Bible in 90 Days

⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake. Put it up on a pole. Then anyone who is bitten can look at it and remain alive.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake. He put it up on a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake remained alive.

The People Continue On to Moab

¹⁰ The Israelites moved on. They camped at Oboth. ¹¹ Then they started out from Oboth. They camped in Iye Abarim. It’s in the desert on the eastern border of Moab. ¹² From there they moved on. They camped in the Zered Valley. ¹³ They started out from there and camped by the Arnon River. It’s in the desert that spreads out into the territory of the Amorites. The Arnon is the border of Moab. It’s between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴ Here is what the Book of the Wars of the Lord says about it.

¹⁶ From there the Israelites continued on to Beer. That was the well where the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Gather the people together. I will give them water to drink.”

¹⁷ Then Israel sang a song. They said,

Then the Israelites went from the desert to Mattanah. ¹⁹ They went from Mattanah to Nahaliel. They went from Nahaliel to Bamoth. ²⁰ And they went from Bamoth to a valley in Moab. It’s the valley where the highest slopes of Pisgah look out over a dry and empty land.

Israel Wins the Battle Over Sihon and Og

²¹ The Israelites sent messengers to speak to Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. The messengers said to him,

²² “Let us pass through your country. We won’t go off the road into any field or vineyard. We won’t drink water from any well. We’ll travel along the King’s Highway. We’ll just go straight through your territory.”

²³ But Sihon wouldn’t let Israel pass through his territory. He gathered his whole army together. Then he marched out into the desert against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought against Israel. ²⁴ But Israel put him to death with their swords. They took over his land. They took everything from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. But they didn’t take over any of the land of the Ammonites. That’s because the Ammonites had built strong forts along their border. ²⁵ The Israelites captured all the cities of the Amorites. Then they settled down in them. They captured the city of Heshbon. They also captured all the settlements around it. ²⁶ Sihon, the king of the Amorites, ruled in Heshbon. He had fought against an earlier king of Moab. Sihon had taken from him all his land all the way to the Arnon River.

²⁷ That’s why the poets say,

³¹ So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.

³² Moses sent spies to the city of Jazer. The Israelites captured the settlements around it. They drove out the Amorites who were there. ³³ Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan. Og was the king of Bashan. He and his whole army marched out. They went to fight against Israel at Edrei.

³⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of Og. I have handed him over to you. I have given you his whole army. I have also given you his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon.”

³⁵ So the Israelites struck down Og and his sons. And they wiped out his whole army. They didn’t leave anyone alive. They took over his land for themselves.

Balak Sends For Balaam

22 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab. They camped along the Jordan River across from Jericho.

² Balak saw everything that Israel had done to the Amorites. Balak was the son of Zippor. ³ The Moabites were terrified because there were so many Israelites. In fact, the Moabites were filled with panic because of the Israelites.

⁴ The Moabites spoke to the elders of Midian. They said, “This huge mob is going to destroy everything around us. They’ll lick it up as an ox licks up all the grass in the fields.”

Balak, the son of Zippor, was the king of Moab at that time. ⁵ He sent messengers to get Balaam. Balaam was the son of Beor. Balaam was at the city of Pethor near the Euphrates River. Pethor was in the land where Balaam had been born. Balak told the messengers to say to Balaam,

“A nation has come out of Egypt. They are covering the face of the land. They’ve set up camp next to me. ⁶ So come and put a curse on these people. They are too powerful for me. Maybe I’ll be able to win the battle over them. Maybe I’ll be able to drive them out of the land. I know that whoever you bless is blessed. And I know that whoever you cursed is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and Midian left. They took with them the money they knew Balaam would ask for. They wanted him to use evil magic to figure things out for them. They came to where Balaam was. And they told him what Balak had said.

⁸ “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them. “I’ll report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.

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

¹⁰ Balaam said to God, “Balak king of Moab, the son of Zippor, sent me a message. ¹¹ He said, ‘A nation has come out of Egypt. They are covering the whole surface of the land. So come and put a curse on them for me. Maybe I’ll be able to fight them. Maybe I’ll be able to drive them away.’ ”

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

¹³ The next morning Balaam got up. He said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country. The Lord won’t let me go with you.”

¹⁴ So the Moabite officials returned to Balak. They said, “Balaam wouldn’t come with us.”

