Bible in 90 Days
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake, and put it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. People looked at the bronze snake after they were bitten, and they lived.[a]
Israel Travels Past Edom to Moab
10 The Israelites moved and set up camp at Oboth. 11 Next they moved from Oboth and set up camp at Iye Abarim in the desert west of Moab. 12 From there they moved and set up camp at the Zered River. 13 They moved from there and set up camp on the other side of the Arnon Valley in the desert that extends into Amorite territory. (The Arnon Valley is the border between Moab and the Amorites.) 14 This is how it’s described in the Book of the Wars of the Lord:
“… Waheb in Suphah and the valleys,
15 Arnon and the slopes of the valleys
that go down to the site of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab….”
16 From there they went to Beer [Well]. This is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people, and I will give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song about the well:
“Make your water spring up!
Sing to the well,
18 the well dug by princes,
dug out by the nobles of the people
with their scepters and staffs.”
From the desert they went to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where Mount Pisgah overlooks Jeshimon.
Sihon and Og Defeated
21 Then Israel sent messengers to say to King Sihon of the Amorites, 22 “Let us go through your country. We won’t go through any of your fields or vineyards or drink any of the water from your wells. We’ll stay on the king’s highway until we’ve passed through your territory.”
23 Sihon wouldn’t let Israel pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his troops and came out into the desert to attack Israel. When Sihon’s troops came to Jahaz, they fought against Israel. 24 But Israel defeated them in battle and took possession of their land from the Arnon Valley to the Jabbok River. ⌞They stopped at⌟ the border of the Ammon because it was fortified. 25 Israel took all those Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its villages, and lived in them. 26 Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites. He had fought the former king of Moab and had taken all his land up to the Arnon Valley.
27 This is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon! Rebuild it!
Restore Sihon’s city!
28 Fire came out of Heshbon,
flames from Sihon’s city.
They destroyed Ar of Moab,
the rulers of Arnon’s worship sites.[b]
29 How horrible it is for you, Moab!
You are destroyed, you people of the god Chemosh.
Chemosh let his sons become refugees
and he let his daughters become prisoners
of King Sihon of the Amorites.
30 But we shot the Amorites full of arrows.
From Heshbon to Dibon they all died.
We destroyed everyone and everything
between Nophah and Medeba.”
31 So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites. 32 After Moses sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its cities and villages and forced out the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came out to fight the Israelites at Edrei.
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.” 35 The Israelites defeated him, his sons, and all his troops, leaving no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
Balaam Is Hired to Curse Israel
22 Then the Israelites moved and set up camp across from Jericho, on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River.
2 Balak, son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 The Moabites were very afraid because there were so many Israelites. Besides, the Moabites couldn’t stand these people.
4 So the Moabites said to the leaders of Midian, “All those people will eventually eat up everything around us the same way an ox eats up the grass in a field.”
At that time Balak, son of Zippor, was king of Moab. 5 He sent messengers to summon Balaam, son of Beor, who was at Pethor, on the Euphrates River, in the land where his people lived. Balak’s message was, “A nation has just come here from Egypt. They’ve spread out all over the countryside and are setting up their camp here in front of me. 6 Please come and curse these people for me, because they are too strong for me. Maybe then I’ll be able to defeat them and force them out of the country. I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed.”
7 The leaders of Moab and Midian left, taking money with them to pay for Balaam’s services. They came to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.
8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I’ll report to you what the Lord tells me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam answered, “Balak, son of King Zippor of Moab, sent them with this message: 11 ‘Some people have just come from Egypt and are spreading out all over the countryside. Now come and curse them for me. Maybe I’ll be able to fight them and force them out.’ ”
12 But God said to Balaam, “Don’t go with them! Don’t curse these people, because they are blessed.”
13 When Balaam got up in the morning, he said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your own country, because the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite princes went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Balak sent a larger group of more highly respected princes. 16 When they came to Balaam, they said to him, “This is what Balak, son of Zippor, says: Don’t let anything keep you from coming to me. 17 I will make sure you are richly rewarded, and I will do whatever you ask. Please, come and curse these people for me.”
