Bible in 90 Days
8 and the Lord answered, “Make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and be saved from death.”
9 (A) Moses obeyed the Lord. And all of those who looked at the bronze snake lived, even though they had been bitten by the poisonous snakes.
Israel's Journey to Moab
10 As the Israelites continued their journey to Canaan, they camped at Oboth, 11 then at Iye-Abarim in the desert east of Moab, 12 and then in the Zered Gorge. 13 After that, they crossed the Arnon River gorge and camped in the Moabite desert bordering Amorite territory. The Arnon was the border between the Moabites and the Amorites. 14 A song in
16 From the Arnon, the Israelites went to the well near the town of Beer, where the Lord had said to Moses, “Call the people together, and I will give them water to drink.”
17 That's also the same well the Israelites sang about in this song:
Let's celebrate!
The well has given us water.
18 With their royal scepters,
our leaders pointed out
where to dig the well.
The Israelites left the desert and camped near the town of Mattanah, 19 then at Nahaliel, and then at Bamoth. 20 Finally, they reached Moabite territory, where they camped near Mount Pisgah[b] in a valley overlooking the desert north of the Dead Sea.
Israel Defeats King Sihon the Amorite
(Deuteronomy 2.26-37)
21 The Israelites sent this message to King Sihon of the Amorites:
22 Please let us pass through your territory. We promise to stay away from your fields and vineyards, and we won't drink any water from your wells. As long as we're in your land, we'll stay on the main road.[c]
23 But Sihon refused to let Israel travel through his land. Instead, he called together his entire army and marched into the desert to attack Israel near the town of Jahaz. 24 Israel defeated them and took over the Amorite territory from the Arnon River gorge in the south to the Jabbok River gorge in the north. Beyond the Jabbok was the territory of the Ammonites, who were much stronger than Israel.
25 The Israelites settled in the Amorite towns, including the capital city of Heshbon with its surrounding villages. 26 King Sihon had ruled from Heshbon, after defeating the Moabites and taking over their land north of the Arnon River gorge. 27 That's why the Amorites had written this poem about Heshbon:
Come and rebuild Heshbon,
King Sihon's capital city!
28 (B) His armies marched out
like fiery flames,
burning down the town of Ar
and destroying[d] the hills
along the Arnon River.
29 You Moabites are done for!
Your god Chemosh
deserted your people;
they were captured, taken away
by King Sihon the Amorite.
30 We completely defeated Moab.
The towns of Heshbon and Dibon,
of Nophah and Medeba
are ruined and gone.[e]
31 After the Israelites had settled in the Amorite territory, 32 Moses sent some men to explore the town of Jazer. Later, the Israelites captured the villages surrounding it and forced out the Amorites who lived there.
Israel Defeats King Og of Bashan
(Deuteronomy 3.1-11)
33 The Israelites headed toward the region of Bashan, where King Og ruled, and he led his entire army to Edrei to meet Israel in battle.
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Don't be afraid of Og. I will help you defeat him and his army, just as you did King Sihon who ruled in Heshbon. Og's territory will be yours.”
35 So the Israelites wiped out Og, his family, and his entire army—there were no survivors. Then Israel took over the land of Bashan.
22 Israel moved from there to the hills of Moab, where they camped across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho.
King Balak of Moab Hires Balaam To Curse Israel
2-3 When King Balak[f] of Moab and his people heard how many Israelites there were and what they had done to the Amorites, he and the Moabites were terrified and panicked. 4 They said to the Midianite leaders, “That huge mob of Israelites will wipe out everything in sight, like a bull eating grass in a field.”
So King Balak 5 (C) sent a message to Balaam son of Beor who lived among his relatives in the town of Pethor near the Euphrates River. It said:
I need your help. A large group of people has come here from Egypt and settled near my territory. 6 They are too powerful for us to defeat, so would you come and place a curse on them? Maybe then we can run them off. I know that anyone you bless will be successful, but anyone you curse will fail.
7 The leaders of Moab and Midian left and took along money to pay Balaam. When they got to his house, they gave him Balak's message.