¹⁵ Then Balak sent other officials. They were more important than the first ones. And there were more of them. ¹⁶ They came to Balaam. They said,

“Balak, the son of Zippor, says, ‘Don’t let anything keep you from coming to me. ¹⁷ I’ll make you very rich. I’ll do anything you say. So come and put a curse on those people for me.’ ”

¹⁸ But Balaam gave them his answer. He said, “Balak could give me all the silver and gold in his palace. Even then, I still couldn’t do anything at all that goes beyond what the Lord my God commands. ¹⁹ Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.”

²⁰ That night God came to Balaam. He said, “These men have come to get you. So go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.”

Balaam’s Donkey

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning. He put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went with the Moabite officials. ²² But God was very angry when Balaam went. So the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey. His two servants were with him. ²³ The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road. The angel was holding a sword. He was ready for battle. So the donkey left the road and went into a field. Balaam hit the donkey. He wanted to get it back on the road.

²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path. The path went through the vineyards. There were walls on both sides. ²⁵ The donkey saw the angel of the Lord. So it moved close to the wall. It crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he hit the donkey again.

²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead. He stood in a narrow place. There was no room to turn, either right or left. ²⁷ The donkey saw the angel of the Lord. So it lay down under Balaam. That made him angry. He hit the donkey with his walking stick. ²⁸ Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth. It said to Balaam, “What have I done to you? Why did you hit me these three times?”

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey. He said, “You have made me look foolish! I wish I had a sword in my hand. If I did, I’d kill you right now.”

³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “I’m your own donkey. I’m the one you have always ridden. Haven’t you been riding me to this very day? Have I ever made you look foolish before?”

“No,” he said.

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes. He saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road. He saw that the angel was holding a sword. The angel was ready for battle. So Balaam bowed down. He fell with his face to the ground.

³² The angel of the Lord spoke to him. He asked him, “Why have you hit your donkey three times? I have come here to oppose you. What you are doing is foolish. ³³ The donkey saw me. It turned away from me three times. Suppose it had not turned away. Then I would certainly have killed you by now. But I would have spared the donkey.”

³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Tell me whether you are pleased with me. If you aren’t, I’ll go back.”

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

³⁶ Balak heard that Balaam was coming. So he went out to meet him. They met at a Moabite town near the Arnon River. The town was on the border of Balak’s territory. ³⁷ Balak said to Balaam, “Didn’t I send messengers to you? I wanted you to come quickly. So why didn’t you come? I can make you very rich.”

³⁸ “Well, I’ve come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I can only speak the words God puts in my mouth.”

³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. ⁴⁰ Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep. He gave some to Balaam. He also gave some to the officials with him. ⁴¹ The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal. From there he could see the outer edges of the Israelite camp.

Balaam’s First Message From God

23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here. Prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.” ² Balak did just as Balaam said. The two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

³ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering. I’ll go and try to find out what the Lord wants me to do. Maybe he’ll come and meet with me. Then I’ll tell you what he says to me.” So Balaam went off to a bare hilltop.

⁴ God met with him there. Balaam said, “I’ve prepared seven altars. On each altar I’ve offered a bull and a ram.”

⁵ The Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth. The Lord said, “Go back to Balak. Give him my message.”

⁶ So Balaam went back to him. He found Balak standing beside his offering. All the Moabite officials were with him. ⁷ Then Balaam spoke the message he had received from God. He said,

¹¹ Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to put a curse on my enemies! But all you have done is give them a blessing!”

¹² He answered, “I have to speak only the words the Lord puts in my mouth.”

Balaam’s Second Message From God

¹³ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me to another place. You can see the Israelites from there. You won’t see all of them. You will only see the outer edges of their camp. From there, put a curse on them for me.” ¹⁴ So Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim. It was on the highest slopes of Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars. He offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹⁵ Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering. I’ll meet with the Lord over there.”

¹⁶ The Lord met with Balaam. He put a message in Balaam’s mouth. The Lord said, “Go back to Balak. Give him my message.”

¹⁷ So Balaam went to Balak. He found him standing beside his offering. The Moabite officials were with him. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”

¹⁸ Then Balaam spoke the message he had received from God. He said,

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Don’t put a curse on them at all! And don’t give them a blessing at all!”

²⁶ Balaam answered, “Didn’t I tell you that I must do only what the Lord says?”

Balaam’s Third Message From God

²⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come. Let me take you to another place. Perhaps God will be pleased to let you put a curse on the Israelites for me from there.” ²⁸ Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor. It looks out over a dry and empty land.