18 But Balaam answered Balak’s servants, “Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I couldn’t disobey the command of the Lord my God no matter whether the request was important or not. 19 Now, why don’t you stay here tonight, as the others did, and I’ll find out what else the Lord may have to tell me.”
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “If these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”
Balaam’s Journey to Moab
21 When Balaam got up in the morning, he saddled his donkey and left with the Moabite princes.
22 God became angry that he was going. So the Messenger of the Lord stood in the road to stop him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants. 23 When the donkey saw the Messenger of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn, the donkey turned off the road into a field. Balaam hit the donkey to get it back on the road.
24 Where the road went through the vineyards, it was narrow, with stone walls on both sides. Now the Messenger of the Lord stood there. 25 When the donkey saw the Messenger of the Lord, it moved over and pinned Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam hit the donkey again.
26 Then the Messenger of the Lord moved ahead and stood in a narrower place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left. 27 When the donkey saw the Messenger of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam. Balaam became so angry he hit the donkey with his stick. 28 Then the Lord made the donkey speak, and it asked Balaam, “What have I done to make you hit me three times?”
29 Balaam answered, “You’ve made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you right now.”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “I’m your own donkey. You’ve always ridden me. Have I ever done this to you before?”
“No,” he answered.
31 Then the Lord let Balaam see the Messenger of the Lord who was standing in the road with his sword drawn. So Balaam knelt, bowing with his face touching the ground.
32 The Messenger of the Lord asked him, “Why have you hit your donkey three times like this? I’ve come here to stop you because the trip you’re taking is evil. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you by now but spared the donkey.”
34 Balaam said to the Messenger of the Lord, “I’ve sinned. I didn’t know you were standing there in the road to stop me. If you still think this trip is evil, I’ll go back.”
35 The Messenger of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s princes.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at Ir Moab, in the region of the Arnon Valley, right on the border of Moab. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Why didn’t you come when I summoned you? You knew I’d be able to reward you.”
38 Balaam replied, “Well, I’ve come to you now. But I can’t say whatever I want to. I can only say what God tells me to say.”
39 Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle, sheep, and goats, and sent some of the meat to Balaam and the princes who were with him.
41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal. From there he could see the outskirts of the Israelites’ camp.
Balaam’s First Prophecy
23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 2 Balak did what Balaam told him, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I’m gone. Maybe the Lord will come and meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” Then Balaam went off to a higher place where there were no trees.
4 God came to him, and Balaam said, “I have set up seven altars, and I offered a bull and a ram on each altar.”
5 The Lord told Balaam, “Go back to Balak, and give him my message.”
6 So he went back to Balak and found him standing beside his burnt offering with all the princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam delivered this message:
“Balak brought me from Aram.
The king of Moab summoned me from the eastern mountains.
‘Come, curse Jacob for me,’ he said.
‘Come, condemn Israel.’
8 How can I curse those whom God hasn’t cursed?
How can I condemn those whom the Lord hasn’t condemned?
9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
I look at them from the hills.
I see a nation that lives by itself,
people who do not consider themselves
to be like other nations.
10 The descendants of Jacob are like specks of dust.
Who can count them
or number even one-fourth of the people of Israel?
Let me die the death of innocent people.
Let my end be like theirs.”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but all you’ve done is bless them!”
12 Balaam answered, “I must say what the Lord tells me to say.”
Balaam’s Second Prophecy
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, where you can see the Israelites. You will see only some of them, not all of them. Curse them for me from there.”
14 So he took him to the Field of Zophim [c] on top of Mount Pisgah, where he built seven altars. He offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet with God over there.”
16 The Lord came to Balaam and told him, “Go back to Balak, and give him my message.”
17 He came to Balak and found him standing beside his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?” 18 Then Balaam delivered this message:
“Stand up, Balak, and listen!
Hear me, son of Zippor!
19 God is not like people. He tells no lies.
He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind.
When he says something, he does it.
When he makes a promise, he keeps it.
20 I have received a command to bless.
He has blessed, and I can’t change it.