8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam replied, “and tomorrow I will tell you the Lord's answer.” So the officials stayed at his house.
9 During the night, God asked Balaam, “Who are these people at your house?”
10 “They are messengers from King Balak of Moab,” Balaam answered. “He sent them 11 to ask me to go to Moab and put a curse on the people who have come there from Egypt. They have settled everywhere around him, and he wants to run them off.”
12 But God replied, “Don't go with Balak's messengers. I have blessed those people who have come from Egypt, so don't curse them.”
13 The next morning, Balaam said to Balak's officials, “Go on back home. The Lord says I cannot go with you.”
14 The officials left and told Balak that Balaam refused to come.
15 Then Balak sent a larger group of officials, who were even more important than the first ones. 16 They went to Balaam and told him that Balak had said, “Balaam, if you come to Moab, 17 I'll pay you very well and do whatever you ask. Just come and place a curse on these people.”
18 Balaam answered, “Even if Balak offered me a palace full of silver or gold, I wouldn't do anything to disobey the Lord my God. 19 You are welcome to spend the night here, just as the others did. I will find out if the Lord has something else to say about this.”
20 That night, God said, “Balaam, I'll let you go to Moab with Balak's messengers, but do only what I say.”
21 So Balaam got up the next morning and saddled his donkey, then left with the Moabite officials.
Balaam and His Donkey Meet an Angel
22 Balaam was riding his donkey to Moab, and two of his servants were with him. But God was angry that Balaam had gone, so one of the Lord's angels stood in the road to stop him. 23 When Balaam's donkey saw the angel standing there with a sword, it walked off the road and into an open field. Balaam had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel stood between two vineyards, in a narrow path with a stone wall on each side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel, it walked so close to one of the walls that Balaam's foot scraped against the wall. Balaam beat the donkey again.
26 The angel moved once more and stood in a spot so narrow that there was no room for the donkey to go around. 27 So it just lay down. Balaam lost his temper, then picked up a stick and whacked the donkey.
28 When that happened, the Lord told the donkey to speak, and it asked Balaam, “What have I done that made you beat me three times?”
29 “You made me look stupid!” Balaam answered. “If I had a sword, I'd kill you here and now!”
30 “But you're my owner,” answered the donkey, “and you've ridden me many times. Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted.
31 Just then, the Lord let Balaam see the angel standing in the road, holding a sword, and Balaam bowed down.
32 The angel said, “You had no right to treat your donkey like that! I was the one who blocked your way, because I don't think you should go to Moab.[g] 33 If your donkey had not seen me and stopped those three times, I would have killed you and let the donkey live.”
34 Balaam replied, “I was wrong. I didn't know you were trying to stop me. If you don't think I should go, I'll return home at once.”
35 “It's all right for you to go,” the Lord's angel answered. “But you must say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went on with Balak's officials.
King Balak Meets Balaam
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at the town of Ir on the Arnon River, which is the northern border of Moab. 37 Balak asked, “Why didn't you come when I invited you the first time? Did you think I wasn't going to pay you?”
38 “I'm here now,” Balaam answered. “But I will say only what God tells me to say.”
39 They left and went to the town of Kiriath-Huzoth, 40 where Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him.
41 The next morning, Balak took Balaam to the town of Bamoth-Baal. From there, Balaam could see some of the Israelites.[h]
Balaam's First Message
23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here, then bring seven bulls and seven rams.”
2 After Balak had done this, they sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said, “Wait here beside your offerings, and I'll go somewhere to be alone. Maybe the Lord will appear to me. If he does, I will tell you everything he says.” And he left.
4 When God appeared to him, Balaam said, “I have built seven altars and have sacrificed a bull and a ram on each one.”
5 The Lord gave Balaam a message, then sent him back to tell Balak. 6 When Balaam returned, he found Balak and his officials standing beside the offerings.
7 Balaam said:
“King Balak of Moab brought me
from the hills of Syria
to curse Israel
and announce its doom.
8 But I can't go against God!
He did not curse
or condemn Israel.
