Zebulun according to their clans were: from Sered, the Seredite clan; from Elon, the Elonite clan; from Jahle’el, the Jahle’elite clan. 27 These Zebulunite clans who were registered totaled 60,500.
28 The sons of Joseph who established clans were Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 The male descendants of Manasseh were: from Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead); from Gilead, the Gileadite clan. 30 These were the male descendants of Gilead: from Iezer, the Iezerite clan; from Helek, the Helekite clan; 31 from Asriel, the Asrielite clan; from Shechem, the Shechemite clan; 32 from Shemida, the Shemidaite clan; and from Hepher, the Hepherite clan.
33 Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, only daughters. The names of Zelophehad’s daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. 34 These were the clans of Manasseh. Those who were registered totaled 52,700.
35 These were the male descendants of Ephraim according to their clans: from Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan; from Beker, the Bekerite clan; from Tahan, the Tahanite clan. 36 These were the male descendants of Shuthelah: from Eran, the Eranite clan. 37 These clans from the descendants of Ephraim who were registered totaled 32,500.
These were the male descendants of Joseph according to their clans.
38 The male descendants of Benjamin according to their clans were: from Bela, the Belaite clan; from Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan; from Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan; 39 from Shupham,[x] the Shuphamite clan; from Hupham, the Huphamite clan. 40 The sons of Bela were Ard and Na’aman: from Ard, the Ardite clan; from Na’aman, the Na’amanite clan. 41 These were the male descendants of Benjamin according to their clans. Those who were registered totaled 45,600.
42 These were the male descendants of Dan according to their clans: from Shuham, the Shuhamite clan. These were the clans of Dan according to their clans. 43 All the Shuhamite clans who were registered totaled 64,400.
44 The male descendants of Asher according to their clans were: from Imnah, the Imnite clan; from Ishvi, the Ishvite clan; from Beriah, the Beriite clan. 45 From the male descendants of Beriah: from Heber, the Heberite clan; from Malkiel, the Malkielite clan. 46 The name of Asher’s daughter was Serah. 47 These clans for the descendants of Asher who were registered totaled 53,400.
48 The male descendants of Naphtali according to their clans were: from Jahze’el, the Jahze’elite clan; from Guni, the Gunite clan; 49 from Jezer, the Jezerite clan; from Shillem, the Shillemite clan. 50 These were the clans of Naphtali according to their clans. Those who were registered totaled 45,400.
51 Those who were registered from the Israelites totaled 601,730.
52 The Lord spoke to Moses: 53 “The land is to be divided among these tribes, with the size of the possession for each tribe based on the number of names. 54 For a larger tribe, increase its possession. For a smaller tribe, decrease its possession. Each tribe is to be given its inheritance based on the total of those registered. 55 The land must be divided by lot. They will receive their possession according to the names of their father’s tribes. 56 Their possession is to be divided between the larger and the smaller tribes as the lots determine.”
57 Those who were registered from the Levites according to their clans were: from Gershon, the Gershonite clan; from Kohath, the Kohathite clan; from Merari, the Merarite clan. 58 These were the Levite clans: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, the Korahite clan.
(Kohath was the forefather[y] of Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. For Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar were born to Aaron. 61 Nadab and Abihu died when they presented unauthorized fire before the Lord.)
62 Those who were registered totaled 23,000, every male a month old and up. But they were not registered with the other Israelites, because they were not given a possession[z] among the Israelites.
63 These were the men who were registered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, when they registered the Israelites on the Plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 64 But among them there was not even one man left from those who had been registered by Moses and Aaron the priest, when they registered the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said about them, “They will surely die in the wilderness.” There was not even one man left from them except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Zelophehad’s Daughters
27 Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward. (Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph.) These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. 2 They stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before Moses and Eleazar the priest, before the tribal chiefs and the entire community. They said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered together against the Lord along with the followers of Korah, but he died in his own sin. He had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from a place among his clan, because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s brothers.”
5 Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 The Lord spoke to Moses: 7 “What the daughters of Zelophehad say is correct. You must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers. You are to allow their father’s inheritance to be passed down to them. 8 You are to tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you are to have his inheritance pass down to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then you will give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then you will give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father has no brothers, then you will give his inheritance to his closest relative from his clan, and he will take possession of it. This will be a legal statute for the Israelites, just as the Lord commanded Moses.’”