21 He doesn’t want any trouble for the descendants of Jacob.
He sees no misfortune for the people of Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
praised as their king.
22 The God who brought them out of Egypt
has the strength of a wild bull.
23 No spell can curse the descendants of Jacob.
No magic can harm the people of Israel.
Now it will be said of Jacob and Israel:
‘See what God has done!’
24 Here is a nation that attacks like a lioness
and is as ferocious as a lion.
It doesn’t lie down until it eats its prey
and drinks the blood of its victim.”
25 Balak said to Balaam, “If you won’t curse them, then at least don’t bless them!”
26 Balaam answered, “Didn’t I tell you that I must do whatever the Lord says?”
27 Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place. Maybe God wants you to curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which overlooks Jeshimon.
29 Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30 Balak did what Balaam told him, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Balaam’s Third Prophecy
24 When Balaam saw that the Lord wanted to bless Israel, he didn’t look for omens as he had done before. He turned toward the desert, 2 looked up, and saw Israel’s camp grouped by tribes. The Spirit of God entered him, 3 and he delivered this message:
“This is the message of Balaam, son of Beor.
This is the message of the man whose eyesight is clear.
4 This is the message of the one who hears God’s words,
has a vision from the Almighty,
and falls ⌞into a trance⌟ with his eyes open:
5 How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
and the places where you live, Israel.
6 Your tents spread out like rivers,
like gardens by a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars by the water.
7 Water will flow from their buckets,
and their crops will have plenty of water.
Their king will be greater than Agag,
and their kingdom will be considered the best.
8 The God who brought them out of Egypt
has the strength of a wild bull.
He will devour nations that are his enemies,
crush their bones,
and pierce them with arrows.
9 His people lie down ⌞and⌟ rest like a lion.
They are like a lioness. Who dares to disturb them?
Those who bless you will be blessed!
Those who curse you will be cursed!”
Balaam’s Fourth Prophecy
10 Balak became angry with Balaam. He clapped his hands and said, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, and now you have blessed them three times. 11 Get out of here! Go home! I said I’d reward you richly, but the Lord has made you lose your reward.”
12 Balaam answered Balak, “I told the messengers you sent me, 13 ‘Even if Balak would give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I couldn’t disobey the Lord’s command no matter how good or bad the request might seem to me. I must say only what the Lord says.’ 14 Even though I’m going back to my people, I’ll give you some advice. I’ll tell you what these people will do to your people in the days to come.”
15 Then Balaam delivered this message:
“This is the message of Balaam, son of Beor.
This is the message of the man whose eyesight is clear.
16 This is the message of the one who hears God’s words,
receives knowledge from the Most High,
has a vision from the Almighty,
and falls ⌞into a trance⌟ with his eyes open:
17 I see someone who is not here now.
I look at someone who is not nearby.
A star will come from Jacob.
A scepter will rise from Israel.
He will crush the heads of the Moabites
and destroy all the people of Sheth.[d]
18 Edom will be conquered,
and Seir, his enemy, will be conquered.
So Israel will become wealthy.
19 He will rule from Jacob
and destroy whoever is left in their cities.”
20 Then Balaam saw the Amalekites and delivered this message:
“Amalek was first among the nations,
but in the end it will be destroyed.”
21 Then he saw the Kenites and delivered this message:
“You have a permanent place to live.
Your nest is built in a rock.
22 But it is destined to be burned, you ⌞descendants of⌟ Cain,
when Assyria takes you as prisoners of war.” [e]
23 He delivered this message:
“Oh no! Who will live when God decides to do this?
24 Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus.
They will conquer Assyria and Eber.
But they, too, will be totally destroyed.”
25 Then Balaam got up and went back home, and Balak also went on his way.
Israel Commits Idolatry
25 While Israel was staying at Shittim, the men began to have sex with Moabite women 2 who invited the people to the sacrifices offered to their gods. The people ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped these gods. 3 Since the Israelites joined in worshiping the god Baal of Peor, the Lord became angry with Israel.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, and execute them in broad daylight in the Lord’s presence. This will turn the Lord’s anger away from Israel.”
5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill the men who have joined in worshiping the god Baal of Peor.”