* 9 “From the mountain peaks,
I look down and see Israel,
the obedient people of God.
10 They are living alone in peace.
And though they are many,
they don't bother
the other nations.
“I hope to obey God
for as long as I live
and to die in such peace.”
11 Balak said, “What are you doing? I asked you to come and place a curse on my enemies. But you have blessed them instead!”
12 Balaam answered, “I can say only what the Lord tells me.”
Balaam's Second Message
13 Balak said to Balaam, “Let's go somewhere else. Maybe if you see a smaller part of the Israelites, you will be able to curse them for me.” 14 So he took Balaam to a field on top of Mount Pisgah where lookouts were stationed.[i] Then he built seven altars there and sacrificed a bull and a ram on each one.
15 “Wait here beside your offerings,” Balaam said. “The Lord will appear to me over there.”
16 The Lord appeared to Balaam and gave him another message, then he told him to go and tell Balak. 17 Balaam went back and saw him and his officials standing beside the offerings.
Balak asked, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Balaam answered:
“Pay close attention
to my words—
19 God is no mere human!
He doesn't tell lies
or change his mind.
God always keeps his promises.
20 “My command from God
was to bless these people,
and there's nothing I can do
to change what he has done.
21 Israel's king is the Lord God.
He lives there with them
and intends them no harm.
22 With the strength of a wild ox,
God led Israel out of Egypt.
23 No magic charms can work
against them—
just look what God has done
for his people.
24 They are like angry lions
ready to attack;
and they won't rest
until their victim
is gobbled up.”
25 Balak shouted, “If you're not going to curse Israel, then at least don't bless them.”
26 “I've already told you,” Balaam answered. “I will say only what the Lord tells me.”
Balaam's Third Message
27 Balak said to Balaam, “Come on, let's try another place. Maybe God will let you curse Israel from there.” 28 So he took Balaam to Mount Peor overlooking the desert north of the Dead Sea.
29 Balaam said, “Build seven altars here, then bring me seven bulls and seven rams.”
30 After Balak had done what Balaam asked, he sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar.
24 Balaam was sure that the Lord would tell him to bless Israel again. So he did not use any magic to find out what the Lord wanted him to do, as he had the first two times. Instead, he looked out toward the desert 2 and saw the tribes of Israel camped below. Just then, God's Spirit took control of him, 3 and Balaam said:
“I am the son of Beor,
and my words are true,[j]
so listen to my message!
4 It comes from the Lord,
the God All-Powerful.
I bowed down to him
and saw a vision of Israel.
5 “People of Israel,
your camp is lovely.
6 It's like a grove of palm trees[k]
or a garden beside a river.
You are like tall aloe trees
that the Lord has planted,
or like cedars
growing near water.
7 You and your descendants
will prosper like an orchard
beside a stream.
Your king will rule with power
and be a greater king
than Agag the Amalekite.[l]
8 With the strength of a wild ox,
God led you out of Egypt.
You will defeat your enemies,
shooting them with arrows[m]
and crushing their bones.
9 (D) Like a lion you lie down,
resting after an attack.
Who would dare disturb you?
“Anyone who blesses you
will be blessed;
anyone who curses you
will be cursed.”
10 When Balak heard this, he was so furious that he pounded his fist against his hand and said, “I called you here to place a curse on my enemies, and you've blessed them three times. 11 Leave now and go home! I told you I would pay you well, but since the Lord didn't let you do what I asked, you won't be paid.”
12 Balaam answered, “I told your messengers 13 that even if you offered me a palace full of silver or gold, I would still obey the Lord. And I explained that I would say only what he told me. 14 So I'm going back home, but I'm leaving you with a warning about what the Israelites will someday do to your nation.”
Balaam's Fourth Message
15 Balaam said:
“I am the son of Beor,
and my words are true,[n]
so listen to my message!
16 My knowledge comes
from God Most High,
the Lord All-Powerful.
I bowed down to him
and saw a vision of Israel.
17 “What I saw in my vision
hasn't happened yet.
But someday, a king of Israel
will appear like a star.