Joshua Will Succeed Moses
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up onto this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land which I have given to the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you yourself will also be gathered to your people just as Aaron your brother was gathered. 14 For when the community quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin, you both rebelled against my command to honor me as holy in their sight at the waters.” (This refers to the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.)
15 Moses spoke to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community, 17 who will go out before them and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 The Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and place your hand on him. 19 Have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. You will commission him in their sight. 20 You will give some of your authority to him so that the entire Israelite community will listen to him. 21 He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will inquire for him before the Lord with the decision of the Urim. He and all the Israelites with him, the entire community, will go out at his command and come in at his command.”
22 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. 23 He placed his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the Lord spoke through Moses.
The Offerings
28 The Lord told Moses 2 to deliver this command to the Israelites:
The Daily Offerings
Make sure that you present my offering at its appointed time. Present it as my food, an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to me. 3 Say to them, “This is the offering made by fire that you shall present to the Lord each day: two one-year-old male lambs without defect as a regular burnt offering. 4 You are to offer one lamb in the morning, and you are to offer the other lamb at twilight, 5 along with two quarts[aa] of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with one quart[ab] of oil from beaten[ac] olives.” 6 It is the regular burnt offering put into effect at Mount Sinai for a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 7 The drink offering with it is to be one quart for one lamb. You are to pour out the drink offering of beer[ad] to the Lord at the sanctuary. 8 You are to prepare the other lamb at twilight. You are to prepare it along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering as in the morning, an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
The Sabbath Offerings
9 On the Sabbath day, you shall present two one-year-old male lambs without defect, four quarts[ae] of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering. 10 This is the whole burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
The Monthly Offering
11 At the beginning of each of your months, you shall present as a whole burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs without defect, 12 along with six quarts[af] of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each bull; four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for the one ram; 13 and two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for every lamb—as a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 14 Their drink offerings will be two quarts[ag] of wine for a bull, a quart and a half[ah] for a ram, and one quart for a lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering for each month of the year. 15 One male goat is to be presented as a sin offering to the Lord in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
The Festival Offerings
The Passover
16 In the first month, the fourteenth day of the month is the Passover for the Lord. 17 On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a festival. Unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days. 18 The first day is to be a holy convocation. You are not to do any regular work. 19 You are to present an offering made by fire, a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 20 along with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil: six quarts[ai] for a bull and four quarts[aj] for the ram. 21 You will prepare two quarts[ak] for each of the seven lambs, 22 and one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for yourselves. 23 You will prepare these things in addition to the morning burnt offering that is part of the regular burnt offering. 24 In this way for seven days you will prepare food daily as an offering made by fire with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It is to be prepared in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day there is to be a holy convocation. You shall not do any of your regular work.
The Festival of Weeks or Pentecost
26 On the day of the firstfruits[al] when you present an offering of new grain to the Lord during the Festival of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any of your regular work. 27 You are to present as a whole burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs 28 along with their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: six quarts for each bull, four quarts for the one ram, 29 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs; 30 also present one male goat to make atonement for yourselves. 31 You are to offer these and their drink offerings in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. Your animals are to be without defect.