6 One of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman to his brothers. He did this right in front of Moses and the whole community of Israel while they were crying at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of the priest Aaron, saw this. So he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand, 8 and went into the tent after the Israelite man. He drove the spear through the man and into the woman’s body. Because of this, the plague that the Israelites were experiencing stopped. 9 However, 24,000 people died from that plague.
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of the priest Aaron, turned my fury away from the Israelites. Since he stood up for me, I didn’t have to stand up for myself and destroy them. 12 So tell Phinehas that I’m making a promise of peace to him. 13 My promise is that he and his descendants will be priests permanently because he stood up for his God and he made peace with the Lord for the Israelites.”
14 The name of the Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu. (Salu was the leader of a family from Simeon.) 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi, daughter of Zur. (Zur was the head of a family from the Midianite tribes.)
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Treat the Midianites as your enemies, and kill them 18 because they treated you as enemies. They plotted to trick you in the incident that took place at Peor. They used their sister Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed on the day of the plague caused by the incident at Peor.”
Moses Takes Another Census of Israel
26 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, 2 “Take a census of the whole community of Israel by households. List those who are at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty.”
3 So Moses and the priest Eleazar spoke to the Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. They said, 4 “Take a census of those at least 20 years old, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
These are the Israelites who came from Egypt:
5 Reuben was Israel’s firstborn. The descendants of Reuben were the family of Hanoch, the family of Pallu, 6 the family of Hezron, and the family of Carmi.
7 These were the families of Reuben. The total number of men was 43,730.
8 Eliab was the son [f] of Pallu, 9 and Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. (It was Dathan and Abiram, men chosen by the community, who defied Moses and Aaron’s authority. They joined Korah’s followers when they defied the Lord’s authority. 10 The ground opened up and swallowed them along with Korah. They and their followers died when the fire consumed the 250 men. This was a warning. 11 But the descendants of Korah didn’t die.)
12 The families descended from Simeon were the family of Nemuel, the family of Jamin, the family of Jakin, 13 the family of Zerah, and the family of Shaul.
14 These were the families of Simeon. The total number of men was 22,200.
15 The families descended from Gad were the family of Zephon, the family of Haggi, the family of Shuni, 16 the family of Ozni, the family of Eri, 17 the family of Arodi,[g] and the family of Areli.
18 These were the families of Gad’s descendants. The total number of men was 40,500.
19 Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan. 20 The families descended from Judah were the family of Shelah, the family of Perez, and the family of Zerah.
21 The descendants of Perez were the family of Hezron and the family of Hamul.
22 These were the families of Judah. The total number of men was 76,500.
23 The families descended from Issachar were the family of Tola, the family of Puah,[h] 24 the family of Jashub, and the family of Shimron.
25 These were the families of Issachar. The total number of men was 64,300.
26 The families descended from Zebulun were the family of Sered, the family of Elon, and the family of Jahleel.
27 These were the families of Zebulun. The total number of men was 60,500.
28 The families descended from Joseph ⌞through⌟ Manasseh and Ephraim were 29 (from Manasseh) the family of Machir (Machir was the father of Gilead) and the family of Gilead.
30 The descendants of Gilead were the family of Iezer, the family of Helek, 31 the family of Asriel, the family of Shechem, 32 the family of Shemida, and the family of Hepher. 33 (Zelophehad, son of Hepher, had no sons—only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.)
34 These were the families of Manasseh. The total number of men was 52,700.
35 The families descended from Ephraim were the family of Shuthelah, the family of Beker, and the family of Tahan.
36 The descendants of Shuthelah were the family of Eran.
37 These were the families of Ephraim’s descendants. The total number of men was 32,500.
These were the families descended from Joseph.
38 The families descended from Benjamin were the family of Bela, the family of Ashbel, the family of Ahiram, 39 the family of Shupham,[i] and the family of Hupham.
40 The descendants of Bela (⌞through⌟ Ard and Naaman) were the family of Ard and the family of Naaman.
41 These were the families descended from Benjamin. The total number of men was 45,600.
42 The family descended from Dan was the family of Shuham.
This was the family descended from Dan. 43 The total number of men in all the family of Shuham was 64,400.