He will wipe out you Moabites[o]
and destroy[p] those tribes
who live in the desert.[q]
18 Israel will conquer Edom
and capture the land
of that enemy nation.
19 The king of Israel will rule
and destroy the survivors
of every town there.[r]
20 “And I saw this vision
about the Amalekites:[s]
Their nation is now great,
but it will someday
disappear forever.[t]
21 “And this is what I saw
about the Kenites:[u]
They think they're safe,
living among the rocks,
22 but they will be wiped out
when Assyria conquers them.[v]
23 “No one can survive
if God plans destruction.[w]
24 Ships will come from Cyprus,
bringing people who will invade
the lands of Assyria and Eber.
But finally, Cyprus itself
will be ruined.”
25 After Balaam finished, he started home, and Balak also left.
The Israelites Worship Baal
25 While the Israelites were camped at Acacia, some of the men had sex with Moabite women. 2 These women then invited the men to ceremonies where sacrifices were offered to their gods. The men ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped the Moabite gods.
3 The Lord was angry with Israel because they had worshiped the god Baal Peor. 4 So he said to Moses, “Take the Israelite leaders who are responsible for this and have them killed in front of my sacred tent where everyone can see. Maybe then I will stop being angry with the Israelites.”
5 Moses told Israel's officials,[x] “Each of you must put to death any of your men who worshiped Baal.”
6 Later, Moses and the people were at the sacred tent, crying, when one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite[y] woman to meet his family. 7 Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron[z] the priest, saw the couple and left the crowd. He found a spear 8 and followed the man into his tent, where he ran the spear through the man and into the woman's stomach. The Lord immediately stopped punishing Israel with a deadly disease, 9 but 24,000 Israelites had already died.
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “In my anger, I would have wiped out the Israelites if Phinehas had not been faithful to me. 12-13 But instead of punishing them, I forgave them. So because of the loyalty that Phinehas showed, I solemnly promise that he and his descendants will always be my priests.”
14 The Israelite man that was killed was Zimri son of Salu, who was one of the leaders of the Simeon tribe. 15 And the Midianite woman killed with him was Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite clan leader named Zur.
16 The Lord told Moses, 17-18 “The Midianites are now enemies of Israel, so attack and defeat them! They tricked the people of Israel into worshiping their god at Peor, and they are responsible for the death of Cozbi, the daughter of one of their own leaders.”
The Israelites Are Counted a Second Time
26 (E) After the Lord had stopped the deadly disease from killing the Israelites, he said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, 2 “I want you to find out how many Israelites are in each family. Then make a list of every man 20 years and older who is able to serve in Israel's army.”
3 Israel was now camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho. Moses and Eleazar told them 4 what the Lord had said about counting the men 20 years and older, just as Moses and their ancestors had done when they left Egypt.[aa]
5-7 There were 43,730 men from the tribe of Reuben, the oldest son of Jacob.[ab] These men were from the clans of Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 8 Pallu was the father of Eliab 9 and the grandfather of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the same Dathan and Abiram who had been chosen by the people, but who followed Korah and rebelled against Moses, Aaron, and the Lord. 10 That's when the Lord made the earth open up and swallow Dathan, Abiram, and Korah. At the same time, fire destroyed 250 men as a warning to the other Israelites.[ac] 11 But the Korahite clan wasn't destroyed.
12-14 There were 22,200 men from the tribe of Simeon; they were from the clans of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah, and Shaul.
15-18 There were 40,500 men from the tribe of Gad; they were from the clans of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod, and Areli.
19-22 There were 76,500 men from the tribe of Judah; they were from the clans of Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, as well as Hezron and Hamul, whose ancestor was Perez. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan.[ad]
23-25 There were 64,300 men from the tribe of Issachar; they were from the clans of Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron.
26-27 There were 60,500 men from the tribe of Zebulun; they were from the clans of Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
28-34 There were 52,700 men from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; they were from the clan of Machir, the clan of Gilead his son, and the clans of his six grandsons: Iezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher. Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but he had five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.[ae]
35-37 There were 32,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; they were from the clans of Shuthelah, Becher, Tahan, and Eran the son of Shuthelah.