²⁹ Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here. Prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.” ³⁰ Balak did just as Balaam said. He offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

24 Balaam saw that the Lord was pleased to give his blessing to Israel. So he didn’t try to use evil magic as he had done at other times. Instead, he turned and looked toward the desert. ² He looked out and saw Israel. They had set up their camps tribe by tribe. The Spirit of God came on him. ³ Balaam spoke the message he had received from God. He said,

¹⁰ Then Balak became very angry with Balaam. He slapped his hands together. He said to Balaam, “I sent for you to put a curse on my enemies. But you have given them a blessing three times. ¹¹ Get out of here right away! Go home! I said I’d make you very rich. But the Lord has kept you from getting rich.”

¹² Balaam answered Balak, “Here is what I told the messengers you sent me. ¹³ I said, ‘Balak could give me all the silver and gold in his palace. Even if I wanted to, I still couldn’t do anything at all that goes beyond what the Lord commands. I must say only what the Lord tells me to say.’ ¹⁴ Now I’m going back to my people. But come. Let me warn you about what these people will do to your people in days to come.”

Balaam’s Fourth Message From God

¹⁵ Then Balaam spoke the message he had received from God. He said,

Balaam’s Fifth Message From God

²⁰ Then Balaam saw the Amalekites. He spoke the message he had received from God. He said,

Balaam’s Sixth Message From God

²¹ Then Balaam saw the Kenites. He spoke the message he had received from God. He said,

Balaam’s Seventh Message From God

²³ Then Balaam spoke the message he had received from God. He said,

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

Moab Leads Israel Astray

25 Israel was staying in Shittim. The men of Israel began to commit sexual sins with the women of Moab. ² The women invited the men to feasts and sacrifices to honor their gods. The people ate the sacrifices and bowed down in front of the statues of those gods. ³ So Israel joined in worshiping the god named Baal that was worshiped at Peor. The Lord became very angry with Israel.

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people. Kill them. Put their dead bodies out in the open. I want to see you do it in the middle of the day. Then I will not be angry with Israel.”

⁵ So Moses spoke to Israel’s judges. He said, “Some of your people have joined in worshiping the god named Baal that is worshiped at Peor. Each of you must kill the people in your tribe who have done that.”

⁶ Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman. He did it right in front of the eyes of Moses and the whole community of Israel. They were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷ Phinehas was a priest. He was the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. When Phinehas saw what had happened, he left the people. He took a spear in his hand. ⁸ He followed the man into the tent. Phinehas stuck the spear through the man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the Lord stopped the plague against the Israelites. ⁹ But the plague had already killed 24,000 of them.

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Phinehas is a priest. He is the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. Phinehas has turned my anger away from the Israelites. I am committed to making sure I am honored among them. And he is as committed as I am. So even though I was angry with them, I did not put an end to them. ¹² So tell Phinehas I am making my covenant with him. It is my promise to give him peace. ¹³ He and his sons after him will have a covenant to be priests forever. That is because he was committed to making sure that I, his God, was honored. In that way he paid for the sin of the Israelites.”

¹⁴ The name of the Israelite man who was killed was Zimri. He was the son of Salu. Zimri was killed along with the Midianite woman. Salu was a family leader in the tribe of Simeon. ¹⁵ The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Kozbi. She was the daughter of Zur. He was the chief of a Midianite family.

¹⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁷ “Treat the Midianites just as you would treat enemies. Kill them. ¹⁸ After all, they treated you like enemies. They tricked you into worshiping the god named Baal that is worshiped at Peor. They also tricked you because of what Kozbi did. She was the woman killed when the plague came that was connected with Peor. Kozbi was the daughter of a Midianite leader.”

The Men of Israel Are Counted a Second Time

26 After the plague, the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar the priest. Eleazar was the son of Aaron. The Lord said, ² “Count all the men of Israel. Make a list of them by their families. Count all the men who are able to serve in Israel’s army. They must be 20 years old or more.” ³ At that time the Israelites were on the plains of Moab. They were by the Jordan River across from Jericho. Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them. They said, ⁴ “Count all the men 20 years old or more. Do it just as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Here are the men of Israel who came out of Egypt.

⁷ These were the families of Reuben. The number of men was 43,730.

¹⁴ These were the families of Simeon. The number of the men counted was 22,200.