44 The families descended from Asher were the family of Imnah, the family of Ishvi, and the family of Beriah.
45 The descendants Beriah were the family of Heber and the family of Malchiel.
46 (Asher had a daughter named Serah.)
47 These were the families of Asher’s descendants. The total number of men was 53,400.
48 The families descended from Naphtali were the family of Jahzeel, the family of Guni, 49 the family of Jezer, and the family of Shillem.
50 These were the families of Naphtali. The total number of men was 45,400.
51 The total number of Israelite men was 601,730.
52 Then the Lord said to Moses, 53 “The land these people will possess must be divided using the list of names ⌞from the census⌟. 54 Give more land to larger tribes and less land to smaller ones. Use the totals ⌞from the census⌟ in giving land to each tribe. 55 But the land must be divided by drawing lots. The tribes will receive their land based on the names of their ancestors. 56 Whether the tribes are large or small, the land must be divided by drawing lots.”
57 The families descended from Levi were listed as the family of Gershon, the family of Kohath, and the family of Merari.
58 These were the families of Levi: the Libnite family, the Hebronite family, the Mahlite family, the Mushite family, and the Korahite family.
Kohath was the ancestor of Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born in Egypt. She gave birth to Amram’s children: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu had died because they offered unauthorized fire in the Lord’s presence.
62 The total number of all the ⌞Levite⌟ males at least one month old was 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites, because they were given no land of their own.
63 Moses and the priest Eleazar added up the total number of Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. 64 Among them there wasn’t a single one of the Israelites Moses and the priest Aaron had counted in the Desert of Sinai. 65 The Lord had said, “They must all die in the desert.” The only ones left were Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).
A Request from Zelophehad’s Daughters
27 The daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, grandson of Gilead, descendant of Machir, whose father was Manasseh, belonged to the families of Manasseh, son of Joseph. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They came 2 to Moses and stood in front of him, the priest Eleazar, the leaders, and the whole community at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They said, 3 “Our father died in the desert. He was not a part of Korah’s followers who joined forces against the Lord. He died for his own sin and left no sons. 4 Why should our father’s name be allowed to die out in his family because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case to the Lord, 6 and the Lord said to him, 7 “Zelophehad’s daughters are right. You must give them property of their own among their father’s relatives. Turn their father’s property over to them.
8 “Tell the Israelites: If a man dies and leaves no sons, turn his property over to his daughters. 9 If he has no daughters, give his property to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his property to his uncles on his father’s side of the family. 11 If he has no uncles, give his property to the nearest relative in his family, and that relative will take possession of it. This will be a rule for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
The Lord Appoints Joshua to Succeed Moses
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into the Abarim Mountains, and take a look at the land I will give the Israelites. 13 After you see it, you, too, will join your ancestors ⌞in death⌟, as your brother Aaron did. 14 You both rebelled against my command in the Desert of Zin. You didn’t show the people how holy I am when they were complaining at the oasis.” (This was the oasis of Meribah at Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “Lord, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone. Please appoint someone over the community 17 who will lead them in and out ⌞of battle⌟ so that the Lord’s community will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit, and place your hand on him. 19 Make him stand in front of the priest Eleazar and the whole community, and give him his instructions in their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so that the whole community of Israel will obey him. 21 He will stand in front of the priest Eleazar, who will use the Urim [j] to make decisions in the Lord’s presence. At his command Joshua and the whole community of Israel will go into battle. And at his command they will return.”
22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand in front of the priest Eleazar and the whole community. 23 Moses placed his hands on Joshua and gave him his instructions as the Lord had told him.
Daily Sacrifices
28 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give this command to the Israelites: Be sure to bring me my offerings at the right times. They are my food. They are offerings by fire, a soothing aroma. 3 These are the offerings by fire that you must bring to the Lord. Every day you must bring as a daily burnt offering two one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 4 Offer one in the morning and the other at dusk. 5 ⌞With each of them⌟ also bring a grain offering of eight cups of flour mixed with one quart of virgin olive oil. 6 This is the daily burnt offering which was established on Mount Sinai. This offering is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. 7 Also bring a wine offering of one quart of wine for each lamb. Pour it out to the Lord in a holy place. 8 Offer the other lamb at dusk along with the same grain offering and wine offering as you brought in the morning. This is an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord.