38-41 There were 45,600 men from the tribe of Benjamin; they were from the clans of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shephupham, Hupham, as well as from Ard and Naaman, the two sons of Bela.
42-43 There were 64,400 men from the tribe of Dan; they were all from the clan of Shuham.
44-47 There were 53,400 men from the tribe of Asher; they were from the clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and from the two clans of Heber and Malchiel, the sons of Beriah. Asher's daughter was Serah.
48-50 There were 45,400 men from the tribe of Naphtali; they were from the clans of Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
51 The total number of Israelite men listed was 601,730.
52 (F) The Lord said to Moses, 53 “Divide the land of Canaan among these tribes, according to the number of people in each one, 54 so the larger tribes have more land than the smaller ones. 55-56 I will show you[af] what land to give each tribe, and they will receive as much land as they need, according to the number of people in it.”
57 The tribe of Levi included the clans of the Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, 58 as well as the clans of Libni, Hebron, Mahli, Mushi, and Korah. Kohath the Levite was the father of Amram, 59 the husband of Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed's three children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. 60 (G) Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 (H) But Nadab and Abihu had died when they offered fire that was unacceptable to the Lord.[ag]
62 In the tribe of Levi there were 23,000 men and boys at least a month old. They were not listed with the other tribes, because they would not receive any land in Canaan.
63 Moses and Eleazar counted the Israelites while they were camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. 64 None of the people that Moses and Aaron had counted in the Sinai Desert were still alive, 65 (I) except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. The Lord had said that everyone else would die there in the desert.[ah]
The Daughters of Zelophehad Are Given Land
27 Zelophehad[ai] was from the Manasseh tribe, and he had five daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
2 One day his daughters went to the sacred tent, where they met with Moses, Eleazar, and some other leaders of Israel, as well as a large crowd of Israelites. The young women said:
3 You know that our father died in the desert. But it was for something he did wrong, not for joining with Korah in rebelling against the Lord.
Our father left no sons 4 to carry on his family name. But why should his name die out for that reason? Give us some land like the rest of his relatives in our clan, so our father's name can live on.
5 Moses asked the Lord what should be done, 6 and the Lord answered:
7 (J) Zelophehad's daughters are right. They should each be given part of the land their father would have received.
8 Tell the Israelites that when a man dies without a son, his daughter will inherit his land. 9 If he has no daughter, his brothers will inherit the land. 10 But if he has no brothers, his father's brothers will inherit the land. 11 And if his father has no brothers, the land must be given to his nearest relative in the clan. This is my law, and the Israelites must obey it.
Joshua Is Appointed Israel's Leader
(Deuteronomy 31.1-8)
12 (K) The Lord said to Moses, “One day you will go up into the Abarim Mountains, and from there you will see the land I am giving the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you will die,[aj] just like your brother Aaron, 14 because both of you disobeyed me at Meribah near the town of Kadesh in the Zin Desert. When the Israelites insulted me there, you didn't believe in my holy power.”[ak]
15 Moses replied, 16 “You are the Lord God, and you know what is in everyone's heart. So I ask you to appoint a leader for Israel. 17 (L) Your people need someone to lead them into battle, or else they will be like sheep wandering around without a shepherd.”
18 (M) The Lord answered, “Joshua son of Nun can do the job. Place your hands on him to show that he is the one to take your place. 19 Then go with him and tell him to stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the Israelites. Appoint Joshua as their new leader 20 and tell them they must now obey him, just as they obey you. 21 (N) But Joshua must depend on Eleazar to find out from me[al] what I want him to do as he leads Israel into battle.”
22 Moses followed the Lord's instructions and took Joshua to Eleazar and the people, 23 (O) then he placed his hands on Joshua and appointed him Israel's leader.
Regular Daily Sacrifices
(Exodus 29.38-43; Leviticus 6.8-13)
28 The Lord told Moses 2 to say to the people of Israel:
Offer sacrifices to me at the appointed times of worship, so that I will smell the smoke and be pleased.