¹⁸ These were the families of Gad. The number of the men counted was 40,500.

¹⁹ Er and Onan were sons of Judah. But they died in Canaan.

²² These were the families of Judah. The number of the men counted was 76,500.

²⁵ These were the families of Issachar. The number of the men counted was 64,300.

²⁷ These were the families of Zebulun. The number of the men counted was 60,500.

²⁸ Here are the names of Joseph’s sons. They are listed by their families. The families came from Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph.

³⁷ These were the families of Ephraim. The number of the men counted was 32,500.

These were the sons of Joseph. They are listed by their families.

⁴¹ These were the families of Benjamin. The number of the men counted was 45,600.

This was the family of Dan. ⁴³ All the men in Dan’s family were Shuhamites. The number of the men counted was 64,400.

⁴⁷ These were the families of Asher. The number of the men counted was 53,400.

⁵⁰ These were the families of Naphtali. The number of the men counted was 45,400.

⁵¹ The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.

⁵² The Lord said to Moses, ⁵³ “I will give the land to them. The amount of land each family receives will be based on the number of its men. ⁵⁴ Give a larger share to a larger family. Give a smaller share to a smaller family. Each family will receive its share based on the number of men listed in it.

⁵⁵ “Be sure that you cast lots when you give out the land. What each family receives will be based on the number of men listed in its tribe. ⁵⁶ Cast lots when you give out each share. Cast lots for the larger and smaller families alike.”

⁶² The number of male Levites a month old or more was 23,000. They weren’t listed along with the other men of Israel. That’s because they didn’t receive a share among them.

⁶³ These are the men counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest. At that time the Israelites were on the plains of Moab. They were by the Jordan River across from Jericho. ⁶⁴ The men of Israel had been counted before in the Sinai Desert by Moses and Aaron the priest. But not one of them was among the men counted this time. ⁶⁵ The Lord had told the Israelites at Kadesh Barnea that they would certainly die in the desert. Not one of them was left alive except Caleb and Joshua. Caleb was the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua was the son of Nun.

Zelophehad’s Daughters

27 The daughters of Zelophehad belonged to the family groups of Manasseh. Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. Hepher was the son of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Makir. Makir was the son of Manasseh. And Manasseh was the son of Joseph. The names of Zelophehad’s daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They approached ² the entrance to the tent of meeting. There they stood in front of Moses and Eleazar the priest. The leaders and the whole community were there too. Zelophehad’s daughters said, ³ “Our father died in the Sinai Desert. But he wasn’t one of the men who followed Korah. He wasn’t one of those who joined together against the Lord. Our father died because of his own sin. He didn’t leave any sons. ⁴ Why should our father’s name disappear from his family just because he didn’t have a son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

⁵ So Moses brought their case to the Lord. ⁶ The Lord said to him, ⁷ “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property. Give them a share among their father’s relatives. Give their father’s property to them.

⁸ “Say to the Israelites, ‘Suppose a man dies who doesn’t have a son. Then give his property to his daughter. ⁹ Suppose the man doesn’t have a daughter. Then give his property to his brothers. ¹⁰ Suppose the man doesn’t have any brothers. Then give his property to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ Suppose his father doesn’t have any brothers. Then give his property to the nearest male relative in his family group. It will belong to him. That is what the law will require of the Israelites. It is just as the Lord commanded me.’ ”

Joshua Becomes Israel’s New Leader

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range. See the land I have given the Israelites. ¹³ After you have seen it, you too will join the members of your family who have already died. You will die, just as your brother Aaron did. ¹⁴ The community refused to obey me at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin. At that time, you and Aaron did not obey my command. You did not honor me in front of them as the holy God.”

¹⁵ Moses spoke to the Lord. He said, ¹⁶ “Lord, you are the God who gives life and breath to all living things. Please put someone in charge of this community. ¹⁷ Have that person lead them and take care of them. Then your people won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.”

¹⁸ So the Lord said to Moses, “Joshua, the son of Nun, has the ability to be a wise leader. Get him and place your hand on him. ¹⁹ Have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the whole community. Put him in charge while everyone is watching. ²⁰ Give him some of your authority. Then the whole community of Israel will obey him. ²¹ Joshua will stand in front of Eleazar the priest. Eleazar will help him make decisions. Eleazar will get help from me by using the Urim. Joshua and the whole community of Israel must not make any move at all unless I command them to.”