Weekly Sacrifices
9 “On the day of rest—a holy day, offer two one-year-old lambs that have no defects, a grain offering of 16 cups of flour mixed with olive oil, and the wine offering that goes with it. 10 This burnt offering is for every day of rest—a holy day, in addition to the daily burnt offerings and the wine offerings that go with them.
Monthly Sacrifices
11 “On the first of every month bring the Lord a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 12 With each bull there will be a grain offering of 24 cups of flour mixed with olive oil, with each ram a grain offering of 16 cups of flour mixed with olive oil, 13 and with each one-year-old lamb a grain offering of 8 cups of flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. 14 The wine offering that goes with each bull will be 2 quarts of wine, with each ram 1½ quarts of wine, and with each lamb 1 quart of wine. This will be the monthly burnt offering for every month of the year. 15 In addition to the daily burnt offering with its wine offering, one male goat must be offered to the Lord as an offering for sin.
Annual Sacrifices
16 “The fourteenth day of the first month is the Lord’s Passover. 17 The fifteenth of this same month is a pilgrimage festival. For seven days you must eat only unleavened bread. 18 On the first day there will be a holy assembly. Don’t do any regular work. 19 Instead, bring the Lord an offering by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, all of them without defects. 20 Along with them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring 24 cups for each bull, 16 cups for each ram, 21 and 8 cups for each of the seven lambs. 22 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin to make peace with the Lord. 23 Offer these in addition to the morning burnt offering. 24 Bring all these offerings on each of the seven days. They are food. They are offerings by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord. They will be offered in addition to the daily burnt offering and the wine offering that goes with it. 25 On the seventh day you must have a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work.
26 “During the Festival of Weeks, you must have a holy assembly. On that day you must not do any regular work. Bring the Lord your new grain offering, the first produce harvested from your fields. 27 Bring a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the Lord—two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs. 28 Along with them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring 24 cups for each bull, 16 cups for each ram, 29 and 8 cups for each of the seven lambs. 30 Also bring one male goat to make peace with the Lord. 31 Offer these animals that have no defects along with their wine offerings, in addition to the daily burnt offerings and their grain offerings.”
29 ⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “On the first day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work. It is a day for ⌞the trumpets to sound⌟ a fanfare. 2 As a burnt offering, a soothing aroma to the Lord, bring one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 3 Along with them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring 24 cups for each bull, 16 cups for each ram, 4 and 8 cups for each of the seven lambs. 5 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin to make peace with the Lord. 6 Offer these in addition to the monthly burnt offering with its grain offering, and the daily burnt offerings with their proper grain offerings and wine offerings. They are a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.
7 “On the tenth day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly. You must humble yourselves. You must not do any work. 8 As a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, bring one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, all of them without defects. 9 Along with them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring 24 cups for each bull, 16 cups for each ram, 10 and 8 cups for each of the seven lambs. 11 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin (in addition to the ⌞other⌟ offering for sin to make peace with the Lord) and the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
12 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work. Instead, celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days. 13 As a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord, bring 13 young bulls, 2 rams, and 14 one-year-old lambs, all of them without defects. 14 Along with them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring 24 cups for each of the 13 bulls, 16 cups for each of the 2 rams, 15 and 8 cups for each of the 14 one-year-old lambs. 16 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
17 “On the second day bring 12 young bulls, 2 rams, and 14 one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 18 Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for each of the bulls, rams, and lambs. 19 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
20 “On the third day bring 11 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 21 Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for each of the bulls, rams, and lambs. 22 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
23 “On the fourth day bring 10 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 24 Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for each of the bulls, rams, and lambs. 25 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
26 “On the fifth day bring 9 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 27 Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for each of the bulls, rams, and lambs. 28 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
29 “On the sixth day bring 8 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 30 Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for each of the bulls, rams, and lambs. 31 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
32 “On the seventh day bring 7 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 33 Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for each of the bulls, rams, and lambs. 34 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
35 “On the eighth day you must hold a religious assembly. You must not do any daily work. 36 As a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord, bring one bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs that have no defects. 37 Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for the bull, the ram, and the lambs. 38 Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.