3 Each day offer two rams a year old as sacrifices to please me.[am] The animals must have nothing wrong with them; 4 one will be sacrificed in the morning, and the other in the evening. 5 Along with each of them, one kilogram of your finest flour mixed with a liter of olive oil must be offered as a grain sacrifice. 6 This sacrifice to please me was first offered at Mount Sinai. 7 Finally, along with each of these two sacrifices, a liter of wine must be poured on the altar as a drink offering. 8 The second ram will be sacrificed that evening, along with the other offerings, just like the one sacrificed that morning. The smell of the smoke from these sacrifices will please me.
The Sacrifice on the Sabbath
The Lord said:
9-10 On the Sabbath, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices,[an] you must sacrifice two rams a year old to please me.[ao] These rams must have nothing wrong with them, and they will be sacrificed with a drink offering and two kilograms of your finest flour mixed with olive oil.
The Sacrifices on the First Day of the Month
The Lord said:
11 On the first day of each month, bring to the altar two bulls, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. Then offer these as sacrifices to please me.[ap] 12 Three kilograms of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with each bull as a grain sacrifice. Two kilograms of flour mixed with oil must be offered with the ram, 13 and one kilogram of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the young rams. The smell of the smoke from these sacrifices will please me.
14-15 Offer two liters of wine as a drink offering with each bull, one and a half liters with the ram, and one liter with each of the young rams.
Finally, you must offer a goat[aq] as a sacrifice for sin.
These sacrifices are to be offered on the first day of each month, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.[ar]
The Sacrifices during Passover and the Festival of Thin Bread
(Leviticus 23.4-8)
The Lord said:
16 (P) Celebrate Passover in honor of me on the fourteenth day of the first month[as] of each year. 17 (Q) The following day will begin the Festival of Thin Bread, which will last for a week. During this time you must honor me by eating bread made without yeast.
18 On the first day of this festival, you must rest from your work and come together for worship. 19 Bring to the altar two bulls, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. And then offer these as sacrifices to please me.[at] 20 Three kilograms of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with each bull as a grain sacrifice. Two kilograms of flour mixed with oil must be offered with the ram, 21 and one kilogram of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the young rams. 22 Also offer a goat[au] as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. 23-24 All of these are to be offered each day of the festival in additional to the regular sacrifices,[av] and the smoke from them will please me. 25 Then on the last day of the festival, you must once again rest from work and come together for worship.
The Sacrifices during the Harvest Festival
(Leviticus 23.15-22)
The Lord said:
26 (R) On the first day of the Harvest Festival, you must rest from your work, come together for worship, and bring a sacrifice of new grain. 27 Offer two young bulls, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old as sacrifices to please me.[aw] 28 Three kilograms of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with each bull as a grain sacrifice. Two kilograms of flour mixed with oil must be offered with the ram, 29 and one kilogram of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the young rams. 30 Also offer a goat[ax] as a sacrifice for sin. 31 The animals must have nothing wrong with them and are to be sacrificed along with the regular daily sacrifices.[ay]
The Sacrifices at the Festival of Trumpets
(Leviticus 23.23-25)
The Lord said:
29 On the first day of the seventh month,[az] you must rest from your work and come together to celebrate at the sound of the trumpets. 2 Bring to the altar one bull, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. And then offer these as sacrifices to please me.[ba] 3 Three kilograms of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with the bull as a grain sacrifice. Two kilograms of flour mixed with oil must be offered with the ram, 4 and one kilogram of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the young rams. 5 You must also offer a goat[bb] as a sacrifice for sin. 6 These sacrifices will be made in addition to the regular daily sacrifices[bc] and the sacrifices for the first day of the month.[bd] The smoke from these sacrifices will please me.