²² Moses did just as the Lord commanded him. He got Joshua and had him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the whole community. ²³ Then Moses placed his hands on Joshua. And he put him in charge of the people. He did just as the Lord had directed through Moses.

Offerings That Israel Must Bring Each Day

28 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Here is a command I want you to give the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Make sure to present to me my food offerings. Do it at the appointed time. Their smell will please me.’ ³ Tell them, ‘Here is the food offering you must present to the Lord. Present to him two lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. Present them as a regular burnt offering each day. ⁴ Offer one lamb in the morning. Offer the other when the sun goes down. ⁵ Present a grain offering along with them. It must have eight cups of the finest flour. Mix it with a quart of oil made from pressed olives. ⁶ It is the regular burnt offering. The Lord established it at Mount Sinai. It has a pleasant smell. It is a food offering presented to the Lord. ⁷ Along with that, offer a quart of wine as a drink offering. It must be given along with each lamb. Pour out the drink offering to the Lord at the sacred tent. ⁸ Offer the second lamb when the sun goes down. Sacrifice it along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering that you present in the morning. It is a food offering. Its smell pleases the Lord.

Offerings That Israel Must Bring on the Sabbath Day

⁹ “ ‘On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs. They must be a year old. They must not have any flaws. Sacrifice them along with their drink offering. Sacrifice them along with a grain offering of 16 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. ¹⁰ It is the burnt offering for every Sabbath day. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

Offerings That Israel Must Bring Every Month

¹¹ “ ‘On the first day of every month, bring to the Lord a burnt offering. Bring two young bulls and one ram. Also bring seven male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ¹² Present a grain offering along with each bull. It must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Present a grain offering along with the ram. It must have 16 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with oil. ¹³ Present a grain offering along with each lamb. It must have eight cups of the finest flour. Mix it with oil. It is for a burnt offering. It has a pleasant smell. It is a food offering presented to the Lord. ¹⁴ Present a drink offering along with each bull. It must have two quarts of wine. Offer two and a half pints along with the ram. And offer one quart along with each lamb. It is the burnt offering for each month. It must be made on the day of each New Moon feast during the year. ¹⁵ One male goat must be sacrificed to the Lord as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

The Passover Feast

¹⁶ “ ‘The Lord’s Passover Feast must be held on the 14th day of the first month. ¹⁷ On the 15th day of the month there must be a feast. For seven days eat bread made without yeast. ¹⁸ On the first day come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work. ¹⁹ Present to the Lord a food offering. Present a burnt offering of two young bulls and one ram. Also present seven male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ²⁰ Present a grain offering along with each bull. The offering must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Offer 16 cups along with the ram. ²¹ Offer eight cups along with each of the seven lambs. ²² Include a male goat as a sin offering. It will pay for your sin. ²³ Offer everything in addition to the regular morning burnt offering. ²⁴ Present the food offering every day for seven days. The smell of the offering will please the Lord. You must present the offering in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. ²⁵ On the seventh day come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work.

The Feast of Weeks

²⁶ “ ‘On the day you gather the first share of your crops, present to the Lord an offering of your first grain. Do it during the Feast of Weeks. Come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work. ²⁷ Sacrifice a burnt offering of two young bulls and one ram. Also sacrifice seven male lambs a year old. The smell of the offering will please the Lord. ²⁸ Present a grain offering along with each bull. It must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Offer 16 cups along with the ram. ²⁹ Offer eight cups along with each of the seven lambs. ³⁰ Include a male goat to pay for your sin. ³¹ Present everything along with the drink offerings. Do it in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. Be sure the animals do not have any flaws.

The Feast of Trumpets

29 “ ‘On the first day of the seventh month, come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work. Blow the trumpets on that day. ² Sacrifice a burnt offering. Its smell will please the Lord. Sacrifice one young bull and one ram. Also sacrifice seven male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ³ Present a grain offering along with the bull. It must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Offer 16 cups along with the ram. ⁴ Offer eight cups along with each of the seven lambs. ⁵ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It will pay for your sin. ⁶ Each month and each day you must sacrifice burnt offerings. Sacrifice them along with their grain offerings and drink offerings as they are required. The offerings for the Feast of Trumpets are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings. They are food offerings presented to the Lord. They have a pleasant smell.