The Festival of the Ram’s Horn
29 In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any of your regular work. For you it is to be a day of loud blasts on the ram’s horn.[am]
2 You are to prepare a whole burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 3 along with their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the ram, 4 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs; 5 also prepare one male goat for a sin offering to make atonement for yourselves. 6 This is in addition to the monthly burnt offering and its grain offering, the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, just as specified, for a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
The Day of Atonement
7 On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall humble yourselves. You are not to do any kind of work. 8 You are to present a whole burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma: one young bull, one ram, seven one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 9 along with their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the one ram, 10 two quarts for each of the seven lambs; 11 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering of atonement, the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
The Festival of Shelters[an]
12 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You are not to do any of your regular work. You shall celebrate a pilgrimage festival to the Lord for seven days. 13 You are to present a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 14 along with their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams, 15 and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs; 16 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
17 On the second day you are to present twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 18 along with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, according to the amount specified for each of them; 19 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
20 On the third day you are to present eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 21 along with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, according to the amount specified for each of them; 22 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
23 On the fourth day you are to present ten bulls, two rams, fourteen one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 24 along with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, according to the amount specified for each of them; 25 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
26 On the fifth day you are to present nine bulls, two rams, fourteen one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 27 along with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, according to the amount specified for each of them; 28 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
29 On the sixth day you are to present eight bulls, two rams, fourteen one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 30 along with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, according to the amount specified for each of them; 31 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
32 On the seventh day you are to present seven bulls, two rams, fourteen one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 33 along with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, according to the amount specified for each of them; 34 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
35 On the eighth day you shall hold a closing ceremony. You shall not do any of your regular work. 36 You are to present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, seven one-year-old male lambs—all without defect— 37 along with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, the ram, and the lambs, according to the amount specified for each of them; 38 also present one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
39 In addition to your offerings to fulfill a vow and freewill offerings, you shall prepare these for the Lord at your appointed times as your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your drink offerings, and your fellowship offerings.
40 Moses told the Israelites everything that the Lord commanded Moses.
30 Moses also gave the heads of the Israelite tribes these commands from the Lord:[ao]
Vows
2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to put himself under an obligation, he must not break his word. He must do everything that has come out of his mouth.
3 When a woman, while living in her father’s house during her youth, makes a vow to the Lord and puts herself under an obligation, 4 and her father hears about her vow and her obligation which she has undertaken, but her father says nothing to her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation which she has undertaken will stand. 5 But if her father forbids her on the same day that he hears about them, none of her vows nor her obligations which she has undertaken will stand. The Lord will forgive her, because her father has forbidden her.
6 If she marries a husband while she is obligated by a vow or something she spoke rashly, 7 and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her on the same day that he hears about it, then her vows will stand, and her obligations which she has undertaken will be binding. 8 But if her husband forbids her on the same day that he hears about it, he will nullify her vow which obligates her and her responsibility for the things she spoke rashly. The Lord will forgive her.
9 But the vow of a widow or a divorced woman, every obligation which she put herself under, will be binding on her.
10 If, while she is still in her husband’s house, she took a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath, 11 and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation under which she has put herself will stand. 12 But if her husband does indeed nullify them on the same day that he hears about them, then whatever came from her lips concerning her vows or her obligation will not stand. Her husband has nullified them. The Lord will forgive her.
13 Her husband may allow or nullify every vow or every oath in which she undertakes an obligation to deny herself.[ap] 14 But if her husband indeed says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her obligations, which are binding on her. He has allowed them, because he said nothing to her on the day that he hears about them. 15 But if he nullifies them later than the day he hears about them, then he will bear her responsibility.
16 These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses about vows pertaining to a husband and his wife, or a father and his daughter during her youth while she still lives at her father’s house.
Vengeance on the Midianites
31 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Take vengeance against the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3 Moses spoke to the people, “Equip some of your men for combat. They will go against Midian to carry out the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. 4 Send one thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel into combat.” 5 So out of all the thousands of Israel, a military unit of a thousand was selected from each tribe—a total of twelve thousand men armed for battle. 6 Moses sent them into combat, one thousand from each tribe. Moses sent them and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, into combat. Things from the sanctuary[aq] and the trumpets for signaling were in his hand.
7 They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8 Along with the others who were slain, they killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9 The Israelites took the women of Midian and their children captive. They plundered all their animals, property, and possessions. 10 They burned all their cities where they settled and all their camps. 11 They took all the plunder and all the spoils of war, both people and animals. 12 They brought the captives, the spoils of war, and the plunder to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite community at the camp on the Plains of Moab, which was by the Jordan across from Jericho.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the tribal chiefs of the community went out to meet them outside of the camp. 14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds—who were coming back from the military campaign.
15 Moses said to them, “Have you allowed every woman to live? 16 Look, following Balaam’s advice, these women were the ones who incited the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, and so the plague came upon the community of the Lord. 17 Now, kill every male among the children, and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man. 18 But you may keep alive for yourselves all the young females who have not had sexual relations with a man.