The Sacrifices on the Great Day of Forgiveness
(Leviticus 23.26-32)
The Lord said:
7 (S) The tenth day of the seventh month[be] is the Great Day of Forgiveness.[bf] On that day you must rest from all work and come together for worship. Show sorrow for your sins by going without food, 8 and bring to the altar one young bull, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. Then offer these as sacrifices to please me.[bg] 9 Three kilograms of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with the bull as a grain sacrifice. Two kilograms of flour mixed with oil must be offered with the ram, 10 and one kilogram of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the young rams. 11 A goat[bh] must also be sacrificed for the sins of the people. You will offer these sacrifices in addition to the sacrifice to ask forgiveness and the regular daily sacrifices.[bi]
The Sacrifices during the Festival of Shelters
(Leviticus 23.33-44)
The Lord said:
12 (T) Beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month[bj] and continuing for seven days, everyone must celebrate the Festival of Shelters in honor of me.
13 On the first day, you must rest from your work and come together for worship. Bring to the altar 13 bulls, 2 full-grown rams, and 14 rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. Then offer these as sacrifices to please me.[bk] 14 Three kilograms of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with each bull as a grain sacrifice. Two kilograms of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the rams, 15 and one kilogram of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the young rams. 16 You must also offer a goat[bl] as a sacrifice for sin. These are to be offered in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.[bm]
17-34 For the next six days of the festival, you will sacrifice one less bull than the day before, so that on the seventh day, seven bulls will be sacrificed. The other sacrifices and offerings must remain the same for each of these days.
35 On the eighth day, you must once again rest from your work and come together for worship. 36 Bring to the altar one bull, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. Then offer these as sacrifices to please me. 37 You must also offer the proper grain sacrifices and drink offerings of wine with each animal. 38 And offer a goat[bn] as the sacrifice to ask forgiveness for the people. These sacrifices are made in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.[bo]
39 You must offer all these sacrifices to me at the appointed times of worship, together with any offerings that are voluntarily given or given because of a promise.
40 Moses told the people of Israel everything the Lord had told him about the sacrifices.
Making Promises to the Lord
30 The Lord told Moses to say to Israel's tribal leaders:
2 (U) When one of you men makes a promise to the Lord,[bp] you must keep your word.
3 Suppose a young woman who is still living with her parents makes a promise to the Lord. 4 If her father hears about it and says nothing, she must keep her promise. 5 But if he hears about it and objects, then she no longer has to keep her promise. The Lord will forgive her, because her father did not agree with the promise.
6-7 Suppose a woman makes a promise to the Lord and then gets married. If her husband later hears about the promise but says nothing, she must do what she said, whether she meant it or not. 8 But if her husband hears about the promise and objects, she no longer has to keep it, and the Lord will forgive her.
9 Widows and divorced women must keep every promise they make to the Lord.
10 Suppose a married woman makes a promise to the Lord. 11 If her husband hears about the promise and says nothing, she must do what she said. 12 But if he hears about the promise and does object, she no longer has to keep it. The Lord will forgive her, because her husband would not allow her to keep the promise. 13 Her husband has the final say about any promises she makes to the Lord. 14 If her husband hears about a promise and says nothing about it for a whole day, she must do what she said—since he did not object, the promise must be kept. 15 But if he waits until the next day to stop her from keeping her promise, he is the one who must be punished.
16 These are the laws that the Lord gave Moses about husbands and wives, and about young daughters who still live at home.
Israel's War against Midian
31 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Before you die, make sure that the Midianites are punished for what they did to Israel.”[bq]
3 Then Moses told the people, “The Lord wants to punish the Midianites. So tell our men to prepare for battle. 4 Each tribe will send 1,000 men to fight.”
5 Twelve thousand men were picked from the tribes of Israel, and after they were prepared for battle, 6 Moses sent them off to war. Phinehas the son of Eleazar went with them and took along some things from the sacred tent[br] and the trumpets for sounding the battle signal.
7 The Israelites fought against the Midianites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. They killed all the men, 8 including Balaam son of Beor and the five Midianite kings, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. 9 The Israelites captured every woman and child, then led away the Midianites' cattle and sheep, and took everything else that belonged to them. 10 They also burned down the Midianite towns and villages.
11 Israel's soldiers gathered together everything they had taken from the Midianites, including the captives and the animals. 12-13 Then they returned to their own camp in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, where Moses, Eleazar, and the other Israelite leaders met the troops outside camp.