39 “These are the offerings you must bring to the Lord at your festivals. They are the offerings you must bring in addition to the offerings for anything you vowed to give to the Lord, your freewill offerings, your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your wine offerings, and your fellowship offerings.” [k]
40 Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him.
Teachings about Vows
30 [l]Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel, “This is what the Lord has commanded ⌞about vows⌟: 2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord that he will do something or swears an oath that he won’t do something, he must not break his word. He must do everything he said he would do.
3 “A young girl, who still lives in her father’s house, might make a vow to the Lord that she will do something or swear an oath that she won’t do something. 4 If her father says nothing to her when he hears about it, her vow or oath must be kept. 5 But if her father objects when he hears about it, her vow or oath doesn’t have to be kept. The Lord will free her ⌞from this vow or oath⌟ because her father objected.
6 “An unmarried woman might make a vow that she will do something or carelessly promise that she won’t do something. When she marries, 7 her husband may hear about it but say nothing to her. Then her vow or oath must be kept. 8 But if her husband objects when he hears about it, he can cancel the vow or promise she made. The Lord will free her ⌞from this vow or promise⌟.
9 “But a widow or a divorced woman must keep her vow or her promise.
10 “A married woman might make a vow that she will do something or swear an oath that she won’t do something. 11 Her husband may hear about it but may say nothing and not object. Then her vow or oath must be kept. 12 But if her husband cancels it when he hears about it, nothing she said in her vow or oath has to be kept. Her husband has canceled it, and the Lord will free her ⌞from this vow or oath⌟.
13 “A husband decides whether or not his wife has to keep any vow to do something or any oath to do without something. 14 If he says nothing to her about it day after day, this means he’s decided that she must keep her vow or oath. She must keep it because he said nothing to her when he heard about it. 15 But if he cancels it later, he will suffer the consequences.”
16 These are the laws the Lord gave Moses for husbands and wives, and for fathers with young daughters still living at home.
The Lord Commands Israel to Defeat Midian
31 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Get even with the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites. After that you will join your ancestors ⌞in death⌟.”
3 Moses said to the people, “Some of your men must get ready to go to war against the Midianites. The Lord will use them to get even with Midian. 4 Send 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel.”
5 So 1,000 men from each tribe were supplied from the divisions of Israel—12,000 men ready for war. 6 Then Moses sent them off to war, 1,000 men from each tribe along with Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar. Phinehas took with him the holy articles and the trumpets for the fanfare.
7 They went to war against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. 8 Among those killed were the five kings of Midian—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Balaam, son of Beor, in battle. 9 The Israelites took the Midianite women and children as prisoners of war. They also took all their animals, their livestock, and their valuables as loot. 10 They burned all the cities where the Midianites lived and all their settlements. 11 Then they took everything as loot, including all the people and animals, 12 and brought the prisoners of war, the loot, and everything to Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the community of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.
13 Moses, the priest Eleazar, and all the leaders of the community went outside the camp to meet them. 14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of the companies and battalions, who were returning from battle.
15 “Why did you let all the women live?” he asked them. 16 “Remember, they were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the incident that took place at Peor. The Lord’s community experienced a plague at that time. 17 So kill all the Midianite boys and every Midianite woman who has gone to bed with a man. 18 But save for yourselves every girl who has never gone to bed with a man.
19 “Everyone who killed a person or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp seven days. You and your prisoners of war must use the ritual water on the third and seventh days in order to take away your sin. 20 Do the same for all the clothes and everything made of leather, goats’ hair, or wood.”
21 Then the priest Eleazar said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is what the Lord’s teachings told Moses to do: 22 Any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead— 23 anything that won’t burn—must be put through fire in order to make it clean.[m] Then it must also be put through the ritual water in order to take away its sin. Whatever might burn must ⌞only⌟ be put through the ritual water. 24 On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp.”