19 “All of you who have killed a person or touched a slain body shall stay outside of the camp for seven days. Purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. 20 Also purify every garment, every leather item, everything made of goat hair, and every item of wood.”
21 Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “These are the regulations which the Lord has commanded Moses: 22 The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead 23 (everything that can withstand fire) you must be sure to pass through the fire, and it will be clean. It also is to be purified with the water for removing impurity. Everything that cannot withstand fire, you are to pass through the water. 24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be clean. After that, you may come into the camp.”
Dividing the Plunder
25 The Lord spoke to Moses: 26 “You, Eleazar the priest, and the leading fathers[ar] of the community are to count the spoils of war—the captives, both people and animals— 27 and divide the spoils of war into two equal parts: one part for the troops who went out for combat and one for all the rest of the community. 28 Raise a tribute to the Lord to be given by the fighting men who went out for battle. Take one out of every five hundred from the people, the cattle, the donkeys, and the flocks. 29 Take it from the fighting men’s half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as an elevated offering[as] to the Lord. 30 Also from the Israelites’ half, you will take one out of every fifty from the people, the cattle, the donkeys, the flocks, and all the animals, and give them to the Levites, who attend to the duties at the Lord’s Dwelling.”
31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. 32 Now the spoils of war remaining from the plunder that the army took was 675,000 animals from the flocks, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 people in all, that is, the women who had not had sexual relations with a man.
36 The half share for those who went out into combat numbered 337,500 animals from the flocks, 37 and the tribute for the Lord from the flocks was 675. 38 The cattle numbered 36,000; the tribute for the Lord was 72. 39 The donkeys numbered 30,500; the tribute for the Lord was 61. 40 The people numbered 16,000; the tribute for the Lord was 32 people. 41 Moses gave the tribute, the elevated offering to the Lord, to Eleazar the priest as the Lord commanded Moses.
42 From the Israelites’ half, which Moses set aside from the share of the men who fought, 43 the community’s half share was 337,500 animals from the flocks, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 people. 47 From the Israelites’ half share Moses took one out of every fifty from the people and the animals and gave them to the Levites, who attended to the duties at the Lord’s Dwelling, as the Lord commanded Moses.
48 The officers who were over the units of a thousand in the army—the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds—approached Moses. 49 They said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a head count of the fighting men who were under our command, and not one of them is missing. 50 So we have brought as an offering to the Lord the gold items which every man acquired—armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”
51 Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from them, all the crafted items. 52 All the gold from the elevated offering that the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds lifted up to the Lord amounted to 16,750 shekels.[at] 53 Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.
The Transjordan Tribes
32 The descendants of Reuben and Gad had very large flocks and herds of livestock. They saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was ideal for livestock. 2 The descendants of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the tribal chiefs of the community. They said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon— 4 the land which the Lord struck down before the community of Israel—is an ideal land for livestock. We, your servants, have livestock.” 5 They continued, “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not require us to cross the Jordan.”
6 Moses said to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, “Do you expect your brothers to go into battle while you live here? 7 Why are you disheartening the Israelites from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given to them? 8 Your fathers did that same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 They had gone up as far as the Valley of Eshcol and had seen the land. Then they disheartened the Israelites so that they would not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord’s anger burned on that day, and he swore an oath, 11 ‘Surely none of the men twenty years old and up who came up from Egypt will see the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not followed me completely, 12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they have followed the Lord completely.’ 13 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel so he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation that had done evil in the Lord’s sight was gone.”
14 He continued, “See, here you are, a band of sinners standing in your fathers’ place, adding still more to the Lord’s fierce anger against Israel. 15 If you turn away from following him, he will once again leave these people in the wilderness, and you will have destroyed all these people.”
16 They approached him and said, “We will build sheep pens here for our livestock and cities for our children, 17 but we will be quick to arm ourselves to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their own places. Our children will live in our fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land, 18 but we will not return to our houses until the Israelites have each taken possession of their inheritance. 19 We certainly will not have any claim to an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us here on the east side of the Jordan, toward the sunrise.”
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.