The Day When Sin Is Paid For

⁷ “ ‘On the tenth day of the seventh month, come together for a special service. You must not eat anything on that day. You must not do any work on it. ⁸ Sacrifice a burnt offering. Its smell will please the Lord. Sacrifice one young bull and one ram. Also sacrifice seven male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ⁹ Present a grain offering along with the bull. The offering must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Offer 16 cups along with the ram. ¹⁰ Offer eight cups along with each of the seven lambs. ¹¹ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the offering that pays for sin. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering along with its grain offering. It is also in addition to their drink offerings.

The Feast of Booths

¹² “ ‘On the 15th day of the seventh month, come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work. Celebrate the Feast of Booths for seven days to honor the Lord. ¹³ Present a food offering. Its smell will please the Lord. Sacrifice a burnt offering of 13 young bulls and two rams. Also sacrifice 14 male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ¹⁴ Present a grain offering along with each of the 13 bulls. It must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Offer 16 cups along with each of the two rams. ¹⁵ Offer eight cups along with each of the 14 lambs. ¹⁶ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering. It is also in addition to its grain offering and drink offering.

¹⁷ “ ‘On the second day sacrifice 12 young bulls and two rams. Also sacrifice 14 male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ¹⁸ Present their grain offerings and drink offerings. Present them along with the bulls, rams and lambs. Present them according to the required number. ¹⁹ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering along with its grain offering. It is also in addition to their drink offerings.

²⁰ “ ‘On the third day sacrifice 11 bulls and two rams. Also sacrifice 14 male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ²¹ Present their grain offerings and drink offerings. Present them along with the bulls, rams and lambs. Present them according to the required number. ²² Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering. It is also in addition to its grain offering and drink offering.

²³ “ ‘On the fourth day sacrifice ten bulls and two rams. Also sacrifice 14 male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ²⁴ Present their grain offerings and drink offerings. Present them along with the bulls, rams and lambs. Present them according to the required number. ²⁵ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering. It is also in addition to its grain offering and drink offering.

²⁶ “ ‘On the fifth day sacrifice nine bulls and two rams. Also sacrifice 14 male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ²⁷ Present their grain offerings and drink offerings. Present them along with the bulls, rams and lambs. Present them according to the required number. ²⁸ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering. It is also in addition to its grain offering and drink offering.

²⁹ “ ‘On the sixth day sacrifice eight bulls and two rams. Also sacrifice 14 male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ³⁰ Present their grain offerings and drink offerings. Present them along with the bulls, rams and lambs. Present them according to the required number. ³¹ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering. It is also in addition to its grain offering and drink offering.

³² “ ‘On the seventh day sacrifice seven bulls and two rams. Also sacrifice 14 male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ³³ Present their grain offerings and drink offerings. Present them along with the bulls, rams and lambs. Present them according to the required number. ³⁴ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering. It is also in addition to its grain offering and drink offering.

³⁵ “ ‘On the eighth day come together for a closing sacred service. Do not do any regular work. ³⁶ Present a food offering. Its smell will please the Lord. Sacrifice a burnt offering of one bull and one ram. Also sacrifice seven male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. ³⁷ Present their grain offerings and drink offerings. Present them along with the bull, the ram and the lambs. Present them according to the required number. ³⁸ Include a male goat as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering. It is also in addition to its grain offering and drink offering.

³⁹ “ ‘Here are the offerings you must present to the Lord at your appointed feasts. They are burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and friendship offerings. They are in addition to the offerings you bring to keep a special promise you make to the Lord. They are also in addition to the offerings you choose to give.’ ”

⁴⁰ Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him.

Special Promises

30 Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of Israel. He said, “Here is what the Lord commands. ² Suppose a man makes a special promise to the Lord. Or suppose he gives his word to do something. Then he must keep his promise. He must do everything he said he would do.

³ “Suppose a young woman is still living in her father’s house. She makes a special promise to the Lord. Or she gives her word to do something. ⁴ Suppose her father hears about her promise. And he doesn’t say anything to her about it. Then she must keep her promise. She must do what she agreed to do. ⁵ But suppose her father doesn’t allow her to keep her promises when he hears about them. Then she doesn’t have to do what she promised or agreed to do. The Lord will set her free. He’ll do it because her father hasn’t allowed her to keep her promises.