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “You, the priest Eleazar, and the heads of the families of the community need to count all the loot, including the people and animals you captured. 27 Divide the loot between the soldiers who served in the war and the rest of the community. 28 Collect a tax for the Lord. From the soldiers who served in the war collect one out of every 500 things. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. 29 Collect all these things from the soldiers’ half of the loot, and give them to the priest Eleazar as a contribution to the Lord. 30 From the Israelites’ half of the loot, collect one out of every 50 things. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and every other kind of animal. Give them to the Levites who are in charge of the work done at the Lord’s tent.” 31 Moses and the priest Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32 This is the loot that was left from everything that the troops took: 675,000 sheep and goats, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, and 35 32,000 women who had never gone to bed with a man.
36 Half of it went to the soldiers who served in the war. Of the 337,500 sheep and goats they received, 37 675 went to the Lord as taxes. 38 Of the 36,000 cattle they received, 72 went to the Lord as taxes. 39 Of the 30,500 donkeys they received, 61 went to the Lord as taxes. 40 Of the 16,000 people they received, 32 went to the Lord as taxes.
41 Moses gave the Lord’s taxes to the priest Eleazar, as the Lord had commanded him.
42 Moses took the Israelites’ half of the loot from the soldiers. 43 The community received 337,500 sheep and goats, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 people.
47 From the Israelites’ half Moses collected one out of every 50 things, including people and animals, as the Lord commanded him. Then he gave all this to the Levites who were in charge of the work done at the Lord’s tent.
48 Then the officers from the military divisions, the commanders of the companies and battalions of men, came to Moses. 49 They said to him, “Sir, we have counted all the soldiers under our command, and not one of them is missing. 50 So we have brought as gifts to the Lord the gold jewelry that each of us found—arm bands, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and pendants. We offer them to make peace with the Lord.”
51 Moses and the priest Eleazar took all the hand-crafted gold articles from them. 52 All the gold contributed to the Lord by the commanders weighed about 420 pounds. 53 Each soldier kept his own loot. 54 Moses and the priest Eleazar took the gold from the commanders and brought it into the Lord’s presence at the tent of meeting as a reminder to the Israelites.
The Tribes of Reuben and Gad Request Land East of the Jordan River
32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had a large number of livestock. They saw that the regions of Jazer and Gilead were a good place for livestock. 2 So they came to Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the leaders of the community, and said to them, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land that the Lord won for the community of Israel, is a good place for livestock. Gentlemen, we have livestock. 5 Please give us this land as our property. Don’t make us cross the Jordan River.”
6 Moses asked the tribes of Gad and Reuben, “Are you going to stay here while the rest of the Israelites go to war? 7 That might discourage them from entering the land the Lord has given them. 8 That’s what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to take a look at the land. 9 They went as far as the Eshcol Valley and saw the land. But then they discouraged the rest of the Israelites from entering the land that the Lord had given them. 10 That day the Lord became angry and swore this oath, 11 ‘None of the people 20 years old or older, who came from Egypt, will see the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath. This is because they didn’t wholeheartedly follow me.’ 12 Only Caleb (son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite) and Joshua (son of Nun) will get to see the land. This is because they wholeheartedly followed the Lord. 13 Since the Lord was angry with the Israelites, he made them wander in the desert for 40 years until the whole generation of those who had done evil in the Lord’s presence was gone.
14 “You’re just like your parents! You’re a bunch of sinners trying to make the Lord angry with Israel again. 15 If you turn away from him, he will abandon all these people in the desert. You would be responsible for their destruction.”
16 Then the tribes of Gad and Reuben came up to Moses and said, “Allow us to build stone fences for our livestock and cities for our families here. 17 Then we’ll be ready ⌞to march⌟ in battle formation [n] ahead of the other Israelites until we have brought them to their land. Meanwhile our families will live in walled cities, safe from the other people who live here. 18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received his own land. 19 We won’t take possession of any land on the other side of the Jordan River, to the west and beyond. We already have our land here, east of the Jordan.”
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