14 Moses became angry with the army commanders 15 and said, “I can't believe you let the women live! 16 (V) They are the ones who followed Balaam's advice and invited our people to worship the god Baal Peor. That's why the Lord punished us by killing so many of our people. 17 You must put to death every boy and all the women who have ever had sex. 18 But do not kill the young women who have never had sex. You may keep them for yourselves.”
19 Then Moses said to the soldiers, “If you killed anyone or touched a dead body, you are unclean and have to stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days, you must go through a ceremony to make yourselves and your captives clean. 20 Then wash your clothes and anything made from animal skin, goat's hair, or wood.”
21-23 Eleazar then explained, “If you need to purify something that won't burn, such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead, you must first place it in a hot fire. After you take it out, sprinkle it with the water that purifies. Everything else should only be sprinkled with the water. Do all of this, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 24 Wash your clothes on the seventh day, and after that, you will be clean and may return to the camp.”
Everything Taken from the Midianites Is Divided
25 The Lord told Moses:
26-27 Make a list of everything taken from the Midianites, including the captives and the animals. Then divide them between the soldiers and the rest of the people. Eleazar the priest and the family leaders will help you.
28-29 From the half that belongs to the soldiers, set aside for the Lord one out of every 500 people or animals and give these to Eleazar.
30 From the half that belongs to the people, set aside one out of every 50 and give these to the Levites in charge of the sacred tent.
31 Moses and Eleazar followed the Lord's instructions 32-35 and listed everything that had been taken from the Midianites. The list included 675,000 sheep and goats, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 young women who had never had sex.
36-47 Each half included 337,500 sheep and goats, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 young women. From the half that belonged to the soldiers, Moses counted out 675 sheep and goats, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 women and gave them to Eleazar to be dedicated to the Lord. Then from the half that belonged to the people, Moses set aside one out of every 50 animals and women, as the Lord had said, and gave them to the Levites.
48 The army commanders went to Moses 49 and said, “Sir, we have counted our troops, and not one soldier is missing. 50 So we want to give the Lord all the gold jewelry we took from the Midianites. It's our gift to him for watching over us and our troops.”
51 Moses and Eleazar accepted the jewelry from the commanders, 52 and its total weight was over 200 kilograms. 53 This did not include the things that the soldiers had kept for themselves. 54 So Moses and Eleazar placed the gold in the Lord's sacred tent to remind Israel of what had happened.[bs]
Land East of the Jordan River Is Settled
(Deuteronomy 3.12-22)
32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned a lot of cattle and sheep, and they saw that the regions of Jazer and Gilead had good pastureland. 2 So they went to Moses, Eleazar, and the other leaders of Israel and said, 3-4 “The Lord has helped us capture the land around the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. That's good pastureland, and since we own cattle and sheep, 5 would you let us stay here east of the Jordan River and have this land as our own?”
6 Moses answered:
You mean you'd stay here while the rest of the Israelites go into battle? 7 If you did that, it would discourage the others from crossing over into the land the Lord promised them. 8 (W) This is exactly what happened when I sent your ancestors from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land. 9 They went as far as Eshcol Valley, then returned and told the people that we should not enter it. 10 (X) The Lord became very angry. 11 And he said that no one who was 20 years or older when they left Egypt would enter the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not one of those people believed in the Lord's power, 12 except Caleb and Joshua.[bt] They remained faithful to the Lord, 13 but he was so angry with the others that he forced them to wander around in the desert for 40 years. By that time everyone who had sinned against him had died.
14 Now you people of Reuben and Gad are doing the same thing and making the Lord even angrier. 15 If you reject the Lord, he will once again abandon his people and leave them here in the desert. And you will be to blame!
16 The men from Reuben and Gad replied:
Let us build places to keep our sheep and goats, and towns for our wives and children, 17 where they can stay and be safe. Then we'll prepare to fight and lead the other tribes into battle. 18 We will stay with them until they have settled in their own tribal lands. 19 The land on this side of the Jordan River will be ours, so we won't expect to receive any on the other side.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.