⁶ “Suppose she gets married after she makes a special promise. Or she gets married after agreeing to do something without thinking it through. ⁷ Suppose her husband hears about what she did. And he doesn’t say anything to her about it. Then she must keep her promise. She must do what she agreed to do. ⁸ But suppose her husband doesn’t allow her to keep her promises when he hears about them. Then she doesn’t have to do what she promised. She doesn’t have to do what she agreed to do without thinking it through. The Lord will set her free.

⁹ “Suppose a widow makes a special promise. Or suppose she gives her word to do something. Then she must keep her promise. She must do what she agreed to do. The same rules apply to a woman who has been divorced.

¹⁰ “Suppose a woman living with her husband makes a special promise. Or she gives her word to do something. ¹¹ Suppose her husband hears about what she did. He doesn’t say anything to her about it. And he doesn’t try to stop her from keeping her promises. Then she must keep all of them. She must do what she agreed to do. ¹² But suppose her husband doesn’t allow her to keep her promises when he hears about them. Then she doesn’t have to do what she promised. She doesn’t have to do what she agreed to do. Her husband has kept her from doing what she said she would do. The Lord will set her free. ¹³ Her husband can let her keep any special promise she makes. Or he can refuse to let her keep it. Suppose she gives her word not to eat anything. Then her husband can let her keep her promise. Or he can refuse to let her keep it. ¹⁴ But suppose day after day her husband doesn’t say anything to her about what she did. Then he lets her keep all her promises. He lets her do everything she agreed to do. That’s because he didn’t say anything to her when he heard about what she had done. ¹⁵ But suppose some time after he hears about her promises he doesn’t let her keep them. Then she will be guilty. But he will bear the consequences for her guilt.”

¹⁶ These are the rules the Lord gave Moses about a man and his wife. And these are the rules the Lord gave about a father and his young daughter still living at home.

The Lord Punishes the Midianites

31 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ² “Pay the Midianites back for what they did to the Israelites. After that, you will join the members of your family who have already died.”

³ So Moses said to the people, “Prepare some of your men for battle. They must go to war against Midian. They will carry out the Lord’s plan to punish Midian. ⁴ Send 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel into battle.” ⁵ So Moses prepared 12,000 men for battle. There were 1,000 from each tribe. They came from the families of Israel. ⁶ Moses sent them into battle. He sent 1,000 from each tribe. Phinehas the priest went along with them. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. Phinehas took some things from the sacred tent with him. He also took the trumpets. The trumpet blasts would tell the people what to do and when to do it.

⁷ They fought against Midian, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. They killed every man. ⁸ Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba were among the men they killed. Those men were the five kings of Midian. The Israelites also killed Balaam with their swords. Balaam was the son of Beor. ⁹ The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children. They took for themselves all the herds, flocks and goods. ¹⁰ They burned down all the towns where the Midianites lived. They also burned all their camps. ¹¹ They carried off everything they had taken. That included the people and the animals. ¹² They brought back to Israel’s camp the prisoners and everything else they had taken. They took them to Moses and to Eleazar the priest. They brought them to the whole community. Israel was camped on the plains of Moab. They were by the Jordan River across from Jericho.

¹³ Moses and Eleazar the priest went to meet them outside the camp. So did all the leaders of the community. ¹⁴ Moses was angry with the officers of the army who had returned from the battle. Some of them were the commanders of thousands of men. Others were the commanders of hundreds.

¹⁵ “Have you let all the women remain alive?” Moses asked them. ¹⁶ “The women followed Balaam’s advice. They caused the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord. The people worshiped the god named Baal that was worshiped at Peor. So a plague struck them. ¹⁷ Kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man. ¹⁸ But save for yourselves every woman who has never slept with a man.

¹⁹ “Anyone who has killed a person must stay outside the camp for seven days. And anyone who has touched a person who was killed must do the same thing. On the third and seventh days you must make yourselves pure. You must also make your prisoners pure. ²⁰ Make all your clothes pure and ‘clean.’ Everything made out of leather, goat hair or wood must be made pure and ‘clean.’ ”

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest spoke to the soldiers who had gone into battle. He said, “Here is what the law the Lord gave Moses requires. ²² All your gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead ²³ must be put through fire. So must everything else that doesn’t burn up. Then those things will be ‘clean.’ But they must also be made pure with the special water. In fact, everything that won’t burn up must be put through that water. ²⁴ On the seventh day wash your clothes. And you will be ‘clean.’ Then you can come into the camp.”

The People Divide Up What They Had Taken

²⁵ The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ²⁶ “Here is what you and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders of the community must do. You must count all the people and animals you captured. ²⁷ Divide up some of what you took with the soldiers who fought in the battle. Divide up the rest with the others in the community. ²⁸ Set apart a gift for me. Take something from the soldiers who fought in the battle. Set apart one out of every 500 people, cattle, donkeys or sheep. ²⁹ Take my gift from the soldiers’ half. Give it to Eleazar the priest. It is my share. ³⁰ Also take something from the half that belongs to the Israelites. Choose one out of every 50 people, cattle, donkeys, sheep or other animals. Give them to the Levites. They are responsible for taking care of my holy tent.” ³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³² What the soldiers took included 675,000 sheep. ³³ There were also 72,000 cattle ³⁴ and 61,000 donkeys. ³⁵ And there were 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.

³⁶ Here is the half that belonged to those who had fought in the battle.

⁴¹ Moses gave the gift to Eleazar the priest. It was the Lord’s share. Moses did just as the Lord had commanded him.

⁴² The other half belonged to the Israelites. Moses set it apart from what belonged to the fighting men. ⁴³ The community’s half was 337,500 sheep, ⁴⁴ 36,000 cattle, ⁴⁵ 30,500 donkeys ⁴⁶ and 16,000 women. ⁴⁷ Moses chose one out of every 50 people and animals. He gave them to the Levites. They were accountable for taking care of the Lord’s holy tent. Moses did just as the Lord had commanded him.

⁴⁸ Then the army officers went to Moses. Some of them were the commanders of thousands of men. Others were the commanders of hundreds. ⁴⁹ All of them said to Moses, “We have counted the soldiers under our command. Not a single one is missing. ⁵⁰ So we’ve brought an offering to the Lord. We’ve brought the gold each of us took in the battle. That includes armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces. We’ve brought them in front of the Lord to pay for our sin.”

⁵¹ Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the beautiful gold things from the army officers. ⁵² The gold received from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds weighed 420 pounds. Moses and Eleazar offered all of it as a gift to the Lord. ⁵³ Each soldier had taken things from the battle for himself. ⁵⁴ Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from all the commanders. They brought it into the tent of meeting. It reminded the Lord of the Israelites.

The Tribes on the East Side of the Jordan River

32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had very large herds and flocks. They looked at the lands of Jazer and Gilead. They saw that those lands were just right for livestock. ² So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest. They also came to the leaders of the community. They said, ³ “We have seen the cities of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah and Heshbon. We’ve seen Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon. ⁴ All of them are in the land the Lord has brought under Israel’s control. This land is just right for livestock. And we have livestock. ⁵ We hope you are pleased with us,” they continued. “If you are, please give us this land. Then it will belong to us. But don’t make us go across the Jordan River.”

⁶ Moses spoke to the people of Gad and Reuben. He said, “Should the rest of us go to war while you stay here? ⁷ The Lord has given the land of Canaan to the Israelites. So why would you want to keep them from going over into it? ⁸ That’s what your fathers did. I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to check out the land. ⁹ They went up to the Valley of Eshkol and looked at the land. Then they talked the Israelites out of entering the land the Lord had given them. ¹⁰ The Lord’s anger was stirred up that day. So he made a promise. He said, ¹¹ ‘Not one of those who were 20 years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land. They have not followed me with their whole heart. I promised to give the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. ¹² But not one of the people who came up out of Egypt will see the land except Caleb and Joshua. Caleb is the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite. And Joshua is the son of Nun. They will see the land. They followed the Lord with their whole heart.’ ¹³ The Lord became very angry with Israel. He made them wander around in the desert for 40 years. They wandered until all the people who had done evil in his sight had died.

¹⁴ “Now here you are, you bunch of sinners! You have taken the place of your fathers. And you are making the Lord even angrier with Israel. ¹⁵ What if you turn away from following him? Then he’ll leave all these people in the desert again. And it will be your fault when they are destroyed.”

¹⁶ Then they came up to Moses. They said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock. We would also like to build cities for our women and children. ¹⁷ But we will prepare ourselves for battle. We’re even ready to go ahead of the Israelites. We’ll march out with them until we’ve brought them to their place. While we’re gone, our women and children will live in cities that have high walls around them. That will keep them safe from the people living in this land. ¹⁸ We won’t return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their share of the land. ¹⁹ We won’t receive any share with them on the west side of the Jordan River. We’ve already received our share here on the east side.”